... Sings it is evident that Angelou has led a very rough, but outstanding life and her life experiences are truly reflected in her writings. Angelou's parents were more fortunate than most black families. Her father, Bailey Johnson, was a navy cook, and her mother Vixian Baxter, was a nightclub performer as well as a owner of a large rooming house in San Francisco (Andrews ... she had a part in the television adaption of Alex Haley's Roots, and received an Emmy Award nomination for best supporting actress" (Andrews 19). Angelou was an autobiographer, poet, playwright, director, producer, p...

• Word Count: 1174
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... work done. And remember, the only thing that doesn't change is change- (Angelou). Angelou's poetry and personal narratives relay a sense of reality for African American people, and especially for black women trying to survive masculine prejudice, and hatred. Angelou's first work of literature, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was the first book by an African American woman to storm ... Some critics have referred to her poetry as "too simple- and suggest that it is unworthy of being included in the established canon of American poetry. But, Angelou's readers, mainly black women, aren't af...

• Word Count: 1257
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... was an unwed mother at 16 years old (Williams 1). In spite of her tragic childhood, she still managed to become one of the greatest black poets of the twentieth century (Williams 1).Angelou is a poet, an author, a historian, an actress, a playwright, a civil-rights activist, a producer, and a director. Ms. Angelou began her career in drama and dance, and she married a South African freedom fighter ... and lived in Cairo. Later she also taught in Ghana. In the 1960's she said that being black, female, non-Muslim, non-Arab, six foot tall, and American ... attention. Maya Angelou has surv...

• Word Count: 1089
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... was an unwed mother at 16 years old (Williams 1). In spite of her tragic childhood, she still managed to become one of the greatest black poets of the twentieth century (Williams 1).Angelou is a poet, an author, a historian, an actress, a playwright, a civil-rights activist, a producer, and a director. Ms. Angelou began her career in drama and dance, and she married a South African freedom fighter ... and lived in Cairo. Later she also taught in Ghana. In the 1960's she said that being black, female, non-Muslim, non-Arab, six foot tall, and American ... attention. Maya Angelou has surv...

• Word Count: 1089
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... was an unwed mother at 16 years old (Williams 1). In spite of her tragic childhood, she still managed to become one of the greatest black poets of the twentieth century (Williams 1). Angelou is a poet, an author, a historian, an actress, a playwright, a civil-rights activist, a producer, and a director. Ms. Angelou began her career in drama and dance, and she married a South African freedom fighter ... and lived in Cairo. Later she also taught in Ghana. In the 1960's she said that being black, female, non-Muslim, non-Arab, six foot tall, and American ... attention. Maya Angelou has sur...

• Word Count: 1300
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Maya the poet, the author, the play-write, actress, mother, civil rights activist, historian, director, producer; Maya the Genius. Maya Angelou is the ultimate Renaissance woman and is one of the great voices of contemporary literature (mayaangelou.com). She ... to her son Guy Bailey Johnson. Throughout my research on Maya, I found many dates and time periods to be conflicting. It was sometime around 1945 that Maya became the first black female conductor for the San Francisco streetcars. Maya had many jobs while living in San Francisco. She was a Creole cook, a tap dancer, and did odd-jobs t...

• Word Count: 1253
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School