Maya Angelou Research Paper

Maya Angelou

“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible”, said Maya Angelou. Marguerite Johnson, better known as Maya Angelou, was born in St. Louis Missouri on April 4, 1928. She had a broad array of careers, such as a historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, director, performer, and civil rights activist. However, she has gained the most acclamation as a writer, editor, essayist, and poet. Maya Angelou was able to work alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. Not only did Maya Angelou stand as a spokesperson for African Americans and women, but she also stood for people who wanted to raise the living standards in the United States. Her best work is her six volumes of autobiographies, which includes, I Know Why the Caged Bird

William Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757, as the second of five children. Born into a humble life, William Blake served as an apprentice to an engraver at the age of fourteen. His first formal schooling was at the Royal Academy of Arts, and he married the illiterate Catherine Boucher in 1782. In 1784, William Blake set up a print shop with his friend James Parker, but it soon failed. For the rest of his life, William Blake made ends meet as an engraver and illustrator for books and magazines. Some of William Blake’s works included Songs of Innocence and Experience and Poetical Sketches. Blake was a maverick who favored imagination over reason in the creation of both his poetry and illustrations. Many of Blake’s poems represent his interpretation of history and his vision of the universe. Jerusalem, a prophetic book, and his work on illustrations for The Book of Job distinguished William Blake’s latter years. William Blake died on August 12, 1827, at the age of 70. Phillis was later baptized into Christianity, as shown in her poems, and began to publish poetry as an