Preview

Maya Angelou: Poet And Civil Rights Activist

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
578 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Maya Angelou: Poet And Civil Rights Activist
Maya Angelou was born with the name of Marguerite Johnson. Maya Angelou got her name from her brother, Bailey, who called her "Mya sister" and her first husband, Tosh Angelo. She was born on the fourth in April of 1928, in St. Louis, Mo. Maya Angelou is a poet, historian, author, actress, play-write, civil rights activist, a publisher, director, a mother, and a survivor. She is one of the most influential African Americans in American history. When her parents divorced she was sent to Stamps, Arkansas to live with her grandmother, Annie Henderson. Marguerite and Bailey Jr. are raised by their grandmother, who they call Momma. Momma showed Maya's sweet youthful heart a lesson or two about living deferentially and being regarded. She teaches …show more content…
She has written poems for South African freedom fighters. At age 16, Maya turned into the main black streetcar conductor in San Francisco; in later years, she turned into the primary black lady screenwriter and executive in Hollywood. In the 1960's, she became a friend to both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X; she served in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. King, and worked for years for the civil rights movement. Additionally, she worked and went to Africa, as a correspondent and teacher, and presenting with numerous African freedom developments. In 1970, Angelou printed her initially book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, with huge acclaim, and was prescribe for the Pulitzer Prize for verse the accompanying year. In 1993, Maya read "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Clinton's inauguration, her poem got her noticed by the public and made her stand out. Angelou went on to write several more outstanding and extraordinaire books, poems, and speeches during her lifetime. Unfortunately, Maya Angelou passed away on the twenty-eighth in May of 2014. She lived a fulfilled life, where she learned and taught many different lessons in her writings and life. Maya Angelou will be forever remembered and love.
In the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the main character Marguerite, is influenced by many of characters including Bailey Jr., Momma Henderson, and Mrs. Bertha Flowers. All three of these characters played important parts in the growth of Marguerite through her juvenile years. Bailey Jr. Has the most significate role in Marguerite's young life. Bailey brings light into Maya's life and she feels as she would be lost without him, "but I would be the major loser if Bailey turned up dead. For he was all I claimed, if not all I

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Maya Angelou, the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was a young influential black girl in Stamps, Arkansas. The three most remarkable people in Maya’s life were Bailey, Vivian Baxter, and Grandmother Henderson. Bailey, her brother, was there for her when she needed someone, and Vivian Baxter taught her how to express herself. Grandmother Henderson was the person who always supported Maya Angelou and taught her almost everything she knows.…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dr. Maya Angelou is one of the most renounced and influential voices of our time. She played a big part in the global Renaissance and is a poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Dr. Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4th, 1928. Her parents divorced when she was three years old and she and her brother, Bailey were sent to live with her grandmother, Annie Henderson for most of her teenaged years. Maya Angelou spent her childhood in California, Arkansas, and St. Louis.…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vivian Baxter Quotes

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In “I know Why the Caged Bird Sings” Maya Angelou writes about her life from the ages 3 to 16 years old. Angelou writes about her experiences with her mom in part of her autobiography. Vivian Baxter, Angelou’s mother, despite not being there for most of her childhood, she is a major influence to Angelou. Vivian is a young woman who works hard and learns from her life experiences. Vivian Baxter is a strong resilient individual because she has insight, that prevents her from making brash decisions, independence, which allows her to do what is best for her, initiative, that makes her strong and confident, and morality, that lets her know right from wrong.…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    ''When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time'' says marguerite Annie Johnson also known as Maya Angelou. Known for her inspiring appearances as an author, screen writer, dancer, actress and of course a poet. There were many ways Maya was born in St. Louis Missouri in 1928. She experienced racial prejudices and discrimination after moving with her grandmother when her parents split. She experienced harsh events in her life that made her the strong woman she is that led her on till her death in 2014. The spirit in her work still lives on today by those who admire her work. Using her biography as a resource, Her parents split when Maya was just a very young girl. Not only did she get raped as a child by her mother's boyfriend, She also got pregnant at the early age of 16 in a short high school relationship that left her with a handsome boy named Guy Johnson. Maya's importance was based on her 1969 memoir ''I know why the caged birds sing.'' Maya's life experiences are revealed in her work continuously. Throughout her poems of ''Phenomenal woman'', ''Touched by an Angel'', and ''Harlem Hopscotch'' her poetic language is shaped by her experiences.…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Momma Henderson Flowers

