Maya Angelou´s Bold Poetry

A tragic event took place in the life of Maya Angelou. She was a small child, only 7 years old. That would mean that she was only the age of a average 1st grader. She was sexually assaulted and raped by her mother’s boyfriend at the time. Maya was not allowed to see her mother very often and it is horrible that this had to happen at one of the only times she should have been so happy and enjoying herself. Maya lived very far away from her mother and usually was at her grandmother’s. These visits were few and far between to say the least. Shortly after this, Maya’s uncle killed the man who raped her in order to get revenge on him for what he had done. His actions, although meant to be good and for the better, messed things up even more. This did not help and added to the stress of the entire situation. It was too much for Maya to handle all at one time and at such a young age. She stopped talking for a very long time. It was very hard for her to cope with what had happened. Maya’s poetry conveys the sadness and the struggle that she went through in this time of her life. Maya Angelou's poetry contains bold messages and gives a voice to individuals who, at times, do not have the courage or ability to speak for themselves. Just as she did not have the ability to speak for all those years, she is an example to others in situations that are similar to her own. Three poems that the subject of empowerment is very profound in are “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”, “Still I Rise”, and “Phenomenal Woman.”

Maya Angelou was put through a lot in her life other than being raped. That was not the only event that occurred that contributed to her writing of poetry. She was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. At a young age, Maya´s parent...

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...ca, 1997): pp. 127–29. Quoted as "'Still I Rise' and the Black Spiritual 'Rise and Shine'" in Harold Bloom, ed. Maya Angelou, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2001. (Updated 2007.) Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 30 Apr. 2014 .

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Thursby, Jacqueline S. "'Caged Bird'." Critical Companion to Maya Angelou: A

Literary Reference to Her Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2011.Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 30 Apr. 2014 .