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Maya angelou life story
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Maya Angelou's young life
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Maya Angelou grew up and was born in the state of Louis, Missouri. She was a Daughter of two hard-working parents, named Bailey Johnson who was the main provider and worked as a doorkeeper and Vivian Johnson who was a nurse. Eventually, her parents were divorced just when she turned three years old. At a young age, her brother Bailey that was eight years and herself and their grandmother were living in a very small town called Stamps in Arkansas where she absorbed much religious faith and would have to wear old-fashioned courtesy due to the old traditional African American lifestyle. In her early childhood years, Maya Angelou was raised with her brother Bailey during in the racially segregated South by her paternal grandmother. She earned a scholarship to a drama school. …show more content…
While living there she also goes several part-time jobs as a table dancer in a nightclub works in a mechanic shop, and worked in restaurants.
She was one of the first women to be a black female cable car conductor. One of many struggles she faced was finding her true identity, growing up there were a few obstacles she had to face and they were very tuff, making her the women she is today. One of them is becoming homeless with her son Guy and living outside of a parking lot. When she was at the age of fourteen, she had decided to drop of out her studies and fell in love and gave birth to a child named “Guy”. She eventually decided to run away at the age of 16 and considered to live a different lifestyle causing her to become a single parent trying to support herself and her child by working late shifts as a waitress nonetheless, she never gave up on her dreams and
goals. Meanwhile, Dr. Maya Angelou had worked as a writer-producer on the television for one of the best media network called the 20th-century fox 20th. She had written a powerful screenplay for “Georgia, Georgia”, including many other several scripts on the television. For example, “sister, sister”. In early 1998, she also tried to make her first attempt in the filming career and directed with a movie named “Down in Delta”. Before becoming one of America’s most admired writers. Throughout, her empowering writings and poems, she had motivated a generation of African Americans woman who had to struggle to overcome prejudice, discrimination, and, abuse sadly, at the age of seven , she had been raped by her mother’s boyfriend and swore to never speak a word again because she believed she caused her rapist his death. Eventually, Maya Angelou had been retreated into a voluntary silence for about five years or more. When she was brought to stay in stamps to live with her great grandmother, Angelou was helped and supported by two very strong independent women, her mother, Mrs. Bertha who made her feel comfortable to speak again. Although Angelou writes of her actual experiences growing up and living as a black girl and a black woman in the American South, she also connects her experiences to those of all black women dealing with racism, sexism, and isolation. Her book would always send out an important message to the world about convention and stereotype but mostly to women to have empowerment and be confident in their own female skin and acceptance. Fighting for gender equality and this poem is a phenomenal example of her poetic identity. She expresses that black woman can do anything and also fights for racial equality. Her wise words in her poetry didn't just come from her heart, they were explaining life, love, and concepts that were very abstract and obscure became clear through her poetry. One strength was Maya Angelou is referring to herself that she is a phenomenal woman and she left a mark for other women to follow. She describing her poem through her confidence the ways she walks, the rhythm of her hips and the way she smiles on line 30-31. In the book, it also mentions that one of Maya Angelou's secrets is that she is leaving behind for women that will touch their hearts to lead them to be a phenomenal woman. the tone and the mood of the poem phenomenal men phrases “the joy in my feet” “the sun of my smile” also the click of my heel to create a feeling of joy while in the song “I was here” in the book the tone of the song it was aspiring. Indeed she wanted to achieve so many things like leaving a mark on the world so that everyone knew what she was fighting for. Just how her poem Caged Bird is an example description of a caged bird that is able to see another bird outside the window but the caged bird is trapped with his clipped wings and his feet are very tired and begins to sings in pain. Then the caged bird wants to be set and dream of flying far away from the world but id trapped in the caged. Also, “To Beat The Child Was Bad Enough” The poem is about the innocence of a child and how it is taken away when a child is beating leaving them alone and mute because when a child is abused, they lose their sense of speech and are afraid to speak. Maya’s perspective of the poem highlights the tragedy of her childhood when she had been raped by monster also known as her mother’s boyfriend and became mute. While reading the poem the tone of the poem changes to fear because you can see the change of events in the poem’s story. A few years back Maya Angelou came out with an album titled Caged Bird Songs. This contemporary Hip Hop album came out November, 04,2014 includes songs like Still I Rise, Africa, Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, and ten more other songs. Angelou’s voice does not sound like any other female artist in today’s mainstream music. Angelou’s voice is powerful. She is reciting the lyrics more like spoken word over raw beats. Although she is older Maya Angelou is still rapping, if that's not inspiring then, I do not know what is. Angelou’s title for her album is Caged Bird Songs, similar to one of her books titled, I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing, (a great piece of literature). The caged bird could symbolize her, not only is this a genuine title, but meaningful to those who know the real meaning of what it means and have actually read the book that connects to the title. The artwork for her album is simple yet, clever. The album has a bird and the color of the bird is golden colored, which can demonstrate Angelou's heart, Golden hearted. Although she did die, her legacy will continue to live and that has been proven by the success of her new album. This is not her first, she has made another album. Angelou’s family has helped this album become successful. Especially her grandson. What do the lyrics have that are so meaningful? Well, let me break it down, like a B-boy. The album is entirely based on what Dr. Maya Angelou’s poetry would have, especially on black and women empowerment. Maya Angelou quotes,”A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” Threw this journey I've learned that Maya uses imagery consistently in her poem to create a physical image of a woman who loves herself and is very self-confident. She also uses imagery to describe her physical features but the irony of this poem is that the American stand of beauty is to have sharp features like having the perfect body or perfect skin tone. Indeed she uses a lot of metaphors through her poems in the book. Nonetheless, she uses repetitions to stress certain phrases to emphasize the main idea of the poem that she is a phenomenal woman. Lastly, Women are important to society, not only do we make babies to keep the human race alive, but we are important too because women have been thought to be less than men and that has to be proven wrong. Glorifying women for having all the empowerment to surpass many obstacles that all women have undergone needs to be done a lot more often, but in fact our society created a month for all women and its meaning to it is delivering a message across the world letting others know that women will continue to fight for that they believe is right.
