After five years of being apart from their mother, Marguerite and her brother, Bailey, were sent back to Saint-Louis to be with their mother. This move would change Angelou's life dramatically. While living in Saint Louis, she was raped by her mothers’ boyfriend. After which she confided in her brother what had happened, and soon the person was found dead. Young Marguerite believed her voice had killed him this caused her to become mute for nearly five years. Her dysfunctional childhood spent moving back and forth between her mother and grandmother caused her to struggle with maturity. She became determined to prove she was a woman and began to rush

Currently, Dr. Maya Angelou lectures throughout the United States and abroad and has been named a Reynolds professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

Angelou’s first work of literature, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was the first book by an African American woman to storm best-seller lists”(Essence). This autobiography was written with the inspiration of her disrupted life. Many say it reflects the pain of her struggle to overcome restrictions that were placed in her environment.

Maya Angelou continues to be one of the great voices of contemporary literature and a remarkable Renaissance woman. Being a poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer, and director, Dr. Angelou continues to travel the world making appearances on college campuses, spreading her legendary wisdom. As Melanie Rigney states, “A mesmerizing vision of grace, swaying and stirring when she moves, Dr. Angelou captivates her audiences lyrically with vigor, fire and perception” (45).

Her most well known poem “Phenomenal Woman” contains many of her strengths and weaknesses. As noted in the Virginia Quarterly Review, “Its theme--power and depth of women—echoes her own personal history as recounted in the same striking I know why the caged bird sings.” “Its refrain –“I’m a woman / Phenomenally. / Phenomenal Woman, / That’s me,” is made for Angelou’s richly textured, dramatic voice” (Virginia Quarterly Review). As Felice Aull states, “in four stanzas, the poet reveals her self-confidence, her graceful rhythm and style, and the inner strength of her femininity” (Aull). Maya Angelou defines phenomenal as “outstanding, and excellent” (Angelou).

The poem “Phenomenal Woman” means a lot to me. I believe it tells the story about a strong. It mak

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