Maya Angelou Poetry

Maya Angelou’s poetry occupies a very special position in her development as a writer (Chow 1). As a child, Angelou went through five years of complete silence after she was raped at the age of seven years old, by a man named, Mr. Freeman. As a result of telling about her traumatic experience, her uncle’s literally kicked the man that raped her to death. Beings she spoke of her traumatic experience and the result of the man dying, she then imagined that her voice had the potential to kill. Thanks to her teacher, Bertha Flowers, at school Angelou started writing poetry as a means of expression of her life events through her poetry (Chow 1). Poetry thus played an essential part in the recovery of her voice, which in

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’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

Perhaps the reason that Maya’s poetry has had such a lasting impact on Americans is because of her poems such as ‘Caged Birds’ and ‘Still I Rise’ that demonstrate the issues that African – Americans faced, which she has done through the power of her words. She also challenges the readers with the theme of oppression that is carried out through her pomes as she felt very strongly about it by being surrounded by it her entire life. Maya Angelou has left an everlasting mark by influencing the society through her poems by inspiring others to persist towards their goals and dreams with strength and pride. Overall, Maya Angelou’s work can be attributed to the fact that her personal and cultural experiences of power have not been forgotten by overcoming adversity and oppression, which is clearly reflected in her inspiration body of work seen

Louis, Missouri. Segregation began a while before she was born, year 1896 and ended in 1954. Maya Angelou was of color, and being of color during these years was crucial. Just for being of color you are known as someone that harm others, you were considered a slave, you are to listen to the white people because if not you were punished or your life would be taken from you. In both of these poems Maya Angelou acknowledged the fact that back in the day it was hard, if you were of any other shade instead of white you were to do what the whites will tell you to do, you were trapped under their rules and their rules only.

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.

“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 is one among the fascinating writers of all time. Her attention to detail and her ability to keep the reader glued to her books is just phenomenal. The great lady speaks of her early life in her autobiography. It is the book that began her series of seven autobiographies and helped her explain herself to America and the world. This paper seeks to demonstrate how Maya Angelou uses her example in her autobiography to illustrate the challenges that the African American woman goes through while growing in the American society.

Maya Angelou was born April 4, 1928 in the famous city of St. Louis Missouri. Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, to Vivian Baxter and Bailey Johnson. Angelou also enjoyed a close relationship with her brother, Bailey, who gave her the name Maya. Angelou faced a severely traumatic experience when she was just seven-and-a-half years old. During one of her visits to her mother in St. Louis, a boyfriend of Angelou’s mother raped her. When her mother’s brothers found out about the rape, they killed the man responsible. Believing that she had caused the man’s death by speaking his name, Angelou refused to speak for five years following these traumatic events” (Williamson1). After graduating at the top of her

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”).

Angelou is a magnificent example of how an African American can triumph over tragedy. She is born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, to Bailey Johnson Sr., and Vivian Baxter Johnson (Graham 1). During her childhood, she witnesses racism while she and her older brother live with their grandmother Annie Henderson, in the “segregated town of Stamps, Arkansas” (Watson 9). Her brother gave Marguerite the nickname “Maya” as short for “my-a sister” ( ). In 1935 Bailey Sr., their father, came and took them back to St. Louis to live with their mother. At seven years old Maya experienced devastation when she is brutally raped by her mother’s boyfriend. However, at the trial, Maya was too afraid to testify against him and he is later released. After his discharge, judgement is carried out on the streets. The rapist is confronted and beaten to death by a town mob. Angelou says,

Maya Angelou was a phenomenal writer. In her novel, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, she wrote about the situations that she experienced from childhood to adulthood. In the novel, she expressed that she experienced racism at a very young age. Maya talks about the fact that she had to live on one side of town with the black people, and white people lived on the other side. As a child she had the idea that straight, blonde hair was beautiful. In the story she says, “Wouldn’t they be surprised when one day I woke out of my black ugly dream,

Maya Angelou was born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up to become a famous American poet, author, and civil rights activist. Maya Annie Johnson had a rough childhood filled with trauma and at the age of 16 she had a son. In 1952 she married and throughout the 1960’s she traveled abroad to Egypt and late Ghana. When she returned to the United States she began writing. One of her most popular poems is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” which tells of her first 17 years of life.

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).

Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. She had a difficult childhood as her parents split up when she was very young. She and her older brother, Bailey, were sent to live with their father’s mother, Anne Henderson, in Stamps, Arkansas. As an African-American, Maya faced racial prejudices and discrimination first hand in Arkansas.