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The Influences Of Maya Angelou's Literature

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Maya Angelou is an extremely talented author who is highly known for her books and poems, but that's not all she does. Maya Angelou's literary works were influenced by her personal life, her defense of black culture, and her success.
Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928. Her mother was a nurse named Vivian Johnson and her father was a doorman named Bailey Johnson. Her brother named Bailey gave her the name “Maya.” She loved country music, Law & Order, and African clothing. Her favorite color was pink. She spoke French, Spanish, Italian, and West African Fanti, but her favorite word in the English language was Joy. Maya also had a weird obsession with UGGs.
She and her brother moved in with her grandmother after her parents decided to get divorced. She then traveled from St.Louis, Missouri to the rural area of Stamps, Arkansas. She was sent to live with her father’s mother, Anne Henderson. Her grandmother ran the only black-owned store in town her town. Her grandmother helped her construct her pride, self- confidence, and taught Maya to read. Maya’s self confidence rapidly dropped at the age of eight after after she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend while visiting her mother back in St.Louis. …show more content…

While in high school, Maya became the first African American streetcar conductor in San Francisco. She also worked as a sex worker during her teen years for a brief period of time. She gave birth to her first child at 16 years old. Her son was named Clyde, but she changed it to Guy. At the age of 19, she vowed never to return to the south and she kept that vow until she was forty years old. During the 1950s, Maya married Anastatios Angelopulos, who was a greek sailor, but the marriage didn’t last very long. She took her professional name (Angelou) from him. After the divorce, Angelou studied drama and pursued a career in theater.
Maya died on May 28, 2014 in her home in

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