Maya Angelou Accomplishments

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Maya Angelou was one of the most influential voices of our time. She is very well-known and she has made a difference. She was born and raised in times that racial discrimination was typical. All of her experiences as a child were her inspiration for her literary successes. She has received many awards and recognition for her writing and all her other successes. Angelou was born as Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4th, 1928. She was born in St. Louis. She was raised in Stamps, Arkansas by her grandmother, Annie Henderson. Mrs. Henderson instilled Christian morals and values in Maya. In Stamps, Arkansas, living as an African-American girl was not easy because racial discrimination surrounded her. Mrs. Henderson created a business of selling items to whites and blacks in a grocery store, which had a living space behind it. This is where Maya lived with her brother Bialy and her Uncle Willie.(http://www.mayaangelou.com) When Maya became a teenager, she already started to succeed. She attended Mission High school. She won a scholarship to study dance and drama at San Francisco's Labor School. She dropped out of school to become San Francisco's first black female car conductor. She later …show more content…
She began to work on a book that would become a stunning success entitled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings with the help of her friend, James Baldwin. During this time, Maya worked with Dr. Martin Luther King and listened to him speak about civil rights. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was published in 1970. It made the bestseller list. In her book, Angelou opened up about being molested by her mother's boyfriend when she was seven years old. Her uncle murdered the boyfriend because of what he did. Maya felt she was responsible and she refused to speak. Because of her openness about her childhood, her book was banned from use at many schools. In later years, the book became commonly used.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Diction Analysis

the memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou, a famed and achieved writer, assumes both a celebratory and somber tone to reveal how African-Americans are brought down but their spirits are always lifted by each other. That reveal is brought about by Angelou through the use of despairing and uplifting diction. Initially, Angelou uses despairing diction to show how African-Americans were brought down by whites belittling them. For example, Angelou uses very gloomy words to describe an atmosphere…

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Essay on Maya Angelou: Biography

the famous artist Maya Angelou(“Biography”). She had a very difficult childhood that led to her many career choices. Throughout her life she has held many different careers. Also, her life was constantly changing and full of different stories along the way. She wrote many works, but is only remembered for a few major pieces. She also received many awards for her writings and acting abilities throughout her lifetime. Angelou majorly impacted the literary world with her moving pieces. Maya Angelou was an…

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Maya Angelou Graduation Speech

want to encourage that person, I want to enrich, I want to call out that person who is behind that face, behind that color, behind that language, behind that tradition, behind that culture. I believe you can do it. I know what was done for me” -Maya Angelou. A teacher guides the future of the society. A person in his /her whole life learns a lot from teachers, so it is very important for teachers to set a good example for the society. Everybody learns from the teacher in some way by imitating them…

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