Maya Angelou's Literary Analysis

Introduction
This term paper was written to shine a little light on one of America’s extraordinary women, Maya Angelou.
Maya Angelou started out in humble beginnings she was born on April 4, 1928. Maya Angelou's birth name was Marguerite Ann Johnson. Her birth place was St. Louis, Missouri.
Ms. Angelou left her birth place as a young child after her parents had broken up. Ms. Angelou and her brother were sent to live with her fathers’ Mother in Stamps, Arkansas. Some may call Ms. Angelou’s 1969 autobiography ”I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing” her claim to fame, some may call her poetry her occupation, and more over there are still some that would like to call her Freelance writings Maya Angelou’s life’s work. Ms. Angelou was so much more. Ms. Angelou has been known for being a Civil Rights activist, a poet, a philosopher, a teacher, an Award-winning Author, an actress, a screenwriter and the

list goes on. Maya Angelou became the first black female cable car conductor although only holding down that job briefly in San Francisco. All while juggling motherhood and being a wife. During her life span she’s written six Autobiographies, and overcame plenty of diversities. (Italie, et al., 2014,)
Maya Angelou died on May 28, 2014. Ms. Angelou resided in Winston Salem, North Carolina at the time of her death. Ms. Angelou’s estate estimated net worth was around ten million dollars. (Italie, et al., 2014)

Obstacles

Ms. Angelou lived most of her childhood with her grandmother, Annie Henderson who
ran a general store in Stamps, Arkansas. Ms. Angelou called her "Momma." Ms. Angelou met
with racial prejudices and discrimination while living in Arkansas. Ms. Angelou's birth mother,
Vivian Baxter, had a number of professions which kept her busy. Ms. Baxter was an involuntary
participant in an early, shaping of Ms. Angelou's life. Ms. Angelou, was visiting her mother
when she was around seven or eight years old back in St. Louis when she was raped by her
mother's boyfriend. “The man was arrested, convicted and released; soon after, he was found
beaten to death. Believing she had caused the killing because she had told of the rape, Angelou
refused to speak for several years; only her beloved older brother, Bailey, could persuade her to
talk. He remained a source of support throughout her life until his death more than a year ago.”
(Moore, et al., 2003).

Some years later Ms. Angelou was relocated to California after Sassing or becoming
disrespectful to a white man who was working in a store while living in Missouri. During this time Ms. Angelou became was hired as a street car conductor while she went to the California Labor School in San Francisco. Ms. Angelou turned sixteen around this time where she found herself pregnant with her son; by an acquaintance from school.

Overcoming

It was not long after that Ms. Angelou gave birth to her son, Guy. Ms. Angelou at that point started working a number of different jobs to make ends meet she was a clerk, a cook, a dancer, singer and even an actress. Ms. Angelou also travel to Johannesburg South Africa in the 1960's when she became a reporter for the average observer she returned to California in the middle of the civil rights movement health career was definitely starting to make shape. In Alex Haley’s book entitled roots that also became a made for television movie Ms. Angelou played the part of the grandmother of Kunta Kinte. (Angelou et.al. 2006)
Ms. Angelou speaks about a time when she was around twenty years old. Ms.
Angelou felt that she might die and that thought really scared her. Ms. Angelou goes on to
explain, that it was not like she did not know that people live and died, but it brought her to a
place of fear. Ms. Angelou admits, “Finally I admitted that there was nothing I could do about it.
Once I really came to the conclusion, I started enjoying life and I enjoyed it very much.” Ms.
Angelou further states there was another event that took place around the same time maybe a
year later and the two events liberated her forever. Ms. Angelou went on to speak about the other
occurrence that had to do with a visit with her mother. Ms. Angelou stated that her mother, Ms.
Baxter compared Ms. Angelou to some of the most famous women of their time. Ms. Angelou
recounts what her mother said to her on that day. “I think you're the greatest woman I've ever
met.” Ms. Angelou continues, “I looked down at this pretty little woman made up so perfectly she said Mary Macleod Bethune Eleanor Roosevelt, my mother and you are the greatest.” Ms. Angelou mention how this statement made her feel as she reminisced. As Ms. Angelou goes on to state that her mother was, “very intelligent and too mean to lie.” Which seem to have made Ms. Angelou believe, “suppose, I really am somebody those two incidents liberated me to think large thoughts whether I could comprehend them or not.” (Moore, et al., 2003).
Maya Angelou reinvented her name as her nickname was Maya and her last
name came from part of one of her ex-husband's last name. (Younger, G. et al., 2002)
Ms. Angelou stated it best when she wrote the poem “I Rise” In this poem Ms. Angelou appears to say that nothing is going to keep her down because no matter what she has and will “rise”. I small snippet of this poem reads:
“Out of the huts of history's shame, I rise; up from a past that's rooted in pain, I rise;
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear, I rise…”
One of Ms. Angelou's recognized works is the poem " On the Pulse of Morning" Which she wrote especially for and recited at President Bill Clinton inauguration in January 1993 marking the first inaugural recitation since 1961, when Robert Frost delivered his poem "The Gift Outright" at President John F. Kennedy's inauguration. Angelou went on to win a Grammy Award for best spoken word album for the audio version of this poem. (Biography, et al., 2015)

Message

Ms.

Angelou passed away on May 28, 2014, leaving us with the message of never give up. To keep living, keep striving to keep moving on. It appears as if some women are inspired by others, as evidence by a life well lived. Ms. Angelou’s message is echoed throughout her life as stated.
Ms. Angelou’s son stated, “She lived as a teacher, an activist, artist and human being. She was a warrior for equality, tolerance and peace”. (Italie, et al., 2014,)
In 2013 Ms. Angelou, seventy-five years old, told The Associated Press, “I'm not modest I have no modesty; modesty is a learned behavior but I do pray for humility, because humility comes from the inside out." (Italie, et al., 2014,)
In one interview Ms. Angelou was asked in what way does she handle people's reactions to old age, Ms. Angelou replied with,” the final verse of her poem on Aging, I'm the same person I was back then A little less hair a little less chin, a lot less lung, and much less wind, but ain’t I lucky I can still breathe in" (Younger, G. et al.,

2002)
The messages mentioned above is only the some of the many message left by Ms. Angelou and all are evidence of a life well lived.

Conclusion
In conclusion Maya Angelou's life has impacted the up-and-coming female generation through poetry, through her autobiographies, and through her mentoring. Maya Angelou has touched Lives upon lives; she's touched the present people who knew her closest like Oprah Winfrey who called Ms. Angelou her mentor, people like James Baldwin who encouraged Ms. Angelou to writer her first autobiography, then there is Mrs. Coretta Scott King who was the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who became close friends through circumstance. Ms. Angelou also rubbed shoulders Malcolm X and the list goes on and on.
Ms. Angelou was presented with the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom the country's highest civilian honor. Ms. Angelou also received an honorary National Book Award. (Kort et al., 2007)

Ms. Angelou has touched people that she has not met who has heard of her through her autobiographies and Ms. Angelou’s legacy lives on through her work.
Maya Angelou has touched many lives from the closest friends to people that she has never met to the future generation yet to come she will be truly missed but not forgotten as she lives forever through the words of her autobiographies, poems and her other works.