Maya Angelou's Life

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.

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou was born on April 4th, 1928 in St. Louis

On April 4th of 1928 Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. She was given the name “Maya” by her brother, Bailey. Both Maya and Bailey were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas after her parents divorced. When Maya went to visit her mother at the age of eight she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend.

If you can 't change it, change your attitude. Don 't complain” Maya recieved several awards Two from the NAACP. Timeline of Mays”s life: “April 4, 1928- Maya Angelou is born in St. Louis, Missouri. 1942- Angelou dropped out of school to become San Francisco’s first African-American female car conductor.

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 philosophy and teachings are timeless. There is a lesson to be learned in her more than 30 published works and her lessons taught as a professor and lecturer. More important she lived what she preached. She had a strong belief in humanity as a whole, in the human spirit and in the African American community. She fought tirelessly to change extinguish racism, prejudice and discrimination during a time when she herself as a black woman experienced its effects.

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.

His poem Sympathy is just one example of how he felt trapped like a caged bird in his life. Even though the Civil War was over, African Americans still did not have as many privileges and opportunities as most White people had. Most of Dunbar’s writing showed his perspective of life and the struggles that came with it. Maya Angelou was born in 1928 and suffered a hard childhood that later on affected her writing. When she was eight years old, Maya was sexually abused and raped by her mother’s boyfriend.

Character: S.E. Hinton (through Ponyboy) Chronological/Timeline Hook: "Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot. But all the wrong things, not the things you want to learn." Background info (birthplace, birthdate, any relevant childhood info., relevant relationship info., etc.):

Maya Angelou was not always called by that name, she was originally named Marguerite Johnson. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4th, 1928. Mrs. Angelou was a poet, educator, actress, producer, historian, and a civil rights activist. Maya Angelou is significant in American history because she always fought for women’s rights, her songs always meant something, and people looked up to what she stood for.

Joy Harjo’s Amazing Life Joy Harjo didn’t grow up thinking she would write poetry for a living, but t she definitely makes a good writer. Her home life and her ancestry shaped the way she saw the world. It also transformed the way she wrote. All of her many works have revolved around her experiences in life.

Marguerite Ann Johnson was born April 4, 1928 in St. Louis Missouri, at the age of three her parents divorce and Marguerite and her brother Bailey were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps Arkansas. During her time leaving in Stamps Marguerite and her brother were exposed to racial discrimination but also were raised with in a very religious African American home. Marguerite and Bailey were very close, Bailey actually gave marguerite her nickname ‘Maya.” Bailey first started by calling his sister “My” as in my sister because he used to stutter. Overtime Bailey read a book on the Maya Indians and started to call his sister Maya and that has been here nickname since (Maya Angelou Biography -- Academy of Achievement.com).

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.

Maya Angelou, a famous poet and activist, was able to face and conquer a part of her life that was greatly affected. Her mother had left Maya and her brother when they were young with their grandmother. As years went forward she reconnected with her mother and dealt with a whirlwind of emotions. The strength she withheld to forgive and to love her mother was priceless. She never gave up on the warmth or the liberation to life because she knew this person was someone she needed in order to truly prosper and grow.

At her nest foster home her foster father,used her for oral sex in trade for LSD and cocaine. After this incident she moved in with her great aunt in Los Angeles. During her stay she joined a gang at the age of 12. She almost died when he was shot in the back at the age of 16. After that she made the decision to leave the gang.