Maya Angelou once said “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” and I think she completely lived up to that with the life she lived, and the things she accomplished in it. Maya Angelou, or as she was originally called Marguerite Annie Johnson, was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Maya Angelou was an American Poet, a storyteller, a civil rights activist, a singer, a songwriter, a dancer, a director, a historian, a teacher, an actor, and an autobiographer. Growing up in St.Louis Angelou experienced harsh discrimination. At age 14 she received a scholarship to San Francisco’s Labor School to study dance and drama, but decided to drop …show more content…
Being a single mother was very difficult for Angelou. She had to be a waitress and cook to supper herself and her child. Then, Angelou learned to dance accordingly, and started acting in Off-Broadway productions. She moved to Egypt in 1960 and became the editor of the Arab Observer. Not too long later, she was in Ghana where she was an instructor at the University of Ghana’s school of music and drama. When she came back to the U.S. she continued to be involved in literary and social activities. Unfortanutely, not too long ago, Angelou passed away on May 28, 2014. However even though she’s no longer here, Angelou continues to inspire people with her works, and just the life she lived. She was a very strong, independent, courageous woman and I think her memory will live on …show more content…
She succeeds and becomes the first African American woman to work on San Francisco street cars. Going back to school, she didn’t really feel like she belonged. At one point of her life, Maya feared she was a lesbian and decided to experiment with having boyfriends etc. She encounters two brothers, and decides to be in a relationship with one of them. After realizing that it is not satisfying her, she ends it. Three weeks later, she finds out she’s pregnant. She ends up giving birth to a son, and is so amused by the baby that she is afraid to even touch him. However eventually, her mother makes her sleep on the bed with her son to prove to her that nothing will happen to him, and from then on, she wasn’t afraid anymore. This book was a very detailed view of Maya’s life, especially because it was an autobiography and she was the author. I found out so much that I never knew about her, and I was very interested. She had such a hard life, but still managed to make it a life worth living, and worth
Angelou was determined to resist being a victim of oppression. No matter how she was viewed in the history books, she will “ rise. “ She called herself a poet, in love with the "sound of language," ''the music in language," as she explained to The Associated Press in 2013. But she lived so many lives. She was a wonder to Toni Morrison, who marveled at Angelou's freedom from inhibition, her willingness to celebrate her own achievements. She was a mentor to Oprah Winfrey, whom she befriended when Winfrey was still a local television reporter, and often appeared on her friend's talk show program. She mastered several languages and published not just poetry, but advice books, cookbooks and children's stories. She wrote music, plays and screenplays, received an Emmy nomination for her acting in "Roots," and never lost her passion for dance, the art she considered closest to poetry. (OregonLive.com, 2017)
Maya Angelou was an inspiring activist, poet, and woman. Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928. Throughout her lifetime she explored her career options as an actress, dancer, singer, writer, and editor among many other careers. Angelou had a tough childhood. Her parents divorced when she was very young and she was sent to live with her grandmother in Arkansas along with her brother Bailey. As an African American, Angelou experienced discrimination and racial prejudices. Angelou gave birth to her son Guy, at the age of sixteen and married her first husband Tosh Angelos, at the age of twenty-four. Angelou and Tosh divorced years later however, she did get married a couple of more times. Angelou experienced many
Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928-May 28, 2014) was an American author, actress, screenwriter dancer and poet. She was known for her memoir, I know Why the Caged Bird Sings (bibography.com). “Her parents divorced when she was only three and she was sent with her brother Bailey to live with their grandmother in the small town of Stamps, Arkansas. In Stamps, the young girl experienced the racial discrimination that was the legally enforced way of life in the American
As an African American in Arkansas she experienced racial discrimination. When Maya Angelou was 7 she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend than as vengeance for sexual assault, her uncle killed the boyfriend. The result of this traumatizing experience, Angelou stopped talking went back to Arkansas and spent years as a virtual mute. She moved to San Francisco, California during world war ll. When she moved there she won a scholarship to study at the California Labor School in dance and acting.
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 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
She also remained politically active throughout her life, continuing to show her support for the Civil Rights Movement, reciting her poem, “On the Pulse of Morning” at Bill Clinton’s inauguration, and publically endorsing both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Angelou finally passed away on May 28, 2014 at the age of 86. Even in her later years, Angelou never stopped writing. In the last 10 years of her life, she penned over four books and several poems. (Wikipedia.com) Angelou is remembered not only as an awe-inspiring poet and author, but also as a talented musician, playwright, and outspoken activist. She truly left her mark in every aspect of her
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.
The inspiring African-American woman born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri has been one of the many influential voices of our time. Educating herself and having love for the arts helped mold her life into what she imagined becoming a poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and even a civil rights activist. During her early years while still in High School Dr. Angelou experienced brutal racial discrimination directing her to the values of traditional African-Americans.
Maya Angelou used quick wit and her personal story to inspire others through her writings. She is a very well known poet, who was not afraid to stand up for what she believed in. However, she had to go through many trials in life, which made her into the strong storyteller she was (Hagen). Maya Angelou’s life began on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis Missouri, where from a young age she had to face horrible situations. It was during those hard times that she found her love for literature and writing (Maya Angelou). At the young age of seventeen, she gave birth to her son and had to face life as a teenage mother, always trying to find financial stability in any way that she could (Hagen). During the
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.
American poet, storyteller, activist, and autobiographer, Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. Angelou has had a broad career as a singer, dancer, actress, composer, and first female black director, but is most famous as a writer, editor, essayist, playwright, and poet. There were also many authors such as Susan B. Anthony, Alice Walker, Christina Rossetti, Harriet Tubman, Arna Bontemps, and Langston Hughes.
Marguerite Ann Johnson, commonly known as Maya Angelou, was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. She is a famous African-American poet, novelist, and playwright and also worked during the civil rights: "Angelou is a very remarkable Renaissance woman who hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary literature" (www.mayaangelou.com). She is also an activist in civil-rights. Angelou went through many controversies during her childhood and adulthood; her romantic life was never joyful and there are questions that come consecutively in my mind: how does Angelou's "Artful Pose" demonstrates the attitude toward writing of her poetry? How "In a Time" does reveal Angelou's ambivalence to love?
Although Maya Angelou lived her life with so many hardships, she still managed to rise above it and become a world known successful woman. Marguerite Johnson was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, April 4, 1928. She grew up in Saint Louis and later on in Stamps, Arkansas. Marguerite did not live the easiest childhood. Her parents divorced when she was young and her older brother was sent to live with their grandmother, separating them. Because Angelou was African American, she was often the victim of discrimination. At around the age of seven, Marguerite’s mother’s boyfriend raped her. Later on, her uncle killed the man. This traumatized Angelou so much, she did not talk for years. Marguerite moved to San Francisco during World War Two.
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,