An Essay About Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was an inspiring activist, poet, and woman. Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928. Throughout her lifetime she explored her career options as an actress, dancer, singer, writer, and editor among many other careers. Angelou had a tough childhood. Her parents divorced when she was very young and she was sent to live with her grandmother in Arkansas along with her brother Bailey. As an African American, Angelou experienced discrimination and racial prejudices. Angelou gave birth to her son Guy, at the age of sixteen and married her first husband Tosh Angelos, at the age of twenty-four. Angelou and Tosh divorced years later however, she did get married a couple of more times. Angelou experienced many

Maya Angelou, named at birth, Marguerite Johnson was on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her and her family moved from St. Louis to Stamps, Arkansas, where she was raised growing up. Maya Angelou was an American author, dancer, screenwriter, actress, poet and civil rights activist. Angelou gained a majority of her fame with the memoir she wrote in 1969, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This memoir made literary history as being the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman. Angelou received many awards and honors throughout her entire career. These awards included two NAACP Image Awards in the outstanding literary work (nonfiction) category, in 2005 and 2009. Angelou became one of the most legendary and influential

Maya Angelou is a phenomenal woman. She rises through all things that come her way and she refuses to back down. Angelou chose at a very young age to be a writer and a role model for many people. She believes that everyone should be treated equally and that the world should come together as a unity. Angelou had many careers but is known mostly for her poetic creations. She has come a long way from where she started and I think anyone can agree with me when I say, she has made us all proud with her accomplishments. Angelou writes poetry to inform and encourage others to carry on through the worst of times. She is a strong, confident, inspirational woman and I am more than honored to be doing my senior paper on her.

Maya Angelou is terrific performer, singer, filmmaker, and civil-rights activist. She is a phenomenal woman, one thing that she does best is writing. She is still living today, I believe her legend will never die. If one would talk to her, he or she would think she has lead a normal, happy life. Her life is blissful now, it was not always perfect. Maya beard enough emotional stress in a time frame that most people do not experience in a lifetime. Her experiences and the lessons learned encouraged her to help others become strong. Maya Angelou is one of the best examples of someone overcoming rape, being mute for several years, and having a child at a young age to achieve success of becoming an accomplished

The inspiring African-American woman born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri has been one of the many influential voices of our time. Educating herself and having love for the arts helped mold her life into what she imagined becoming a poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and even a civil rights activist. During her early years while still in High School Dr. Angelou experienced brutal racial discrimination directing her to the values of traditional African-Americans.

Maya was born on April 4,1928, in St. Louis, Mo and she was raised there as well.

According to Cornel West and Henry Louis Gates in their book entitled, The African American Century: How Black Americans Have Shaped Our Lives, in her lifetime she wrote a total of seven poetry editions, two five autobiographies, four children’s books, a screenplay, and two essay collections (West and Gates 276). Her most acclaimed publication was her introspective novel, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, which was based on her childhood, growing up in a then segregated Missouri (West and Gates 276). Margalit Fox wrote in an article for the New York Times, this book was the first time anyone paid attention to a black woman’s autobiography (Fox). The narrative awakened a culture of “female self revelation” in 1970 (West and Gates 279). Because Angelou’s works examined concepts of race, identity, family, and community, which are still prevalent today, they have stood the test of time (Fox).

Maya Angelou, a mother, a dancer, a singer, an actress, a poet, an author, and a civil rights activist, has become one of the most influential women in the world. Growing up as an African-American in the most racial conflictive years, Angelou has faced many struggles throughout her life. Those struggles didn’t stop her from doing what she loved and standing up for what she believed in. Angelou never gave up and always fought for justice whether it was through writing, performing, or speaking. Maya Angelou’s life experiences have influenced how she writes and performs.

Maya Angelou journey from her traumatising childhood to adult life…. Being that her life was so traumatizing caused her to express her struggles by the “sound of language.” Maya was born in Stamps, Arkansas on April 4,1928, and grew up during discrimination time period and racial prejudice. When she was young her mother and father split up. At seven years of age her mom sent her and her brothers to stay with their father’s mother.

