Is Maya Angelou A Hero

There are many influential poets that deserve to be heard. Maya Angelou was a poet, influential speaker, and a writer. Angelou was one of the most influential African-American women of all time. She published books, poems, and screenplays that were later filmed. Due to all these accomplishments, she was honored with a Pulitzer Prize, a Tony Award, five Grammys, the National Medal of Art Award, and finally the Presidential Medal of Freedom (Pettinger). Angelou was most known for her poems. She wrote “Still I Rise,” “Phenomenal Woman” and “Caged Bird.” These are three of Angelou’s most outstanding poems. These poems were inspired by her life experiences, such as her experience with racism, inequality and sexism.

Maya Angelou once said “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated” and this phrase speaks volume in comparison to Angelou’s life story. She was born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. The name Maya was given to her by her older brother, Bailey Jr. Maya Angelou is not only a sister, but also an inspirational role model, a mother, an author, a poet, a civil rights activist, and an actor. In 1969 Angelou’s world renowned book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” was first published. Within the book, she speaks on her early life as an insecure young black girl who had to grow up in Southern America in the 1930s and later in California during the 1940s. Written over and over in a multitude of history books, black history still remains in the shadow of being a horrific story that Africans and decedents of Africans had to endure. Angelou’s autobiography is a testimony to first-hand witness accounts of the social injustice people of color had to experience. Within Angelou’s book, she shows her strength and inner will to do better. Along with early life, Angelou also speaks on her resistance against racism during her life in both Southern America and California. Angelou’s resistance is not the only one noticed during this time though. Many other African Americans also resisted racism by installing fear in those of the “superior race”, demanding respect by vocalizing voices of the unheard, and as well as moving forward to desegregation

“It’s not easy to be a hero. You do it because of what you believe, not because of what other people deserve.” Anyone can face a challenge or a hardship. But what makes a true hero is how the person takes on the challenge. Often, heroes show feats of ingenuity and acts of bravery. Two heroes that acted during the American Civil Rights Movement, were Martin Luther King Jr, and Rosa Parks. A hero is a person who has demonstrated behaviors to ethically receive our appreciation and respect. A hero is an ordinary person who finds the strength within themselves to persevere and undergo hardships and calamity.

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

Anyone who influences anyone else by saving or helping save his or her lives can be a hero. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of millions of people by bringing justice to minorities. Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest heroes, led a nonviolent revolution to free his country. Even a parent can be a hero to his or her child by leading them in the right direction. All teachers are heroes when they make it their job to teach a child anything that will help them in life. You don’t have to go to great lengths by risking your life to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Maya Angelou was very brave. One of the things that makes her brave is being able to talk about being sexually abused. At the young age of seven, Angelou was sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend. This happened while she was briefly staying with her mother in St. Louis. For the rest of her life, she would have that memory in her brain, reminding her of such a traumatic experience. In 1970, Angelou had an autobiography that was on the New York Times’ bestseller

One person is murdered every 60 seconds, and Selena Quintanilla was one. Selena Quintanilla was the first woman to be a Tejano artist who was really famous. I believe a hero is someone that is inspiring and honest. In my eyes Selena Quintanilla was a hero, the reason is she's honest, kind, and inspiring.

Dr. Martin Luther King jr. fits the criteria of a hero because he was willing to challenge the world of conflict to end the separation between white and black and he also wanted to make a peaceful protest to end the separation without any violence.

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.

Some people would consider Spiderman, Batman and Superman to be “heroes”, but when you are referring to a “historical hero” most people would think of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin to be one. A historical hero is a famous person in history who played a crucial role in our society, impacted our lives and shape human progress. My historical hero is Susan B. Anthony because she was one of the dynamic forces of the women's suffrage movement; the struggle for the right of women to vote and run for office and is part of the overall women's right. Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts and died March 13, 1906 in Rochester, New York. She was brought up in a quaker family with a sense of activist traditions and early in her she developed a recognition of justice and love.

What do you think of when you think of a hero? According to the Oxford dictionary, a hero is a person who is admired for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Heroes are especially popular in Greek myths and legends. Most showed generous behavior, even if it was not obvious until the lesson was learned. Oprah Winfrey is one of the most generous people of our time. I believe Oprah Winfrey is a hero because she uses her past experiences to inform, support, and help others, uses her money, fame, and time to help people, and shows incredible emotional and spiritual strength.

What is a hero? A quote from Maya Angelou perfectly captures the answer; stating that, “I [Maya Angelou] think that a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.” Heroes are people who promote change for the better, acting selflessly and ethically to help support the wellbeing of all - regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, gender, or status.

A hero or heroine in a modern sense is not the traditional knight in shining armor who slays the dragon and saves the damsel in distress, rather, he or she is a person who pursues the truths and fights for veracity. One person who many deem as a heroine would be Malala Yousafzai, one of the youngest women’s rights and equal education activists in the world. Moreover, in the story of To Kill a Mockingbird, the humble yet strong Atticus Finch is a voice of reason and justice in the town of prejudice and insularity. Lastly, although a highly contested issue, many view Louis Riel as a hero in the fight for the rights for the Metis.

Rosa Parks  is the best hero because she stopped segregation. She went on the bus. She had a bad day because she had to work a lot. Than they told her to go to the back she said “No!” so she stayed. It is because when blacks have to go to the back of the bus and she didn’t want to. So than the cops came and told the to get up she said “No!” So they forced her to leave and she did hours later. She was all over like news, books, newspapers, and ect. That is how she is know as.

Everyone has their own opinion based on who they believe is a hero. Heroes could be somebody one might know or a fictional character and almost everyone can agree to have one. Heroes have been around for thousands of years and have a big role in helping others. Atalanta goddess of speed is definitely a hero. In all her actions she was able to show that she was loyal, independent and strong.