Maya Angelou Accomplishments

Throughout her life, Maya Angelou was ridiculed for the color of her skin and was treated differently because of it. So many racist people lived in her town and used her and the black community as a doormat. African Americans were restricted to certain things and, “did not have the same rights and privileges as whites” (Agins 8). Racism was a big problem in Maya Angelou’s childhood, especially when she was eight. When Angelou was eight she helped her grandmother run the main store in Stamps. Momma rented out the house on the lot of her store to a poor white family. The girls would come by the store and demand things from Momma and Maya and would have to be addressed as “Miz”. One day when they went to walk up the steps they saw Momma standing on the porch with arms crossed and slippers on and started imitating her. Maya was infuriated and wanted to hurt the girls but Momma taught Maya to let it roll off her back, seeing as though racism would be a continuous thing throughout her life (Angelou 29-32). Maya felt that, “Being a product (is ‘victim’ a better word?) of southern Negro upbringing, I decided that I ‘would understand it all better by-and-by’” (Angelou 276). Angelou found it easier to be brought up through a segregated area where she was taunted and walked all over just for being black daily rather than finding it out later in life.

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’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.

“Today, [my wife] Michelle and I join millions around the world in remembering one of the brightest lights of our time – a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman.” (Statement). This memorial statement, by former president Barack Obama in 2014, encompasses the feelings that he and many others had towards Maya Angelou, one of the most influential writers and voices of her generation. Over the course of her lifetime, over 50 honorary degrees, including the highest American civilian honor, were awarded to Angelou. She is most recognized for her autobiographical and poetic writings. Angelou’s poetic works, specifically, “Phenomenal Woman,” reflect her self-admiration. Her confidence is credited to the overcoming of

Maya Angelou was perhaps one of the most influential writers that the world has ever

Maya Angelou born April 4, 1928 is an American author and poet. She was born with the name Marguerite Ann Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents were Bailey Johnson, doorman and a navy dietitian and Vivian Johnson, a nurse and card dealer. When Angleou's older brother, Bailey Jr. was four and Angelou was 3 years old their mother and father's marriage ended and the children were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Even though it was during the Great Depression and World War II their grandmother prospered financially because of the general store she owned and because “she made wise and honest investments”.

Maya Angelou was an influential writer that wrote because she felt that she needed to remind humans that they were worth much more which all emphasized the importance of the spoken word and explained the nature of and importance of her education and her love of writing. Maya Angelou, a phenomenal African American woman, overcame hardship to become one of the most influential writers and activist of all time.

I find Dr. Maya Angelou to be a very interesting woman. She has lived a very productive life. She rose up in the face of adversary and succeeded in making a life for herself. Her numerous accomplishments testify to this fact. She did not come from a promising background, but she defied all the odds. During her childhood, she absorbed the faith and values of a traditional African American family such as love and respect for one another. She refused to back down from a challenge. She provides an excellent example of a strong, confident African American woman. She is not ashamed of where she came from. Her upbringings have helped

Maya Angelou was born in st. lous , Missouri in 1928. Maya lived with her grandmother in Arkansas when she was a child. When she was still a teen she moved to California and gave birth to a baby boy. Maya was a person who was not afraid of a challenge.

Maya Angelou's poetry challenges how media influences the perception of black women. She debunks the assumption that black women should behave and look a certain way in order to be treated with humanity. The issues of the expectations of black women in society, Maya Angelou’s, Poems, channels the expression of the free spirit of African-American women within societal influences, conveyed through metaphor, repetition, and imagery, revealing black empowerment. Angelou uses metaphor to describe her inner-strength to survive the battles against criticism. Angelou compares men to “a hive of honey bees [that] swarm around [her]” (Angelou 122).

Angelou came up in a period that was checked by racial pressure, abuse, and wrecking circumstances for blacks all through the nation. As the girl of a vivacious, fearless and candid mother,

Biographical Case Study: Maya Angelou This paper explore two published articles that report on the bio sketch research done online (Internet) and offline (non-Internet) of the biographical timeline of Maya Angelou, the Poet, Author, and Historian. Her work life, upbringing, personal life and accomplishments will be depicted in this paper. In this biography, I will explore Mrs. Angelou’s life from birth to her subsequently death in 2014.

Maya Angelou is a literary genius, receiving both a Pulitzer Prize nomination and Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor bestowed to U.S. civilians. Additionally, Angelou made history as an award winning actress, dancer, screenwriter, editor, poet, author and civil rights leader. In spite of a difficult childhood, she transcended her impoverished Arkansas roots and went on to pen more than 36 books, with 30 bestsellers, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is arguably the most famous. Perhaps her greatest work is not the books she authored, but the millions of lives she touched. Through her commitment to civil rights, she worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and served on two presidential committees. Undoubtedly,

¨History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not to be lived again,” (“Phenomenal Woman”). We won't have to relive what has happened already, but if we continue to do things to change things in a positive way, the world would stay a positive place. Maya Angelou was a freedom rights activist & feminism. She received awards for her writings, while also being a self confident woman. The American novelist and poet Maya Angelou, used her life to display racial discrimination, social class, and feminism within her works.

She educates about courage, perseverance, self-acceptance, and self-actualization. She helps African-American women to speak out against prejudices and is definitely a role model to many young black