Maya Angelou Obstacles

Born on April 4, 1928 and died on May 28, 2014(bio.com). Maya Angelou was known for her famous memoir in 1969, I know why the Caged Bird Sings(bio.com). I chose her because she inspires me to do more than what I am doing. While she was alive, she was an author, actress, screenwriter, dancer, and poet. This essay will talk about her life and her accomplishments and what she went threw.

By the time teen Maya Angelou was sixteen years old, she became pregnant with a baby boy, she named, Guy Johnson. Once Maya Angelou was no longer a young girl she was determined to travel outside of United States of America, making a huge difference and transitioning from girl to woman. Then finally Maya Angelou became a female African American Activist Civil Rights Leader who was famous for being a writer, singer, actress, author, director, stage and screen performer, also most well-known poet. Throughout her career, Angelou has earned several awards and accomplished many accomplishments, including receiving a Grammy award. Her best known art work was entitled, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Maya Angelou has been an influential woman throughout her life; she left her mark in history and literature, and she celebrated the experience of being black in the US. The most breathtaking of all her achievements is the construction of her own personality. As she stated once, “my mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style”. Remembering her, it is important to highlight her commitment with equality; it was a fight not only for her own life, for women and for Afro-American people, but also for peace and justice all over the world.

Essentially Maya Angelou describes the most relevant decade of her life. Which, overall was full of ups and downs but most importantly success. "Maya Angelou Not Just a Poet, but Civil Rights Activist". The Clarion ledger. N.p., n.p. Web.

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style" (Angelou 12). These quoted words came from a strong, wise minded, African American woman whose legacy still lives on. In this essay you will understand a lot about Maya Angelou's early life on how she became famous, her careers, how many awards she has received, and also how her legacy continues to have an impact on people. Maya was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928 (Angelou 8). During Maya's growth she spent most of her days at the library attending Toussaint L'ouverture Grammar school (Angelou 8).

What was it like living in the world of an African American woman in the 1940s? An excerpt from the book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings titled “Occupation: Conductorette” is an autobiography by Maya Angelou. Maya shares her story of how she was discriminated against throughout her life, specifically her teenage years. By examining the autobiography and explanations, the reader will understand how minorities, specifically African Americans, were treated and discriminated against in the 1940s and 50s. Discrimination has always been illustrated in our nation; Maya Angelou experiences this throughout her life and in the workforce.

One of her most well known poems, Phenomenal Woman, tells of how she may not be one definition of beauty but it is the air around her that is what makes her beautiful. It tells of how she is proud of who she is and she is not afraid to be a

When thinking of a historical figure, many imagine a president, king, or general that lead a country to greatness, but never realized some could be the ones who influence the minds of society. Although not thought of as anything, writers and poets hold the key to shaping the society’s mindset without even knowing it. Being a civil rights activist, social activist, and role model for women makes Maya Angelou a historical figure who has made a huge impact in American society and in American history. Born poor and black, she was a childhood victim of rape, shamed into silence. She was a young single mother who had to work at strip clubs for a living.

Maya Angelou was a strong African-American women who made an influential impact on the Civil Rights Movement, in bother her actions, and her literature. Her life experiences and courage helped others, and made her work influential. During Maya’s early life, she experienced many hardships that shaped her into the person many remember her as. Born on April 4, 1928, she only lived in St. Louis, MO for three years before her parents got divorced, and Maya, along with her mother and brother, moved in with her grandparents in Arkansas. At the age of eight, raped by her mother’s boyfriend, Maya learned the power that words possess.

Undoubtedly, having paramount courage and undying love for the human race are the two virtues that anyone aspiring to live a life of purpose must have. In the Wikipedia article "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," Angelou sheds light on the life she led as a child. She highlights the difficulties she had to go through when an opportunity for change was close to impossible (Wikipedia n.p.). Nevertheless, as a courageous young woman who discovered her passion for writing early, she used words to express herself, which later led to her success.

Angelou, later on, became a writer, dancer, and poet. She went on to prove that no matter what skin color you may be, you can still go on to be successful. Throughout life, you should never judge a person because of how they look on the outside. You never know, that person could go on to be beyond than what you believed.

Maya Angelou worked as a professor at Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, from 1991 to 2014. As an African American women, one whose life was full of racial discrimination and gender inequality, she had plenty of experience and wisdom to share with her students. During her time working at the university, she taught a variety of humanities courses such as “World Poetry in Dramatic Performance,” “Race, Politics and Literature,” “African Culture and Impact on U.S.,” and “Race in the Southern Experience” (Wake Forest University,

When I think of the plight of the black woman in American history, I am filled with the overwhelming sense of strength they have harnessed to overcome society’s prejudices. Since America’s beginnings there have been many African American women heroes; women who have stood up against and spoken out in the face of oppression. One such notable woman is the famous poet Maya Angelou. Who hasn’t heard the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou? I would argue it is the poem for which she is most well-known.

Maya Angelou is best known for writing poems that show the injustices of segregation and racism, though she has also written autobiographies that have become a symbol for her. Maya Angelou uses many themes in her poetry. She uses love, loss, music, discrimination, racism, and struggle in her poems. Her poems were written as a testimony to the injustices that african

Who is Maya Angelou? Maya Angelou was primarily a very versatile and talented person. This woman of African American origin wrote and published seven autobiographies that were very popular and highly-evaluated in the US. However, she is well-known not only for being an author but also for being an actress, poet, dancer, and screenwriter. And of course we must not forget activism in the field of civil rights conducted by Maya.