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.
After reading Maya Angelou’s quote, I realized there are still many things I have to learn about life. This quote made me think about how many things go unappreciated everyday, and how we should be thankful for these things. It also inspires me to work harder so that I can reach my goals in life. I need to learn this so that I can become a more appreciative and thankful person towards my family and friends.
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.
“All great achievements require time” a quote by Maya Angelou, a famous author. Maya Angelou’s early life wasn’t easy. There are many interesting facts about maya Angelou. Maya Angelou achieved many accomplishments in her lifetime. This paper will tell you about Maya Angelou’s life and accomplishments.
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.
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 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.
Throughout the history of the United States of America, the strife for power and control has been evident. In early America, the people developed a certain mentality as the promise of freedom, self-governance, and opportunities to achieve was prominent. When this freedom was threatened, struggles for power exploded which was clearly displayed in Bacon’s Rebellion, Shay’s Rebellion, and the Whiskey Rebellion. The tyranny of the elite, who clung to this promise as well, is open for scrutiny in these rebellions that fundamentally changed America.
An influential American is someone who influences America to be what we know it as today. Maya Angelou, Bill Cosby, and Malcolm X are all people who lived during the time of segregation, a hard time that African American faced. They used their life situations, and impacted Americans with their positivity and inspiration. Angelou was a positive poet, teacher, dancer, and songwriter; Cosby produced positive television shows revolving around ideal families; and X was a civil rights activist and minister. Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4th, 1928, she lived a long inspirational and positive life and left a huge mark on many during her time here; Angelou died May 28th 2014 in Winston-Salem North Carolina.
Maya’s Ties with God Have you ever heard of Tupac cry, Maya Angelou was one, if not the only one who made him. Maya Angelou is one of the biggest voices of the 21st century. She does not talk, but she speaks, and she mostly speaks in the language of love. The reason? God.
“Today, Michelle and I join millions around the world in remembering one of the brightest lights of our time – a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman.” (Online - White House). This memorial statement, by Barack Obama in 2014, encompasses how many felt towards Maya Angelou, one of the most influential writers and voices of her generation. Over the course of her lifetime, Maya Angelou was awarded over 50 honorary degrees and received the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Angelou’s personal admiration and self-love that is reflected in her poetic works, specifically, “Phenomenal Woman,” is credited to the overcoming of her traumatic childhood and her work in activism.
I believe that one individual can be great at multiple things. The reason being is because Maya Angelou is a woman who has accomplished several things in her 86 years of life which is highly impressive. She’s a poet, an actress chef and countless more. She had numerous occupations and has succeeded in each and everyone despite the fact that she was experiencing racism and discrimination. For her hard work, determination, and passion she won the Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for writing.
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.
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.
