Maya Angelou attained international fame in 1969 with the publication of her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; however, the seeds of her acclaim were planted long before. Raised primarily by her grandmother in Arkansas, Maya attributed her first important lessons to the woman she affectionately calls "Momma." With those lessons and other hard-earned knowledge, Maya progressed from being a victim of racism and sexual brutality with low self-esteem to a confident, skilled, dignified artist who is globally recognized for her wisdom.
Biography
Capturing Maya Angelou in a brief biography is impossible, for her many gifts and accomplishments read more like a "group biography." Interviewed in 2003 about her amazingly productive life and reputed wisdom, Maya said, "I'm considered wise, and sometimes I see myself as knowing. Most of the time, I see myself as wanting to know. I've never been bored in my life" (Moore). She was born "Marguerite Johnson" on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri to Bailey and Vivian Baxter Johnson (Cecil). In 1931, both Bailey Johnson, Jr. And 3-year-old Maya were sent to live with their maternal grandmother, Annie "Momma" Johnson Henderson, in Stamps, Arkansas (Mayaangelou.com). In 1935, 7-year-old Maya was sent back to St. Louis, along with her brother, to live with their mother. In 1936, Maya was raped by her mother's boyfriend, who was arrested, convicted and released. Soon after his release, the rapist was found beaten to death, reportedly by Maya's uncles (A&E Television Networks). Believing that telling of the rape caused the rapist's murder, Angelou was mute to all but her brother for nearly six years. In 1937, Maya and her brother were sent back to Stamps, AR to live with "Momma" Johnson again, where Maya remained until 1941 (Cecil). Speaking of her mother's extended absences from her life, Maya said, "I was an abandoned child, as far as I was concerned" (Moore).
In 1940, Maya graduated with honors from Lafayette Country Training School in Stamps, AR. Shortly after moving to San Francisco in 1941 to live with her mother and "Daddy Clidell," Maya attended night school at California Labor School. Maya became the first black female trolley car conductor in San Francisco in 1944, graduating from Mission High School and giving birth to her son Clyde (Guy) that same year (Cecil). An unwed mother of 17, Maya thanks her own mother -- absent from most of her early childhood -- for giving her the needed support to bear and raise her son at such an early age. As Maya said, "Well, my mom was a terrible parent of young children…but my mother was a great parent of a young adult" (Moore). In fact, Maya's mother -- who was a nurse as well as a seaman -- delivered the baby (Moore). Maya has described her mother's reaction to the news of Maya's pregnancy:
"When she found out I was pregnant, she said, 'All right. Run me a bath, please.' Well, in my family, that's really a very nice thing for somebody to ask you to do. Maybe two or three times in my life she had asked me to run her a bath. So I ran her a bath and then she invited me in the bathroom. My mother sat down in the bathtub. She asked me, 'Do you love the boy?' I said no. 'Does he love you?' I said no. 'Well, there's no point in ruining three lives. We're going to have us a baby'" (Moore).
From 1949 -- 1952, Maya was married to Tosh Angelos; however, in 1952, Maya won a scholarship to study dance with Pearl Primus (Cecil). In 1954, Maya adopted her current name of "Maya Angelou," gave her first professional performance at the "Purple Onion," and toured Europe in 1954-1955 with the company of Porgy and Bess (Mayaangelou.com). Maya also studied modern dance with Martha Graham, danced on early TV variety shows and recorded her first album, Calypso Lady, in 1957. She moved to New York in 1958 and joined the "Harlem Writers Guild," acted in Jean Genet's off-Broadway production of The Blacks and wrote/performed in Cabaret for Freedom with Godfrey Cambridge (Cecil).
Maya lived abroad from 1960 -- 1964, first in Cairo, Egypt to edit the English language weekly magazine, The Arab Observer. She moved to Ghana in 1961 and taught at the School of Music and Drama, University of Ghana, where she was also feature editor for The African Review and writer for The Ghanaian Times. During her years abroad, Maya learned the languages of French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Fanti. Also, Maya met Malcolm X, who persuaded her to return to America in 1964 to help build the "Organization of African-American Unity." Tragically, Malcolm...
It is almost impossible to exaggerate the importance with which Maya viewed this incident, saying "If Joe lost we were back in slavery and beyond help. It would all be true, the accusations that we were lower types of human beings. Only a little higher than the apes" (Angelou, Chapter 19). This is not the only time that violence and black males are associated in the novel, nor the only
Angelou understands that part of her role is to be a leader (which encompasses more than the idea of "role model" although it certainly parallels it in many ways this idea) by asking others to be attentive to language. For example, in an interview for the Paris Review, she said: When I'm writing, I am trying to find out who I am, who we are, what we're capable of, how we
Maya Angelou is one of the most renowned and influential voices in the recent time. She is a celebrated poet, novelist, actor and filmmaker. In her early life, she experienced the brutality of racial discrimination based on the situation at the time (Goodman 21). Her experiences in life had an influence in her work as she touched on the issues of racism and sexism over the years. Her poems, in
Maya Angelou and Jay Gatsby The two works of art are similar in many aspects though they also hold quite a number of differences when it comes to the characters and the themes covered in the works. Maya Angelou's work is more of an autobiography since it tells of the life experience of the character called Marguerite's also called "My" or "Maya" and the challenges that she undergoes. This character is highly
/ Weakened by my soulful cries." (Angelou, 7) Thus, the overall message of the poem is not very different from that of the first text, Phenomenal Woman. Again, the writer celebrates her own self as an emblematic image of the entire people. Pride and self-esteem are the major ingredients in the writer's cogent and powerful discourse. She declares her haughtiness and the pleasure she takes in her own self, suggesting
Additionally she has time to lecturer and mentor students. This approach to one's career is very inspiring. She is doing what she wants to do. This of course did not occur overnight; she clawed her way through difficulty and discouragement to be able to experience the sweet taste of success. Maya Angelou also has a generous side to her personality and regularly gives money to charitable organizations and worthy
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now