Maya Angelou Biography

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.

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

Have you ever thought about becoming a singer, poet, dancer, screenwriter, journalist, civil rights activist, and a memoirist all in a lifetime? Well Maya Angelou did just that. She first began as a singer and dancer, next she became a journalist and civil right activist, and then she later became a memoirist, screenwriter, and a poet. She met many other role models and even fundraised for Martin Luther King Jr. She was also honored for different kinds of awards.

Oppressed women have been unjustly held back from achieving full equality for much of human history. A woman no matter neither color nor education faces discrimination on a day to day basis. Barriers that are place in their way to advancing includes: lack of mentoring, lack of opportunities for career development, biased rating and testing system and counterproductive behavior and harassment by colleges (Schaefer, pg 15). In the past, women did not have jobs and were to clean, cook and care for the children, also did not have the right to vote. While the man work long hours to provide for his family and gave orders as the women followed. As time went on and rights were given to women, the men did not like the idea that controlled was being lost. They refused to let women become equal to males. Women are allow to work the same career as males, but will never be paid the same as males. This paper addresses Maya Angelou life and how her writing and public speaking inspired women to overcome discrimination.

Angelou's concern for her son, whom she gave birth to at sixteen, brought her back to the United States. By thirty, Angelou made a commitment to become a writer. She was inspired by her friend, social activist, John Killens. She moved to Brooklyn to be near him and learn her craft.

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

Maya’s younger years were filled with pain and tragedy. When she was only three years old, her parents separated, moving Maya and her brother into the home of their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. While growing up in this area, Angelou became aware of the discrimination and racism that was prevalent during this time in America. (Hyperlink.com) At the age of eight, Angelou was reinstated into the care of her mother. It was during this time period that Maya was sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend. Shortly after this incident occurred, Angelou became mute and would not speak again for five years. This time period in Maya Angelou’s life would

Maya Angelou is an amazing American author, poet, entertainer, actress, playwright, producer and director, historian and civil rights activist. She is best known for her portrayals of strong African American women.

Maya Angelou, who was the first African-American to work in the San Francisco streetcars, accomplished many things in her life. This fact proves that Angelou was a woman who believed in doing what needs to be done in order to accomplish her goals. Angelou made an influence on the world with her books and poems that related to diverse people in different situations, but most importantly, she fought for African-American right in the early and middle 1900s.

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.

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.

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

Angelou’s writings are an important historical faction of American literature. Maya Angelou was a well-rounded, self-motivated woman who accomplished many things in her life. She not only accomplished things to benefit herself, but to better the life and people around her. Among some of the many things she did, being part of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s was one of the most

As Maya was living with Mrs.Annie Henderson, Maya and her brother learned family values. Every night before Maya and Bailey Jr. went to bed , Mrs. Annie Henderson and their Uncle Willie made sure their homework was done , their prayers were said, and their feet were washed (Liandrelli 19).”It was her older brother Bailey Johnson Jr. who had given Marguerite her name when he refused to call her Marguerite, but addressed her as Mya sister , then My, and finally Maya (14). Growing up, Maya had a good education and learned all she needed to , then she went to

Maya Angelou describes what her life with her grandmother is like while constantly being discriminated against her race. She then found her father, and he leaves Maya and Bailey off to their mother’s house. There, the mother’s boyfriend rapes Maya. After suffering from psychological shock, Maya then moves back to her grandmother’s. As a teenager Maya gets nervous about her sexual identity and tries to discover it. Through these harsh times, the naïve and softhearted Maya grows to become a strong, independent woman.