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Maya Angelou's young life
Maya Angelou's young life
Maya Angelou's young life
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Ashby Holmes
English 102
Professor Carlson
May 5, 2014
The Outstanding Life of Maya Angelou: Through Hardships, Becoming Successful
The inspirational Marguerite Ann Johnson, better known as Ms. Maya Angelo was born on April 4, 1928 to her parents Bailey and Vivian Baxter Johnson. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Maya’s parents soon divorced when she was only three years old, resulting in her and her brother Bailey Johnson Jr. moving and staying with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. (Change-maker in black history: Maya Angelou). Her grandmother Annie Henderson was one of the most important, a pious woman who ran a general store in Stamps, Arkansas. (Moore, 1) Young Maya often dreamed about being a pretty little white girl and how she wished her hair was transitioned from her nappy roots to long, silky blonde. Her grandmother however instilled the importance of being proud of your race. Living during this time it was very common to want a better life of course, but this was one of the first known racial encounter Maya faced. Upon moving back to her mother at the age of eight, tragically, Ms. Angelou was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. Revealing her rapist resulted in her uncles taking matters in to their own hands, which also resulted in the death of her mother’s boyfriend. By acknowledging the power of her tongue, this tragic encountered her to go mute for about five years. (Global Renaissance Woman) Mrs. Bertha Flowers was who was acknowledged and worked with Maya to speak again at the age of thirteen.
Maya and her family then soon moved to San Francisco in 1940, where she discovered her love for the arts. Maya attended Mission High School where she won a scholarship to study dance and drama at San Francisco Labor ...
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... just makes it more elegant. She presented herself as a queen and expects others to follow in her footstep. Her many accomplishments and the awards are just touchable proof what anyone can do. In becoming the first cable conductor added on to her ancestors and their work. The many books, poems, plays, and even speeches she presented were work of her own and knowledge. (Global Renaissance Woman) Being able to travel abroad and get a broader understand of life just made here wiser. She saw just about everything you can imagine. Her wisdom just helped her work to become unique, and easier to understand. She had no one to impressed, this done during her lifetime were all chosen by her.
Ms. Maya Angelou is the true definition of a strong, educated black woman. All of the people she worked with and for could say the same thing, and be very proud to speak in her honor.
In 1970, a child with skinny legs and muddy skin was introduced into African American literature. Born marguerite Johnson she became known as Maya Angelou (Lupton 51). Her critically acclaimed works have changed the way of the African American autobiography is written.
Maya Angelou is one of the well-respected African-American women figures. Maya is a poet, actress, civil right activist, dancer, singer, writer, educator, and a director. Maya’s real name is Marguerite Johnson. Maya was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. Maya’s parents divorced when she was three. She was sent to live with her brother and grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. She was very close to her brother Bailey and her brother named her Maya. When she lived in Arkansas, she experienced discrimination towards African-American. At the age of seven Maya was sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend. “She only told her brother,” but a few days later her uncle has murdered the man who assaulted her. She thought her words have killed
"Angelou, Maya (née Marguerite Annie Johnson)." Encyclopedia of African-american Writing. Amenia: Grey House Publishing, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 12 March 2014.
Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. In her early years, Angelou was an author, screenwriter, actress, dancer and poet. Her and her brother had a difficult childhood as her parent’s split up when she was young and they were relocated to live with their paternal grandmother in Arkansas. It is in Arkansas where Angelou experienced the true horrors of her childhood. Along with encountering racial prejudices and discrimination, Angelou dealt with feelings of abandonment and rejection, which stemmed from her parents lack of presence in her life. However, the worst of Angelou’s childhood came at age seven, when her mother’s boyfriend raped her. He was later murdered in response to the sexual assault. The assault itself
Born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri she was named Marguerite Johnson nicknamed “Maya” by her brother; her surname is an adaptation of that of her first husband. Because of the breakup of her parents' marriage, she and her brother lived with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. She was raped by her mother's boyfriend when she was eight and for the next five years
And Still I Rise," she speaks of being a woman during those times. With the words, "You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I'll rise." Oh Yes, Ms. Maya I feel the struggle you speak of! During her life she had to deal with men, and women of not only her race and ethnicity, but those of other races cut their eyes at her as she walked down the street, but she still went on to achieve what she was told was unachievable. For years I've grew up hearing that black women are strong women, the pillars of their community, not to mention the ties that keep their families together.
