Maya Angelou: The Influence Of Feminism

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 a leading literary voice of the African-American community. She writes of the triumph of the human spirit over hardship and adversity. “Her style captures the ca-dences and aspirations of African American women whose strength she celebrates.” (Library of Chattanooga State, n. d.) Maya has paved the way for children who has had a damaged

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

Maya Angelou was originally born Marguerite Anne Johnson, but she was known as Maya Angelou.. Maya Angelou, born on April 4, 1928, is the youngest daughter of Vivian Baxter Johnson and Bailey Johnson. Maya Angelou’s parents split while she was young; therefore, she and her older brother, Bailey , had to go live with their father’s mother, Anne Henderson , in Stamps , Arkansas. Maya Angelou’s older brother, Bailey Jr., nicknamed Marguerite “Maya”, derived from “My” or “Mya Sister”. At the age of eight, Angelou was raped by her mother’s boyfriend, while visiting her mother. As a result to Angelou’s rape, her uncle killed her mother’s boyfriend. Maya Angelou was so shaken up about the incident that she stopped talking for five years. When she returned to the state of Arkansas, she was a virtual

Maya was born on April 4,1928, in St. Louis, Mo and she was raised there as well.

Maya Angelou: An Influential Voice Not many can say they have been a writer, a civil rights activist, and a dominant part of American culture, but Maya Angelou could. By taking on these different identities with grace and dignity, she made a lasting impression on the world and in the lives of millions. Her diligent commitment to the greater good is evident in her many accomplishments and awards. Although most of her prominent efforts took place in the 20th century, Angelou’s lifelong mission to transform humanity for the better is still relevant today.

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.

Maya Angelou utilises her passionate style to send a clear message and to create an empowering response within her audience. Through her use of imagery, figurative language, diction and repetition, she creates an uplifting tone of proud defiance

Maya grew up in harsh circumstances, her young father and mother decided to go separate ways at a very young age, leaving Maya and her brother, Bailey, were forced to live with their grandma on their father’s side. During her youth at age 7, Maya was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. Thus, as vengeance, Maya’s uncles took the boyfriend’s life. Maya was traumatized by the experience and went into an age of silence, she moved back to Arkansas and spent years without talking. At the time of world war 2, she moved to San Francisco

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

“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

She was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Lewis, Missouri. Her parents got divorced when she was three and she was raised by her grandmother and brother. When she was seven an incident occurred resulting in someone dying she felt like she was responsible for the death so she remained mute for five years. She began to speak again at age thirteen when Maya her brother were reunited with her birth mom. She was so happy she began to speak again. During World War II, Angelou moved to San Francisco, California, where she won a scholarship to study dance and acting at the California Labor School. Also during this time, Angelou became

When Marguerite began working at a nightclub as a singer, she changed her name to Maya Angelou. She came up with this name by using a childhood nickname and her husband’s name. Her marriage did not last too long, but her career continued to grow more and more successful. Maya was a play writer, songwriter, performer, singer, historian, dancer, stage and screen producer, author, poet, and a civil rights activist. Marguerite Johnson was born in Saint Louis,Missouri, April 4, 1928. On May 28, 2014, Maya died in her home, Winston-Salem, North Carolina from years of health issues.

Since a young age Maya Angelou has experienced racism from the children around her. It is strenuous for Maya growing up because she feels as if she does not belong. From a young age to adulthood Maya had to go through racism and segregation due her skin color. There was a group of young boys, around Maya’s age, saying rude comments towards Maya because she was black: “Boys? It seemed that youth had never happened to them.

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).