Maya Angelou books and poems relate to real world situations. In her poem phenomenal women it talks about how you should not live in a stereotypical way of life and have confidence in yourself. You should celebrate how remarkable you are and it makes you a champion. Being a woman makes you supreme, because women are a mystery and hard to figure out. She expresses you don’t need to be loud to get attention just being yourself shows who you are. Maya Angelo works states you should embrace your purpose, practice a self-confidence ritual, and enjoy spending time alone, refuse to buy into the media’s image of a perfect woman, refuse to take anything too personally, ask empowering questions, and ask what they can do to improve the world. Her story…
''When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time'' says marguerite Annie Johnson also known as Maya Angelou. Known for her inspiring appearances as an author, screen writer, dancer, actress and of course a poet. There were many ways Maya was born in St. Louis Missouri in 1928. She experienced racial prejudices and discrimination after moving with her grandmother when her parents split. She experienced harsh events in her life that made her the strong woman she is that led her on till her death in 2014. The spirit in her work still lives on today by those who admire her work. Using her biography as a resource, Her parents split when Maya was just a very young girl. Not only did she get raped as a child by her mother's boyfriend, She also got pregnant at the early age of 16 in a short high school relationship that left her with a handsome boy named Guy Johnson. Maya's importance was based on her 1969 memoir ''I know why the caged birds sing.'' Maya's life experiences are revealed in her work continuously. Throughout her poems of ''Phenomenal woman'', ''Touched by an Angel'', and ''Harlem Hopscotch'' her poetic language is shaped by her experiences.…
“Still I Rise” by the African-American poet Maya Angelou, written almost 40 years after the Harlem renaissance ceased, displays a variety of emotions and poetic devices. Maya Angelou incorporates her personal struggles gives the audience a sense of the determination she felt to reach equality. The reader can see her anger towards the discrimination she faced at the time.…
Maya Angelou has become widely known for her poetry and literary works. She has written several autobiographies and numerous volumes of poetry. One volume of poetry was And Still I Rise, in this collection of poems the poem “Still I Rise” is a famously known one.…
Maya Angelou did a poem that inspire many women and she recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning", for president Bill Clinton . Her poem was about the significant of the rock, river, and tree, which stands for what the people have done. In her poem she’s telling people to not be afraid and live with courage. She also describes how many people have been ignored, hurt, and treated bad. But than people had the courage to speak up and say something about it without hiding anything.…
Angelou, Maya. And Still I Rise. New York: Random House, 1978. Print. This is a book which originally published two of Maya Angelou's infamous poems, "Phenomenal Woman" and, "Still I Rise". This book is strong and powerful, filled with many other well-known works done by Maya Angelou.…
Dr. Maya Angelou is one of the most renounced and influential voices of our time. She played a big part in the global Renaissance and is a poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Dr. Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4th, 1928. Her parents divorced when she was three years old and she and her brother, Bailey were sent to live with her grandmother, Annie Henderson for most of her teenaged years. Maya Angelou spent her childhood in California, Arkansas, and St. Louis.…
Maya Angelou is a phenomenal woman. She was born into a devastating decade, that suffered numerous tragedies. Not only had society shaped her as a woman, she has also shaped our society and influenced many lives. She is still living today, yet I believe her legend will never die. Furthermore I will share with you what motivated her and some of her gratifying experiences. How she was effected by society, and what she did about it. Also how the time period she was born into made her the extraordinary woman she is today.…
She wrote “still I rise” to prove to people that no matter what they won't bring her down. No matter how hard people lie and how her sassiness might upset a lot of people. The poem “The Lesson” was one of many people's favorites it explains on how dying inside from getting raped or going through family problems. Cold hearted people are always the leaders because Maya Angelou was very cold hearted and didn't want to see people go through what she went through. Maya Angelou was a Phenomenal woman, she really didn't know her life after all that she has been through. She had to realize that she can help other young woman become phenomenal woman to. Her mother was barely at home due to her getting raped her mother never left the house unless someone was there to watch them. Maya Angelou always lead her siblings to do good…
Maya Angelou was born with the name of Marguerite Johnson. Maya Angelou got her name from her brother, Bailey, who called her "Mya sister" and her first husband, Tosh Angelo. She was born on the fourth in April of 1928, in St. Louis, Mo. Maya Angelou is a poet, historian, author, actress, play-write, civil rights activist, a publisher, director, a mother, and a survivor. She is one of the most influential African Americans in American history. When her parents divorced she was sent to Stamps, Arkansas to live with her grandmother, Annie Henderson. Marguerite and Bailey Jr. are raised by their grandmother, who they call Momma. Momma showed Maya's sweet youthful heart a lesson or two about living deferentially and being regarded. She teaches…
Maya Angelou is another example of a woman who expresses the power that females possess in a male-dominated society. In her poem “Phenomenal Woman,” she speaks about how the “span of [her] hips/ [and] the stride of [her] step” (Angelou 7-8) makes her a phenomenal woman who, like Clifton, uses imagery of female features to express the pride of being a woman. They both use the same simple words such as “hips” to express the strong nature of a woman and how these hips can even “put a spell on a man and/ spin him like a top” (Clifton14-15). Stating that her hips can even place a spell on a male and spin him like a top is giving the impression that by only moving her hips in a certain way like the stride in Angelou’s step, can make that male or any male, do whatever she wants him to…
What is considered the feminine ideal? What can be said about a woman’s personality, physical beauty, the way she presents herself, the way she is treated, etc, that makes her uniquely…
© Maya Angelou in whose name Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. has granted permission. © The Sheffield College, 2006…
BP3: Maya Angelou uses similes in “Still I Rise” to create atmosphere for the reader by giving inquisitive wording to express her ideas.“You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I’ll rise” (Angelou 3-4) Maya expressing that , though she has been hurt ; treated like dirt, she is above that and will be forgiving of those past mistakes. Maya goes on to others sentences with “I’ll rise” an example of this is “Like air, I’ll rise”(Angelou 4) again saying despite life's hardships she will pick herself up and carry on…
“Still I Rise” is a powerful poem written by Maya Angelou addressing her pride in herself and in her African American ancestor’s ability to rise above racism and segregation. The tone of the poem is strong and expresses different hardships that Maya Angelou has been faced with overcame. Angelou uses a wide range of similes and metaphors in her poem comparing herself to various natural elements such as the moon, sun and ocean to represent how she approached each circumstance. In numerous works by Maya Angelou, her writing style incorporates numerous symbols, similes, and various emotions. In “Still I Rise” Maya Angelou is the speaker and the audience is the white race who has oppressed her in the past and doubted her future. The poem reflects on the history of slaves and African Americans when she says in lines 39-40, “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, / I am the dream and the hope of the slave”. Due to her history, she wants to be powerful and successful in her future. She refers to herself in stanza eight as a “black ocean” which represents her strength and power. Angelou also shows her self-confidence in the beginning of stanzas two, four, five, and seven, by posing several rhetorical questions which are used to prove to the reader never to doubt her in her future endeavors. Angelou incorporates her past experiences, powerful views expressed in the tone regarding her pride, feministic values, strong confidence, and close ties with African American ancestry to create a timeline of events that have allowed her to push forward in life despite obstacles from her and her ancestor’s past and face future challenges with zero fear.…