Maya Angelou, more formally known as Marguerite Ann Johnson was born on April 4th, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was the child of Bailey Johnson and Vivian Baxter Johnson. When Maya was three years old, her parents got divorced. After they divorced, she and her older brother, Bailey Jr., were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. They were not sent in a normal fashion, however. Angelou and her brother were placed on a train by themselves by their father. Their father then put a tag on each of them that said “To Whom It May Concern, send these two to Stamps, Arkansas.” With only each other for support, Angelou and her brother made their way to Stamps. In Stamps, their grandmother Annie Henderson owned a general store. While in Stamps, Angelou was subjected to a great deal of racism and discrimination because she was an African American. She grew up during a time where there was an unequal status between blacks and whites. Throughout her whole time in Stamps her grandmother helped her develop a strong sense of self so that she could withstand those racist times they lived in. Her grandmother knew that if she could help Angelou understand who she is and what she stood for, then none of those racist people could get to her.
Maya Angelou is one of the most known African American poets."Dr. Angelou’s words and actions continue to stir our souls, energize our bodies, liberate our minds, and heal our hearts." (http://mayaangelou.com/bio/) She was born on April 4th 1928, in the South St. Louis, Missouri. This period was when the most racism was going on. It was quite over with yet, segregation was still a huge series going on. Maya Angelou was greatly influenced by the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement was a movements in the United States which they has a goal was to end segregation and discrimination against African Americans, or Blacks and give them their voting rights. I believe that Maya Angelou's writing has became more positive after the Civil Right Movement had taken place, it had inspiration and was hoping for the blacks to succeed the goal trying to get reached of them to became more civilized.
`Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl' and `I Know Why the Caged Bird
A poet, an author, a play-write, an actress, a mother, a civil-rights activists, historian and most important a survivor. Perhaps Maya Angelou, award winning author of many books, is one of the most influential African Americans in American history. I believe that she rates at the top of the list of American authors, with Hemingway, Hawthorne, and Voight. I believe through my research and reading of Maya Angelou that she should be among the members of The American Authors Hall of Fame. Maya was born on, April 4th, 1928 as Marguerite Johnson, in St. Louis Missouri. She was raised in Stamps Arkansas, by her Grandmother Annie Henderson and Her Uncle Willie. Stamps was a rural segregated community. However, it was tight knit between the African Americans. Maya grew up during a very difficult time period in American history. They were just recovering from the Great Depression, and learning how to deal with different races of people. Maya knew this and made it clear in her writing. "It was awful to be Negro and have no control over my life. It was brutal to be young and already trained to sit quietly and listen to charges brought against my color with no chance of defense. We should be dead. I thought I should like to see us all dead, one on top of each other. A pyramid of flesh with the whit folks on the bottom, . . . and then the Negro's." (Angelou Caged Bird 153) "If growing up was painful for the Southern Black Girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat." (Angelou, Caged Bird)
"I had decided that St. Louis was a foreign country. In my mind I had only stayed there for a few weeks. As quickly as I understood that I had not reached my home, I sneaked away to Robin's Hood's Forest and the caves of Alley Oop where all reality was unreal and even that changed my day. I carried the same shield that I had used in Stamps: 'I didn't come to stay.'"
Every child searches for individuality; what makes everyone unique? As a child, surroundings will shape who a person becomes. So a child raised in secure suburbs might be more trusting than a child who lives in a large city. Different environments will without a doubt put people in uncomfortable and sometimes unfortunate circumstances. Environment as a whole is what affects how a child behaves, thinks, and reacts to certain situations. In the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou exposes her own struggle to find identity as she endured racial hardships and sexual abuse.
Maya Angelou's life growing up was not always perfect. Given the birth name of Marguerite Ann Johnson, Maya Angelou was borin in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4th, 1928. Although she was born there, she spent most of her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas with her Grandmother, Annie Henderson and in San Fransico, California with her mother. Maya Angelou is still living today and teaches at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Maya had to deal with many hard things growing up and although it wasn't perfect, she's lead a very eventful life.
The early 1930’s a time where segregation was still an issue in the United States it was especially hard for a young African American girl who is trying to grow and become an independent woman. At this time, many young girls like Maya Angelou grew up wishing they were a white woman with blond hair and blue eyes. That was just the start of Angelou's problems though. In the autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou goes into great depth about her tragic childhood, from moving around to different houses, and running away and having a child at the age of 16. This shows how Maya overcame many struggles as a young girl.
Maya Angelou is a very inspiring and courageous woman who says how she feels through her poems without coming off in a hateful manner, but rather a sophisticated and intelligent way. Her poems varies between subjects such as love, passion,racism and the way of life. However, in her poem “Phenomenal Woman” she speaks for all women around the world who doesn’t feel they fit in with today’s society.