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the main character Marguerite Johnson, is influenced by a preponderance of characters including Bailey Jr. , Momma Henderson, and Mrs. Bertha Flowers. One of the primary influences is her older brother, Bailey Jr.. Momma, or Annie Henderson, the parental grandmother, also plays an important role for Maya. Additionally, Mrs. Flowers, the black aristocrat of Stamps, saves Maya during an especially difficult time. All in all, these three characters act as important roles in the development of Marguerite through her juvenile years.…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Her friends were speaking out against prejudice and Maya wanted to contribute so she quit show business. She went to a fundraising rally for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference at the Harlem Church. Hearing Martin Luther King Jr. inspired her. She volunteered to write a script for a play, her organizational skills were noticed by others and lead into the center of the civil-rights movement. At 32 years old she became a full-fledged civil-rights worker. She organized fundraising meetings and dinners, wrote letters, asked for donations, and spoke for the cause. Two months later, Dr. King was sitting in her office and thanked her for efforts. She also coordinated the organization of Afro American Unity (OAAU) for Malcolm X. When Malcolm X was assassinated she was shell-shocked and went to Hawaii with Bailey. She realized all she really cared about was writing. She wrote I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to do more than just explain her first 17 years. “I wasn’t thinking so much about my own life...to show how one person can make it through those times.” (Cox 68-69). The story was on the bestseller list and the first African American to be on the list. Her first book of poetry Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water’Fore I Diiie, was nominated for a Pulitizer…

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marguerite Johnson, also known as Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis Missouri. At a time when being black in America was not such a good thing. Her parents named her Marguerite Johnson, but she got the name “Maya” from her older brother Bailey Johnson, it was just a nickname from him. She adopted the “ Angelou ” from her former husband. Maya has lived more than abnormal life. Angelou has explored the arts of dance, singing, theater, and movie and television acting. But most importantly, Maya Angelou is a well-known author and poet who writes about her experiences growing up and finding out how to love herself for who she was. Angelou lived a difficult life but her experiences are the reasons why she is such a great writer,…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Maya Angelou’s early life helped lead to her need to accomplish her goals. For example, Marguerite Anne Johnson was born April 14, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents sent her and her brother away to live with their grandma in Stamps, Arkansas after they got divorced (Kite 6-7). Secondly, during…

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Maya Angelou

    • 3060 Words
    • 13 Pages

    References: BBC News. (2005). I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Retrieved Oct 07, 2012, from BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/133_wbc_archive_new/page2.shtml…

    • 3060 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of her famous books was “I know why the caged bird sings”. Maya Angelou wrote “I know why the caged bird sings” because she wanted plenty of people to know what she had went through. She wrote this for man of reasons; one was as a reminder to not to give up during the trials of growing up. This book was one of the first of her five volumes of her life. I know why the caged bird sing was recreating a child's voice and what some children go through because growing up with young parents. Many say that young black woman…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Maya Angelou's turbulent experiences through late childhood and adolescence transformed into an almost positive force in her adult life as they helped enlighten, inspire, motivate and shape her very being. They provided her with the vehement fuel that drives her achingly powerful words and allowed her the knowledge and wisdom that led to self-discovery (finding one's inner self) and eventually knowledge of self (understanding one's inner self), two endeavors that most of humanity is never able or perhaps willing to acquire. In Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Marguerite Johnson experiences a particularly difficult childhood where she is often displaced geographically, socially and racially, and is even raped at a young age,…

    • 960 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Meanest Influence

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages

    I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the autobiography of Maya Angelou’s life. She tells the story of her life in Stamps, Arkansas as well as her life moving from place to place. She deals with many problems including prejudice in many forms. Because of this prejudice, Maya must deal with the extremely influential actions of segregation, racism, and sexism.…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rosa Parks

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Mrs. Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley Parks, Febuary 13 ,2012 in Tuskegee, Alabama.Parks, Rosa and Steele Elaine) She was the first child of James and Leona Edwards McCauley.(Parks, Rosa and Steele, Elaine) Her brother, Sylvester McCauley, now decreased, was born August 20, 2015.(Parks, Rosa and Steele, Elaine) Her mother worked as a carpenter and her mother as a teacher.(Reynolds, Brain) At the age of two she moved to her grandparents' farm in Pine Level, Alabama with her mother and younger brother, Syvester.(Reynolds, Brain) When she is at age eleven she's enrolled on the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls ( Miss White's School for Girls) a private institution.(Parks, Rosa; Steele Elaine, and Reynolds, Brain)…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Author Paper

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages

    A year later she goes back to school, graduates and later gives birth to her son guy. When Maya Angelou started her autobiographical series in 1970 with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she naturally chose her childhood as the organizing principle of her first volume (Carol E. Neubauer).…

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Specifically it will discuss the themes of racism and segregation, and how these strong themes are woven throughout this moving autobiography. Maya Angelou recounts the story of her early life, including the racism and segregation she experiences throughout her formative years. With wit, sincerity, and remarkable talent, Angelou portrays racism as a product of ignorance and prejudice. However, she finds the strength to rise above this crippling condition.…

    • 2750 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays