Maya Angelou Analysis

549 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Maya angelou literary analysis

While reading "Courage Courses through Maya Angelou's story; Writer and activist agrees social problems persist" by Fish Griwkowsky. Maya Angelou is a very strong individual, not physically but mentally. Her life struggles and the strength she was able to maintain through those devilish times of her life made her the successful person she is now. She worked hard enough to become an iconic writer, poet, even in front of major films as an actor/filmmaker. Only hard work and dedication can get people where they want to be in life. Maya Angelou took risks and sacrifice, those hard times she went through gave her the strength to be successful. (Griwkowsky) Maya Angelou had a special relationship with both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and Malcolm X. She admired their courage and how they carried themselves. Not to make fun of people that were not successful as them, they would make jokes of their own mistakes in life to make themselves feel in anyway not smarter than anyone around them and stay motivated to better themselves as people. Maya soon became good friends with both Dr. Martin Luth...

Show More
Related

  • A Comparison Of The Struggle Is Real By Maya Angelou

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    Maya Angelou suffered much in her life, but came through it triumphant and much stronger as a person. She is brave in sharing her fears and tragedies. This struggle of Life for Angelou challenges not only political views but our minds and inner beings. She is a great Lengend of an Overcomer. She survived life at its lowest with having strength and inner will to survive and succeed.

    Read More

  • Analyzing Maya Angelou's Speech

    155 Words  | 1 Pages

    Maya Angelou, an esteemed American author, poet, dancer, actress, and singer, delivered a eulogy for Coretta Scott-King,American author, activist, and civil rights leader, and the wife of Martin Luther King, Jr. Angelou commemorated the late Coretta Scott King at her funeral by speaking, and singing a few verses. Angelou launched into her speech by bursting into a soulful and heartwarming hymn, creating a spiritual element to the entirety of the funeral. She also finished with a musical conclusion making her speech more of a celebration of King’s life and adding a personal touch. Moreover, Maya Angelou reminisced with the audience of her time spent with King, and adding humor when the occasion is not so humorous to thaw away the forlorn

    Read More

  • Brent Staples Maya Angelou Analysis

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    In her autobiography, Maya Angelou tells the story of her coming into womanhood in the American South during the 1930s. She begins with the story of an incident she had on Easter Sunday in which she’s in church reciting a poem in front of everyone; however, she messes up leaving her unable to finish the poem, so she runs out of the church crying and wets herself. Growing up her parents had a rough marriage, and eventually they got a divorce when Maya was only 3 years old. Their parents send her and her older brother Bailey to live with their grandmother Mrs. Annie Henderson in Staples, Arkansas. Staples is a very rural area and their grandmother owns the only store in the black section of the town, so she is very respected amongst the people

    Read More

  • Maya Angelou Impact On Society

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    The legacy of a great writer isn't just the volume of work they leave behind, but how that work inspires others. Maya Angelou was an American poet during the time of the turn of the century. During this time period, Angelou grew up experiencing oppression not only as a women but as an African American as well. The racism, sexism and discrimination did not defer her from pursuing a career in writing. Almost 70 years later and Maya Angelou's work is still a vibrant reminder that allowing societal injustices are only as real as you allow them to be.

    Read More

  • An Essay About Maya Angelou

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    The reason I choose Maya Angelou is because she is a very inspirational person Maya Angelou describes minimal parts of her life in her poetry . Marguerite Annie Johnson Angelou was born April 4, 1928 to May 28, 2014 most people known her as Maya Angelou she was an American author, actress, screenwriter, dancer, poet and civil rights activist best known for her memoir , I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which made literary history as the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman. Angelou received several honors throughout her career, including two NAACP Image Awards in the outstanding literary work.

    Read More

  • Maya Angelou: A Source of Humanity

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    Born April 4, 1928 in Saint Louis, Missouri, Maya Angelou's given name was Marguerite Johnson. In her early twenties she was given the name Maya Angelou after her debut performance as a dancer at the Purple Onion cabaret. She has been labeled as a poet, historian, author, actress, dancer, singer, playwright, civil-rights activist, teacher, producer and director (Shafer). Today, she lectures throughout the US and abroad and has been Reynolds professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina since 1981. She has published ten best selling books and numerous magazine articles earning her Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award nominations. At the request of President Clinton, she wrote and delivered a poem at his 1993 presidential inauguration. Maya Angelou, poet, was among the first African-American women to hit the bestsellers lists with her "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." She has ranged from story to poem to song and back again, and her theme has always been one of love and the universality of all lives. "The honorary duty o...

    Read More

  • Maya Angelou: A Model Woman Through Influential Literature

    1694 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many women of today that have become a model for society. In order to have the reputation of the model woman, there is a need for accomplishment in life in addition to being a positive influence on society itself. Maya Angelou is a great example of the model woman. She has beaten the odds and has become one of the most well known African American women of today. She is an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. Her most influential work comes from her extraordinary books and poems. Her literature has influenced the young and old with their contents.

