According to Hudley, it was brutal for Angelou to be young and spend most of her youthful days sitting quietly and listening to charges brought against her color without a chance to say anything in defense (1). When Angelou finally broke her silence after those years of reading and listening, she launched her career in different areas in various linguistic styles, basing her writing skills on her experience and that of other black Americans. It is easy for Angelou's readers to understand her work considering that she express her background and the events and activities that transpired during her time. For instance, she writes about the difficulties and discrimination that African Americans experienced during the Jim Crow laws while inspiring people to embrace their identity. In her poem titled Phenomenal Woman, Angelou expresses and emphasizes self-empowerment to the African American women that goes beyond conventional beauty. Using the poem, she presents how African American women are depicted in the society and deflects the perception by encouraging the women to embrace cultural confidence and identity.
According to an article by Danielle Dorky, as a writer, Maya Angelou acquired her inspiration from different authors who had written books and poems, which she used to read from her childhood (1). One of the most recognized writers that inspired Angelou was Edgar Allen Poe. In most of her interviews, Angelou constantly cited Edgar as one of the first writers who acquired her attention since childhood. During the years when she went mute, Angelou would memorize his poems while imagining how they would recited in real life. Thomas Wolfe was another writer who inspired Angelou. During her lifetime, Angelou states that she had read all works done by Thomas Wolfe, as well as memorizing his works during childhood (Danielle Dorky 1). Wolfe is among the most celebrated authors of the early 20th century, and is credited for paving the way for autobiographical fiction genre, thus there is no doubt that Angelou's respect and knowledge of the author's work assisted in strengthening her autobiographical works.
