Maya Angelou’s childhood was a little hectic, but with time she put her best foot forward in spite of struggles. Angelou had a beautiful voice that wasn’t heard until she started writing poems. Angelou was also awarded multiple awards, because of her excellent poetry. Maya Angelou worked hard to present us with her extravagant, most vibrant poems that has impacted a lot of lives. Maya Angelou is an awe-inspiring figure in American Literature who is determined to spread equality to all.
In I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Angelou uses various stylistic devices and rhetorical strategies such as similes and metaphors. Angelou’s use of similes are used in order to describe her own character. In this, Angelou remarks “For nearly a year, I sopped around the house, the Store, the school and the church, like an old biscuit, dirty and inedible” showing that Angelou's inner feelings of not being good enough to be picked or loved. Correspondingly Angelou felt her skin looked “dirty like mud” showing her inner insecurities of her skin colour being unattractive. The sense of Angelou’s insecurities can also be seen with the use of metaphors regarding Angelou's skin as she remarked “I was described by our playmates
Marguerite Johnson, known as Maya Angelou, was not only famous for writing poetry but she also served as a Civil Rights Activist. Her other occupations were being an actress, dancer, including an exotic dancing (Maya Angelou Is Born), and an author. When she was working at the strip club a theatre group which help her with her acting career. They helped her get a role in the infamous Porgy and Bess and Calypso Heat Wave (Maya Angelou Biography). Around that time, she started producing albums, which later got her a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Audio version, writing biographies, poetry. Later, in her adult life, she won two NAACP image awards, Emmy award, for the mini-series Roots, and three Grammy’s (Maya Angelou Biography). Unfortunately, She
Maya Angelou was a very influential African American artist and civil rights activist during the times of the Jim Crow laws in America. She had many different occupations that influenced her work, including work as a sex worker, a singer, composer, journalist, actress, and dancer. She also was a huge advocate of not only women’s rights, but also rights for African Americans. She was also a huge part in the Harlem Renaissance.
Imagine having the influence to move and inspire people with the power of words. This is the power used by poets whose words, poetic techniques and actions engage the attention of a society while relating to a significant issue at their time in history.
She confided in her brother. She later learned that her uncles had killed her attacker. Feeling that her words were responsible for the man’s death, she stopped speaking. She remained mute until the age of 13, when she and her brother returned to live with their mother. At 16, she became pregnant during high school. She gave birth to a baby boy, Guy, shortly after graduation. She worked several jobs to support herself and her child. She later married a Greek sailor, but the union didn’t last. Instead, she traveled the world, using her many talents to touch the lives of the people she encountered. Maya worked as a successful actress, author, singer, teacher, dancer, poet, and director. She’s best known for her series of autobiographies and works of poetry. Her work brought her fame and a huge international audience. She was a wonderful spokesperson for African Americans and for women. She is beloved by fans across the world, from many different walks of life.
What characteristics make up a good leader? A few that might come to mind are bravery, being inspirational and helpful, and being able to present and write well enough to captivate an audience. These are the characteristics that made Maya Angelou a good leader.
‘Still I Rise’ is a poem written by Maya Angelou, an African-American poet, and civil rights activist in the 1960s. She has struggled at many times in her life; when her parents divorced at the age of three, being raped by her mother’s boyfriend just after moving back to live with them, and refusing to speak for five years because she felt guilty for reporting the crime. The poem portrays an ironic response towards people who have persistently put her down, due to the fact that she is now overcoming this, and is most likely having a better current life than her last oppressors. The reader can comprehend Angelou’s strength to continuously fight her battles against subjugation towards her and others of the same race and gender. The basis of
40 years ago, American government went from celebrating influential African Americans for only a week to a full month. This became the start of Black History Month. In the month of February, some Americans celebrate and remember black heroes around the United States for their efforts and accomplishments they made to help alleviate prejudice for present and future African Americans in order for them to have a chance at becoming successful and living the “American Dream” in peace. Though Americans still will exemplify discrimination towards African Americans today, vicious crimes towards blacks are not as detrimental as they used to be. As time continued from the beginning of Black History Month, many Americans have forgotten the importance of February. Black History Month shows that those who assisted in making America were not all of European descent. In my essay I want to bring the spotlight back to one of my favorite activists, Maya Angelou: a poet, author, performer, screenwriter, a strong, independent black woman who not only was intelligent but also the voice and the mind of the captive ones.
She also became such a person herself. President Barack Obama once saidOver the course of her remarkable life, Maya was many things -- an author, poet, civil rights activist, playwright, actress, director, composer, singer and dancer," Obama said. "But above all, she was a storyteller -- and her greatest stories were true. A childhood of suffering and abuse actually drove her to stop speaking -- but the voice she found helped generations of Americans find their rainbow amidst the clouds, and inspired the rest of us to be our best selves. In fact, she inspired my own mother to name my sister
A hero is a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities. Maya Angelou disregarded expectations and the wants of the real world in order to show society women in her time period can conquer. Coming from such a pressuring background she still proved whatever a person puts their mind to, they can do. Maya Angelou is known intentionally because of her wonderful talents: poetry, singing, writing songs, dancing, and playwright; in which, she has blessed many hearts with these impossibly great inspirations. A hero is someone who stands out in their own way without caring for an approval like Maya Angelou.
Maya Angelou has inspired me in more ways than one, and I had to write about her. When Maya speaks people listen. She has this wisdom that only few have, especially when life wasn’t always great. She turned tragedy into triumph, and helped others in doing so. So, Maya has proven too many women, especially black women that you succeed, even if you have had a child in your teen years. She’s proof that with determination nothing is unattainable.
Maya Angelou was one of the best successors in the world mostly known as an author, actress, screenwriter, dancer and poet. Maya had a difficult childhood. Her parents split up when she was still young, and her and her older brother Bailey, were sent to live with their grandmother, Anne Henderson, in Stamps, Arkansas. During the years she lived there she was very much discriminated in Arkansas . At age 7 she had very difficult times. During a visit with her mother she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend and this event ended up in pretty bad situation because of this her uncles had to kill her mother’s boyfriend. This experience traumatized Maya and she stopped talking.
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