The poem “On The Pulse of Morning” written by Maya Angelou, this poem explains the effects of cultural diversity among the American people during the late 20th century. Maya states in the sixth stanza of her poem; “Each of you, a bordered country, Delicate and strangely made proud, Yet thrusting perpetually under siege. Your armed struggles for profit Have left collars of waste upon My shore, currents of debris upon my breast. Yet today I call you to my riverside, If you will study war no more.” (Angelou, 6)
She did not enter the world to a life of glamor. From the beginning, her life was a tough one. Her family resided in Harlem during the 1930’s and 40;s. Times were very difficult for the young girl. Her family was on welfare and she, herself was a client of the society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
As I was reading through the story “Champion of the World” by Maya Angelou (written in 1959) I noticed that the author uses many different techniques like sentence structure, pathos, and logos to show and tell what she supports.
Maya Angelou fits the hero archetype, and she did it in her own way. She had faced a myriad of hardships, torment, and racial oppression, yet she still remained steadfast through her childhood ordeals of growing up black in the South. Her autobiography discloses these adolescent uphill battles in detail; including how racism in the South overtook her life in most aspects.
"Angelou, Maya (née Marguerite Annie Johnson)." Encyclopedia of African-american Writing. Amenia: Grey House Publishing, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 12 March 2014.
Maya Angelou lived through a time where she was discriminated against for not only her race but also her gender. In her poem “Still I Rise” Angelou sarcastically talks about how no matter what is thrown at her she will rise above it and she will do it with resilience and confidence. Her poem discusses racism and sexism and gives minorities and women a sense of hope to overcome and endure both of those things. Angelou’s self-assurance in the poem makes you believe that you too can overcome whatever obstacle. Although this poem was intended for blacks, and women, and specifically black women, the poem helps build up strong and courageous people no matter what race or gender you are. Maya Angelou in “Still I Rise” uses both pathos and ethos to
She is an artist best known for her amazing quilts. Her artwork we see today was influenced by the people and music around her during her childhood. There was also racism, sexism, and segregation she had to deal with daily. In 1950, she enrolled in the city college of New York, pressured by her parents. She was intended to major in art but during the time because art was a male predominate profession, she was forced to major in art education.
Dr. Maya Angelou, a well-known civil right activist, an actress and an award- winning poet and writer, died Wednesday morning inside her Winston Salem, N.C., home.
It appears Maya Angelou could answer the timeless question what does it mean to be a women?” She shows her confidence and pride in her identity as a women in the poem “Phenomenal Woman” that I found on the internet. She says,
In her first autobiography, Maya Angelou tells about her childhood through her graduation through, “Graduation”, from “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” when she is about to graduate. She starts as an excited graduate because she was finally going to receive her diploma, a reward for all her academic accomplishments. On the day of her graduation finally comes, that happiness turns into doubt about her future as she believes that black people will be nothing more than potential athletes or servants to white people. It wasn’t until Henry Reed started to sing the Negro National Anthem that she felt on top of the world again. Throughout her graduation she felt excited to disappointed, until Henry Reed sang and made her feel better.
Throughout life we go through many stepping stones, Maya Angelou's autobiographical essay "Graduation", was about more than just moving on to another grade. The unexpected events that occurred during the ceremony enabled her to graduate from the views of a child to the more experienced and sometimes disenchanting views of an adult. Upon reading the story there is an initial feeling of excitement and hope which was quickly tarnished with the abrupt awareness of human prejudices. The author vividly illustrates a rainbow of significant mood changes she undergoes throughout the story.
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.
In Maya Angelou’s third book of poetry And Still I Rise, the personal struggles of the African American Woman are brought to life through poetic works. With inspirations drawn from personal journeys of Maya Angelou herself, powerful poems praise, celebrate, and empathize with the feminine colored experience. Angelou’s writing sheds glaring light on themes of feminine power, beauty, and perseverance, raising the African American Woman to a pedestal that demands respect and adoration. For Angelou’s audience, the everyday woman is presented equipped with all the necessities to thrive and shine in the face of adversity. In Maya Angelou’s works “Phenomenal Woman”, “Woman Work”, and “Still I Rise”, audiences are able to connect to the strength and virtue of the woman that is brought to life through the praising of femininity, and through its power to make an impact on society.
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.
Civil rights activist and writer, Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. At the age of three, Angelou witnessed a divorce between her parents and was sent to live with her grandmother. At the age of eight, she was removed from her comfortable lifestyle