... at the time, gave birth to her son Clyde (later known as Guy). At the same time, she graduated high school. By the time she was in her early twenties, Maya Angelou had been a Creole cook, a streetcar conductor, a cocktail waitress, a dancer, a madam, a tap dancer, a prostitute, and a chauffeurette. Her second book, "Gather Together In My Name," centers on her ... , dancer, actor, playwright, magazine editor, civil rights activist, poet, and novelist, not to mention historian, producer, director, professor, and lecturer, among other things. Ms. Angelou's accomplishments rival those of gre...

• Word Count: 777
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... age sixteen. She moved so many times that the last time she moved to her dad's house, she ran away. Maya found that life with her dad was not any easier. Her childhood and young adulthood was tough, but she survived. Maya Angelou had many inspirations. Her life has inspired almost all of her writing. Paul Laurence Dunbar, great black American poet, had ... . One book with an award is I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. In this book Maya writes with a twist of lyrical imagery along with a touch of realism. In 1960, she met Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. Later Maya marries Vusumi Make, ...

• Word Count: 429
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the Caged Bird Sings (1969), which was nominated for the National Book Award. In her massive volumes of poetry are A Brave and Startling Truth (1995), The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994), Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993), Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987), I Shall Not Be Moved (1990), Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? (1983), Oh Pray My Wings ... (1994 and 1996) for her recordings on the albums On the Pulse of Morning (1993) and Phenomenal Woman (1995). In 1959, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Sout...

• Word Count: 548
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... born in St. Louis Missouri on April 4, 1928. (Biography.com) Although Maya is most commonly known for her work as a poet, she was also an author, playwright, stage and screen producer, director, and singer. (Angelou, 7). Throughout Maya's childhood, she moved back and forth, between her mother's house and her grandmother's ... house. In 1936, during a visit to her mother's house, her mother's boyfriend raped Maya. She was only 8 years old. She was forced to testify ... American life. (Biography.com) Many racists believe that she shouldn't be allowed to publish this stuff because they f...

• Word Count: 588
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... that no matter how educated Mrs. Flowers is she does not feel that you must be proper at all times. Soon Maya also realizes that Grandma Henderson and Mrs. Flowers have some form of equal respect for each other. Angelou again uses the stylistic element of personification when she personifies the world by the emphasis of having doubts about continuing to revolve ... for Mrs. Cullinan when she says "My pity for Mrs. Cullinan proceeded me to the next morning like the Cheshire cats smile"(89). Maya learns a simple lesson that sometimes the things you hear are not always what you think they ...

• Word Count: 964
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... they have had, some write about how they were brought up, and some write about what they like or dislike. Maya Angelou uses these things in "Phenomenal Woman". The poem not only shows her upbringing but also comes from life experiences and her own likes and dislikes ... . Maya Angelou, born April 4, 1928 as Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, was raised in segregated rural Arkansas. Angelou and her brother lived with their grandmother. She married an American freedom fighter and lived in Cairo, ... to think of the strength we have in ourselves. What are my strengths? We may ask ourselves. W...

• Word Count: 1242
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School