Maya Angelou: The Hero Archetype

In society today, limitations are bestowed to humans at birth and range from economic class, culture, and a country they were born into. All the previous examples of limitations only limit a person to the extent the person allows. People developed these situations into perceived shortcomings or they reason they can not to rise above or grow passed where they started. Maya Angelou, in “Graduation Day,” writes about situations she perceived as limitations, however, throughout the paper the obstacles she faced become the catalyst for growing belief in herself. Awareness that shortcomings develop from a mind’s own negative perception; sheds the light on the fact that limitations cultivate self-actualization.

A mother, an actress, an author, a poet, a civil rights activist, and more importantly, a survivor. It takes a strong woman to be a phenomenal woman. Maya Angelou was the second born child of Bailey and Vivian Johnson. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri as Marguerite Johnson on the fourth of April in 1928, although she and her brother, Bailey Jr., for the most part, grew up with their grandmother in Arkansas (Hagan). Angelou got her nickname “Maya” because her brother Bailey never called her Marguerite, instead called her “Mya Sister” which eventually lead to the nickname Maya, which has stuck ever since. Angelou had a rough childhood in the beginning, she bounced around between

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,

A long time ago I believe it was on April 4, 1928 when my best friend Maya was born. Maya and I lived in the town of Stamps, Arkansas with her grandmother due to the divorce of her parents. During these awful years at the age of 7 Maya went to visit her grandmother when she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. After this due to the hatred her uncle killed her mother’s boyfriend. She became so traumatized by all of this that she even stopped talking. During this time Maya and I became great friends for you see Maya loved to write and well I was her tool the one object that made her happy as you may already know I am a pencil her best friend. She had a tough childhood but she never gave up she had me. I remember on her most hard nights she would grasp me and write out all her feelings and emotions was her escape and it’s just amazing to know how much you have helped a person. Also where we lived in Stamps, Arkansas was hard because Stamps was a rural and segregated environment. It’s really tough living somewhere where you are not treated equally. She never let go of me I was that person that was there throughout all her struggles during some of the toughest years in her life. I still remember the day she started to write her autobiography with is really known now a days t is called “I know why the caged bird sings” which talks about how her life has been since she was small all the way to the age of 16.Also at the age of 16 I remember when this little boy arrived he just cried and cried I wish I could help him just as I helped Maya but well he was a baby boy Mayas baby boy named Guy. During these times “I know why the caged bird sings” became very popular actually one of the best sellers. Maya and I have ...

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 once said “All great achievements require time.”. This has been proven time and time and time again, even in Angelou's own life was example of this. Maya had a hard childhood but she keeped working hard and never gave up, this helped become a civil rights activist, poet, author, and screenwriter. (Maya Angelou Biography)

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)

According to the Huffington Post, self-image has affected over 60% of social media users (Silva 1). Self-image is the way that one perceives themselves based off of what is happening in his life at a given time. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou tells the story of a young Maya Angelou and her coming of age. Although there was not social media when Maya Angelou was young, the outside world was able to affect her self-image. Her book gives great insight into her life, including the terrible parts, such as the heavy racism in Maya’s hometown, Stamps, the effects of her rape, and her struggling sexuality. Maya’s self-image significantly changes because of these factors in a way that she can never

Steve Jobs began designing computers in his garage, eventually creating Apple. Over the years, his company, Apple, has gained a burgeoning following and has become a multibillionaire company. Yet, would Jobs run such an affluent company, had it not been for his knowledge and skill? In modern day society, it is often a misconception that one’s sense of self is created by what material objects a person possesses, rather than abstract goods he or she “owns.” That being said, a tangible object, like a company, has no value, if it were not for the abstract concepts behind it. Hence, a person’s identity is determined through his or her intangible items, such as knowledge and skills.

Maya Angelou once remarked that “a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.” Diverse answers may result from the question: "what is a hero?" depending on whom one asks. I believe a hero inspires through their phenomenal precedents and benevolent behaviors while possessing qualities not ordinarily seen in our culture. Angelou aspired to convey that kindness and heroism are not mutually exclusive, but rather fit together effectively to produce the heroes held in high regard in our society today. No matter what one might admire about a certain hero-- bravery, patience, or strength-- kindness lacks not in these traits, but rather encompasses them. For why would a hero act with bravery, patience, or strength

Maya Angelou experienced a life-changing event at the vulnerable age of eight: her mother’s boyfriend raped her. As a result, she chose to be mute for five years due to the emotional trauma this caused. Soon, a family friend named Mrs. Flowers, a wealthy and intellectual woman from Stamps, Arkansas where her grandmother resided, read with Angelou and helped Maya to express herself through writing. Mrs. Flowers taught Maya “words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with meaning“ (qtd. in Nelson). Eventually these poems helped Angelou to find the courage to speak again. 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. As critic Harold Bloom aptly comments, Angelou’s literary techniques “enhance the capacity of her poetry to heal, liberate, and empower her readers” (Bloom’s Modern Critical Views: Maya Angelou 130). This idea of empowerment is especially evident in Angelou’s three poems “Still I Rise,” “Phenomenal Woman,” and “A Kind of Love Some Say.”

Maya Angelou’s parent’s were divorced when she was three years old, resulting in her being relocated between family members several times. In addition to that hardship, when Angelou was only eight years old, she was left alone with her mother’s boyfriend and he raped her. Because of this experience, she chose not to speak for five years. Maya Angelou later began to speak and show her true self through poetry. Poetry is what ultimately helped her to begin physically speaking again. Maya Angelou regained the strength to speak for herself, and make a difference for her culture and women worldwide. Maya Angelou’s poetry has the power to inspire confidence within the conflicted individuals who lack the courage to speak for themselves. Maya’s intention to inspire confidence to others was best shown through her poems “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” “Still I Rise,” and “Phenomenal Woman.”

Life often deals many cards. Sometimes they are manageable and others times they seem unbearable. Upon analyzing these “cards” dealt, we decide whether we are capable of taking them on, or if we crumble under pressure. Maya Angelou was an individual that used all her circumstances, whether good or bad, to her advantage which allowed her to excel in life. Because of her persistence, she is acknowledged as one of the greatest influences in African American literature.

Often times, it has been argued that men may work from sunrise to sunset but that a woman 's work is never done. During the 19th century, women were entitled by nature to the full time job of being housewives. Being a housewife meant having full responsibility of maintaining a home. This included caring for children, performing chores inside of the house and running errands outside of the house. Because of the extensive amount of work that women had to do during the day, they felt hopeless, tense, and in need of rest; after all, women were able to accomplish all of their duties. In the poem Woman Work, Maya Angelou uses literary devices to reveal how even when a woman is repressed she is powerful, diligent and independent. The poem is split

Only an awe-inspiring poet evokes the deepest, darkest emotions in her audience. She entangles the reader to believe, imagine, and desire and feel whatsoever emotion and experience she chooses to portray. Maya Angelou does exactly that in her poem Phenomenal Woman. Angelou mocks the societal view of the ideal woman and drags many different types of audiences into her confident and majestic principles for being a woman, of being who she really is. Angelou uses various types of figurative language to express and illustrate her opinion of the phenomenal woman she is and of the phenomenal person anyone can be. By doing so, she “lampoons the conceived notions of beauty” and finds contentment in herself as the woman she is (source #1). Her use of metaphors, refrain, and alliteration to portray the “unflinching confidence about