Who is she and why is she important? Maya Angelou was an articulate, imaginative, courteous, lively collection of chapters and stanzas all wrapped up in a powerful, intelligent, successful, beautiful woman. Angelou was a world renowned author, actress and teacher who inspired millions. She possessed the capabilities to connect to the heart with her voice and her life experiences. She traveled and aided people across the world through her books, speeches and poems. She was

Maya Angelou was an astonishing woman who ultimately paved the way for individuals to express themselves through various forms of art. As an established poet, dancer, actress, and singer, Maya thrived through the face of adversity and shined brighter than ever through the struggles she faced in her daily life. In spite of the racial discrimination and the tribulations faced by Maya Angelou, she was able to establish herself as an extremely successful and renowned writer and African American activist who inspired countless people through her grace and strength, linking humanitarianism to the art of dance. Maya Angelou was born on April 28, 1948, in St. Louis, Missouri, into a working-class family. Sadly, after her father abandoned her family and her parents split up, attaining a financially stable lifestyle was difficult to reach.

The brilliant Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson to Bailey and Vivian Johnson, graced the earth on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Due to the split of her parents when she was a young girl, Angelou and her brother, Bailey, moved to Stamp, Arkansas, where they resided with their grandmother. While living in Arkansas, Angelou experienced racial discrimination and was tragically raped by her mother’s boyfriend, who her uncles eventually murdered for his crime, at the tender age of seven. Following the traumatic experience, Angelou became mute for a complete five years, where she ultimately developed a love for language. Thenceforth, the future author attended George Washington High School in San Francisco, California, where she received lessons in dance and drama at the California Labor School. While still attending high school, Angelou gave birth to her child, a son named Guy, in 1944, at the mere age of seventeen. After graduation, the new mom attended the University of Ghana, which led her to relocate to the countries of Ghana and Egypt while in Africa. Upon returning to the United States, the ambitious poet partook in temporary jobs of shake dancing, fry cooking, a mechanic

Maya Angelou is one out of the best known poets. She has written a lot of poems that inspires and assist people with their lives. She has a “desire humbleness to learn and experience all that life has to offer her” (gale biography in context, “Maya Angelou More than a Poet”) which makes her poems have a meaning to them. In addition, Maya Angelou got a lot of pieces of poems considered equality to her experience as a human of the United States during race times and her experience as a person who worked with other civil right activist. Maya Angelou uses deep themes that leaves the reader to think about the topic is being talked about. In her poem, “Still I Rise” she talks metaphorically about discrimination. In the poem, it states, “does my haughtiness offend you? ( the poetry foundation, “Maya Angelou”). This quote from the poem shows how the rest of the poem is about people believe they is better than other people and that the other people should suffer because they are inferior to the people, but the people being abused should not be embarrassed of who they are and be thankful for life(“Maya Angelou More than a Poet 1”).

Did you know Maya Angelou and I share the same birthplace? A large beautiful city with many attractions. Obviously, many years apart, we still shared the same interests. Angelou is well known for her award-winning poetry and collections. One commonly used all around the world today called “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”. Many cherished her perky and strong behavior(“Maya Angelou” 2018). Our forty-fourth president Barack Obama announced after her death Angelou was a “Brilliant writer, a fierce friend, a truly phenomenal woman… Angelou had the ability to remind us that we are all God’s children; that we all have something to offer”. She clearly had friends in high places. (“Maya Angelou” 2018)

Angelou’s Lifestyle Connection with her Literature Maya Angelou is a well-known author, regardless of being known for her poetry, or countless autobiographies that she has written that related to some of the tragic events that took place throughout her childhood up into her adult life. Angelou used different themes throughout her work that expressed her own life experiences. Whether it was being raped as a child by her mother’s boyfriend or having the feeling that she was the person at fault when it came down to the death of her rapist. According to an article written by Smelstor and Bruce, at birth, she born with the name Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri.