Born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri she was named Marguerite Johnson nicknamed “Maya” by her brother; her surname is an adaptation of that of her first husband. Because of the breakup of her parents' marriage, she and her brother lived with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. She was raped by her mother's boyfriend when she was eight and for the next five years
Maya Angelou is one of most well-known poets ever. Her work is a reflection of her hardships during her childhood and her life as an adult. She expressed many of her opinions through her poetry and other writing. Many of her poems revolve around equality and freedom because she grew up in the segregated era and worked with civil right activist. The poems she writes are to inspire the lives of others. Till this day, Maya Angelou is still continuing to write inspiring poetry.
Maya Angelou conveys a spirit of self-esteem through her images of acceptance. She embraces who she is and revels in her
"Maya Angelou." Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Maya Angelou is a very inspiring and courageous woman who says how she feels through her poems without coming off in a hateful manner, but rather a sophisticated and intelligent way. Her poems varies between subjects such as love, passion,racism and the way of life. However, in her poem “Phenomenal Woman” she speaks for all women around the world who doesn’t feel they fit in with today’s society.
In this research paper, we focus on the Maya Angelou’s life. The author is being researched for her history, life, best-known works, and their relevance in the classroom. Maya Angelou is a well-known poet, storyteller, activist, and autobiographer.
Josephine Baker was an inspiration to many people around the world. In spite of all that she was involved with in her career, she was also an activist. I found this to be amazing. She was a woman who wanted everyone to be treated equally. She fought for her rights and fought to end racism. She was very independent that she did not look up to a man for financial support. Even with discouragements, Josephine Baker prevailed and succeeded.
Without a doubt, I feel that Maya Angelou’s rough childhood played a significant importance in her success as a poet and a civil rights activist. Growing up in the time that she did there was many racial and social issues in society. Society was filled with segregation and discrimination when she was growing up. African American’s often suffered a tough life in this time period. As a young child Maya Angelou had to experience hardships being African American. When Angelou was young she experienced something nobody should have to go through. Angelou was raped by her mothers boyfriend at age seven. Due to the trauma of the rape Angelou faced, she remained silent for many years to follow. Growing up and experiencing tough situations made Angelou
Maya Angelou shows a lot of strength in her life. Angelou stood up for african Americans and women, this shows strength because she could have gotten hurt for standing up against these things. Angelou sang in clubs for a long time. This shows strength because she was african american so she could have gotten hurt if she sang something that offended white
Maya Angelou was multi-talented. She was an author, actress, screenwriter, dancer, and poet. Growing up, Maya lived in Stamps, Arkansas after her parents split. Living in Arkansas she faced racial hardships. In San Francisco she got a scholarship at the California labor school to study dance and acting. At age sixteen she became pregnant with a baby boy.
Born on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Angelou was raised in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. In Stamps, Dr. Angelou experienced the brutality of racial discrimination, but she also absorbed the unshakable faith and values of traditional African-American family, community, and culture. Dr. Maya Angelou is one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time. Hailed as a global renaissance woman, Dr. Angelou is a celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist.
... all audiences can face their personal hardships. No matter the color of your skin or gender, Maya Angelou’s works are timeless testaments to the potential of the human spirit to overcome adversity, and constant reminders that even if the world is against us, we must still rise.
In the beginning of the poem, Angelou sounds very self confident about herself and she uses simile to represent how she feels. Even if history tells lies about her culture and people may want to dirty
She is the most influencing black woman who has presented a real inspirational life in front of people. She started from zero and faced a lot of criticism and discouragement, even from her family. But she continues to work and became the one of the richest Africa American Women. She has laughed in the face and policies of racism and prejudice. Though she is a black woman, her achievements are more than any man of any color. She proves herself being a perfect role model for any woman from any part of the world.
Maya Angelou’s word choice in “Phenomenal Woman” is simple and dull, but it fits the poem perfectly once it is read. The words used in the poem are not powerful but it keeps you reading. It makes the readers a have different opinion on the poem. Also it makes the readers analyze what she is really trying to say. For example, in the poem Maya Angelou states “Men themselves have wondered, What they see in me. They try so much, But they can’t touch, My inner mystery.” It is a little confusing on what she is trying to say because of her word choice and the way the sentences are connected, but reading furthermore into the stanza, it begins to become more understanding. Then too, If she had used a different word choice the poem would not have been so intriguing. For example, if she would have said “Men don’t really understand my personality”, instead of “Men themselves have wondered, What they see in me.” then the readers would not have to put much attention into it and the theme would be completely different. Moreover, another example would be “ It’s the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth, The swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet. I’m a woman Phenomenally’’. She uses simple phrases like “fire in my eyes”, “flash of my teeth”, “swing in my waist”, etc. to show the phenomenal woman she is. The word choice that Maya Angelou portrays in this poem, makes woman realize that