    Read More

  • Essay On Maya Angelou

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    Maya Angelou was a true African-American renaissance woman who took on the titles of author, poet, memoirist, playwright, scholar, activist, actress, and singer. She is most well-known for her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and her appearances with famous names such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, and Arsenio Hall. Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up with her grandmother Annie Henderson. She obtained her first job as a writer and editor in Ghana before moving back to Los Angeles. There, she received a multitude of awards and honorary degrees from universities for her work. Today, many regard her as one of America’s most well-known African American

    Read More

  • Maya Angelou Achievements

    1840 Words  | 4 Pages

    "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel". This is a famous quote written by Maya Angelou. Angelou is known as one of the most influential African women of all times (Maya 1). She is best known for her famous poems about injustices, tribulations, and experiences that she went through. For instance, Still I Rise, Phenomenal Woman, and I know why the caged bird sings, are some of her examples (Maya 2). Angelou was not only a famous poet, but an inspirational speaker, book writer, civil rights activist, actress, and dancer. One of her most fascinating accomplishments is being the First African American woman, to have her screenplay produced. The name

    Read More

  • The Struggles in Maya Angelou's Life

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Maya Angelou Analysis

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. During her childhood, her and her brother went to live with her grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas after her parents divorced. In Arkansas, Maya suffered through several hardships that led to the theme of her poetry. This being the significance and discrimination of African Americans and women. Being an African American, she experienced the racial discriminatory lifestyle that many supported in the south. What had an even larger impact on her, was being sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend during a visit when she was only 7 years old. Angelou would not tell anybody about what happened, but when her uncle found out about the incident and killed the rapist, she felt at fault. She didn’t speak until she was 13. Maya Angelou also t...

    Read More

  • Essay About Maya Angelou

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning,” are words from Dr. Maya Angelou (Brainyquote). Angelou was an eloquent writer and speaker and spent her life turning those words set down on paper into something with a deeper meaning. She strived to make a difference in not only the African American community, but the entire country (Poetry Foundation). With her words, she touched on many topics including women’s rights, civil rights, while also reflecting on her personal life and the events that made her into the women she was (Kelsall). Maya Angelou was not only a poet, an author, and a director, but also a civil

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Maya Angelou

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    These events led her to become mute, but she overcame it once she started to recite literature that helped her deal with the pain. After these events she was sent to her grandmother's and her teacher shaped her into what she was. Her teacher had the opportunity to create Maya Angelou into a strong woman by helping her “regain her voice, her confidence and her pride”, (Tolerance.com) which can be shown through her poems. From the traumatic experience that led her raped she has shown that many people would rather see her fallen “Did you want to see me broken?”(Poemhunter.com), she hints theses events in her past that have left her broken down. Also, she tells those who are against her that “You may [shoot, cut,or kill her] But still, like air, i'll rise”, (Poemhunter.com) and this portrays that she isn't just another innocent victim. She is a survivor and a fighter that won't let anything stand in her

    Read More

  • Racism In Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise'

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maya Angelou is an African American author, poet and former civil rights activists. Sill living, Angelou is one of the most influential authors of our time. She is most notably recognized for her profound way with words. Her poems and Memoirs inspire many people throughout the world. The majority of her earlier work in poetry and novels deal with the struggles of her adolescents. This is important because many young women who read her work gain so much from her perspective yet she is relatable to older people. This equality of appealing to both young and old is what has kept her words alive. One of Maya Angelou’s most famous poems, “Still I Rise” written in 1978 is an example. In the poem Angelou uses repetition and metaphors to convey to readers how she overcame racism. Angelou does an exceptional job of showing her strength through oppression, showing her struggles of being an African American female in America and she effectively shows how she overcomes racism.

    Read More

  • Maya Angelou's Reader Response In Phenomenal Woman

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    To look at woman in this day and age, we try to base ourselves off of the size two or below that we see on television walking down the runway. But what they don’t advertise is that it’s even more beautiful to be a size 10 or above. “Phenomenal Woman” is a poem that shows that even if you’re not that size two or below, you’re still beautiful no matter what size you are. Every woman is beautiful inside and out, but it is those who carry themselves with etiquette and poise whom are the most beautiful. Maya Angelou speaks of this many times in her poem “Phenomenal Woman.” In my opinion, this poem should be read by all women who struggle with self-esteem issues because the poem teaches women to be who they are and to not let anyone belittle them because they are not the desirable size zero we women all wish to be; we women are phenomenal because of what we do to make a difference in this world and how we carry ourselves while doing it.

    Read More

More about Maya Angelou Analysis

Open Document