Research Paper On Maya Angelou

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 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 was a civil rights activist, author, and poet. She wrote many books and poems that conveyed the vivid experiences in her life. Maya Angelou’s works are well known and she is an eminent writer. One poem in particular that is well known is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” written in 1969. In this work she described racial inequality, and the lack of freedom African Americans experienced in the 1930’s and 40’s. Maya Angelou uses many Rhetorical strategies and literary devices to describe the lack of racial freedom in the world at this time.

In “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, Maya Angelou uses her personal experiences growing up as an African American female to present her primary claim that even in trying times there is something to be grateful for. Angelou’s secondary claims are mainly comprised of stories from her upbringing as well as the description of her grandmother’s attitude even though they are living through times of extreme poverty. In Each of the stories she speaks of one circumstance that seems completely unbearable but yet ends with some sort of light at the end of the tunnel. This structure can also be seen in her description of her grandmother’s outlook on life. By formatting her essay in this way, Angelou is able to develop pathos as well as ethos with the audience.

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 was an American poet and civil rights activist. She was born in April 4, 1928 and later died in May 28, 2014. The reason I chose Maya Angelou is because she was a great person that helped other people go through the hard times of life. She was born in St. Louis MO and died in Winston-Salem NC. She was mostly raised with Bailey her brother they both grew up most of their life together. She had also many problems in her life she was raped when she was only 8 by her boyfriends mother.

Marguerite Annie Johnson was Maya Angelou’s birth name. Angelou was born April 4th, 1928. Angelou was born after her parents’ marriage ended, Angelou and her brother Bailey were sent to live with their grandmother. 4 years later, without notice Angelou’s father came to return the children to the care of their mother. Where Angelou became a victim of Sexual Abuse and Rape by her Mother’s boyfriend, Freeman.

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

Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis Missouri. Maya Angelou’s parents names were Vivian Baxter and Bailey Johnson. Angelou and her brother, Bailey Johnson Jr., were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps Arkansas after Angelou’s parents divorced. Maya Angelou was raped at a young age and didn’t speak for many years after the fact. (“Maya Angelou Biography”) When Angelou opened up about the rape,

“You have tried to destroy me and although I perish daily I shall not be moved,” (Angelou, 2014), says Maya Angelou in her Commencement speech to the 1992 Spelman College graduates. Poet and award-winning author, Maya Angelou, is most well known for her poetry, essay collection, and memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou happened to be the first black female cable car conductor who later started a career in theatre and music (Maya Angelou: Poet and Historian, n.d.). Once her acting and musical career began to take off, Angelou began touring with productions and released her first album Miss Calypso (Maya Angelou Fast Facts, 2017). Later, Angelou earned a Tony Award nomination for her role in the play Look Away and an Emmy Award nomination for the work she performed in the television mini-series Roots (Maya Angelou: Poet, Civil Rights Activist, Author, Activist, 2017). Angelou was also the first African American woman to have her screenplay produced (Maya Angelou: Poet, Civil Rights Activist, Author, Activist, 2017). Out of the number of poetry collections Angelou published, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die happened to be her most famous collection that was also nominated for the Pulitzer Prize (Maya Angelou: Poet, Civil Rights Activist, Author, Activist, 2017). The focus of this paper is to critique Angelou’s credibility, sincerity, and appeal to her whole audience in her delivery during the Spelman Commencement Address in 1992.

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 was born April 4, 1928. Her real name is Marguerite Johnson, but she later changed it to Maya. She was born in St. Louis, shortly after her birth her family up and move to Arkansaw. Maya grew up there in the rural parts of Arkansaw, and later married to a South African Freedom Fighter. She lived in Cairo with him, there she began her career as editor of the Arab Observer.

Maya Angelou’s poetry challenges the reader to take ownership of the issues they face by changing their perspective. Angelou uses figurative poetic form combined with accessible language to allow an immersive interpretive reading of her poetry. This enables the theme of individual empowerment in ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ and strength through unity utilised in ‘Alone’ to apply to a wider audience from a range of contexts. The emancipation Angelou offers in her poetry is heavily driven by the belief that an individual has the power to change their circumstances. Despite living in a 1950s America where she was subjugated for being part of the African American community, Maya Angelou’s poetry maintains its relevance today due to the focus she places on the emotional realm and its importance over the physical experience. Angelou uses widespread exposure by using her own experiences of racial oppression to relate to those who have felt any sort of inequality, which in turn intensifies the effect of her poetry on the target audience.

Maya Angelou was an African American woman who wrote about standing up for oneself and the people who have been oppressed. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou talked about a free man and an oppressed man. She went into detail that the difficulties that the written about the oppressed man was forced to face. Two aspects was presented to the reader, Maya Angelou presented the success of a free man and obstacles and difficulties that the oppressed man. “A free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wing in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky.”

Maya Angelou, sometimes referred to as the “people’s poet”, was a civil rights activist, dancer, actress, screenwriter, and poet. She was an intelligent woman that was known widely by addressing the world through her own life experiences. Angelou also received many literary awards and also over four dozen honorary degrees (Smelstor). Angelou’s most famous piece of poetry “On the Pulse of Morning” deals with change over time, diversity, and more importantly equality; Angelou recited the poem at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration (Overview: On the Pulse…). Another famous poem by Angelou is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, which deals with racism and segregation in America.