“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you” says Maya Angelou. Born April 4th, 1928 to Vivian Baxter Johnson and Bailey Johnson. Her parents split up when she was very young, and her older brother, bailey were sent to live with their fathers mother Anne Anderson in stamps, Arkansas. Who owned a general store. Although her grandmother helped her develop pride and self confidence, Angelou was devastated when she was raped at the age of eight by her mother's boyfriend while on a visit to St. Louis . After she testified against the man. Her uncles killed the boyfriend, so traumatized by the experience, Angelou stopped talking for five years. In 1944, a 16 year old Angelou gave birth to a son. In 1950 she married a
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.
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.
April 4, 1929, St. Louis, Missouri was the birth of the multitalented, Marguerite Annie Johnson. Family of Marguerite is mother, Vivian Baxter Johnson, father, Bailey Johnson, and brother, Bailey Johnson, Jr. Later in the early twenties of Marguerite Johnsons’ life, she changed her name to Maya Angelou. Since the divorce of Maya’s parents, her life has been nothing but an uncontrollable rollercoaster. As a youth, Maya Angelou had to eventually overcome her strugglers and regain what she once lost years ago when troubled occurred.
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.
Maya Angelou was a very soulful and light person. She always looked content but there were periods in her life where things didn’t go as planned. She was born on April 4th 1928, In St. Louis Missouri the state of the Norton grape. When she was three she was sent to live with her grandma in Stamps, Arkansas. Annie (her grandmother owned the town’s only black owned convenience store.
Causing her and Bailey to be sent to live with their fathers mother in Stamp Arkansas. In mid-1930’s they returned to St. Louis to live with their mother, where seven year old Angelou was sexually assaulted by the mothers boyfriend. Angelou’s uncle had beaten her abuser to death, leading her to believe her testimony caused his death, and kept a five year vow of silence. During her vow she discovered her love of reading, anything from the Bible to Langston Hughes to William Shakespeare.
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.
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.
III. a. Maya Angelou was an avid writer, speaker, activist and teacher. As a result of the many hardships that she suffered while growing up as a poor black woman in the south she has used her own experiences as the subject matter of her written work. In doing this she effectively shows how she was able to overcome her personal obstacles. Her autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970) tells the story of her life and how she overcame and moved forward triumphantly in spite of her circumstances.
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.
Marguerite, “Maya,” Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. At the age of three, Maya’s parents divorced, and she and her brother, Bailey, moved to Stamps, Arkansas to live with their grandmother. The family owned and operated a general store at which many people shopped. When Maya was seven, she and Bailey moved back to St. Louis to live with their biological mother. One year later, Maya was raped by her mother’s boyfriend, Mr. Freeman.
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.
Angelou’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement and her achievements as an activist were remarkable. While these achievements seem to be enough to last a lifetime, the Civil Rights Movement was only the beginning for Angelou. Angelou worked as an outspoken Civil Rights activist during the movement. But even after the Civil Rights Movement had ended, she continued to be a voice of humanity, speaking out against anything that harmed the human spirit. Angelou moved on to influence American society as a whole, from the 1970’s to the day she died, May 28, 2014.
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.