Maya Angelou Analysis

Growing one’s body into what one considers an adult is amongst the simplest things a human can do -- however maturing mentally and emotionally into an individualistic being would arguably be one of the most difficult. Even more difficult would be trying to become an individual while in a constant state of oppression. Through her numerous essays, poems and novels, Maya Angelou does an exceptional job of recounting the hardships of adolescence, and lets her audiences and readers find out, first hand, the way she suffered growing up . In her works, Angelou uses her experiences with her family, the places she’s been, and the changing ideas of her own self to explore her mind as a growing child. Even with everything in her life fighting against
A three year old Angelou and a four year old Bailey Jr. are sent to Stamps, Arkansas to live with their paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson by their father, Bailey Sr. after Angelou’s parents "[decide] to put an end to their calamitous marriage."(Angelou 5) Angelou lives in Stamps during a time of segregation and the Great Depression. Unlike much of the rest of the African American community of the time, Angelou’s grandmother prospers financially because her general store sells basic commodities and “She [has] made wise investments.” (Lupton 4) Even though she is better off than other black people in her community, Angelou still detests the idea of being black. Angelou would go so far as to wish that she would wake up from her “black ugly dream” (2). Her feelings are likely due to the fact that, even though she is better off than other African Americans, white people still have it better than she does, and she is not able to be one of them, which possibly causes feelings of exclusion. Being excluded is painful because it threatens fundamental human needs, such as belonging and self-esteem. However, later in life during a PBS interview for “African American Lives 2”, when she recalled her time in the segregated town of Stamps, she instead felt that "In so many ways, segregation shaped [her.]” Angelou’s first time in
Mothers are normally there to witness many of their child’s first experiences. However, Angelou’s mother, Vivian Baxter, is not present during much of her daughter’s development. Angelou does not even recognize her mother at eight years old when she meets her in St. Louis. Not having her mother has made Angelou feel like an unwanted child and upon seeing her mother for the first time since she was sent to stamps she believed she understands why she has been sent away: her mother is “too beautiful to have children.” (60)However, after Angelou moves to California with her mother, it seems that their relationship begins to flower into something so strong, it’s almost unbreakable. Later in life, Angelou would be able to count on her mother to appear in any situation she desired her in. In Mom & Me & Mom Angelou is in a Stockholm, Sweden hotel room, and when she told Vivian that she needed her, Vivian immediately replied: “[b]aby if any plane is leaving San Francisco today for Sweden, I will be on it.”(166) Even with Angelou’s mother missing from the beginning of her life, it’s obvious that Vivian does care for her daughter and has made up for lost time. Angelou doesn’t seem to hold any resentment toward her and if she wasn’t there for most of her adolescence, Angelou has turned out to be an outstanding person, most likely because while her mother was not there, Angelou was looked