Category: Maya Angelou

Praised as a multi-talented superstar, Maya Angelou is often depicted in his pictures as a strong-willed individualist who in most cases is referred to as a feminist writer. She is a woman who has been described by innumerable adjectives since her job description supersedes the usual feminist writers. Maya Angelou is an American from the African descent; who was also a spirited historian, a knowledgeable lecturer, inquisitive journalist, a skilled filmmaker, a creative poet, a creative actress, and a narrator. The descriptions that have been used indicate that she was a versatile writer who could not fit in any one uniform description. Her versatility has been one of the reasons that have made her become a household name for almost all scholars in the literary field (Palupi p4). Also, her determination to overcome some of the barriers that have impeded the otherwise talented personalities made her stand out from the other individuals. One of the ways that she demonstrated her ability to overcome all the challenges that she had been presented with included her mastery of some languages such as French, Italian, Serbo-Croatian, Arabic, and Fanti. The determination and the ultimate success serve to prove that her determination to overcome the barriers that language would have presented in her expression of the ideas. Her remarkable combination of talents and energies made her become a creative mogul who continues to be revered even after her demise; her creativity is demonstrated in all her works that have been translated to over ten languages and while at it becoming bestsellers in two continents. All these indications hint at their creativity and an eternal spirit to ensure that she was able to attain all that she had set her mind to do (Palupi p4). Her creativity has been cited not to know any boundaries and her stance on the need for people to respect her ingenuity has often been cited to highlight her dedication and creativity to her works.

Maya Angelou was a character who was hard to understand, but some personality traits are hard to miss from her rich life. Maya was a fighter, and she constantly fought for her beliefs and values throughout life. She has struggled with some of the most challenging issues that would have tampered with her genius. Her depression after being raped, her failed marriages, and even her joblessness that often led her to be immersed in undesirable actions serve to affirm that she was a fighter determined to make it in life despite the odds. Her strength to even resort to being a prostitute as long as it kept her afloat as she worked on her dream, cements the assumption that one of the most outstanding personality traits was that she was a fighter who was not ready to give up no matter the circumstances (Kirkpatrick p6). Another personality trait that is bound to catch the attention of any keen person is the fact that she had a resilience that could not be quickly taken down. Her color and her African descent often were aspects that were used as the basis for her discrimination in her interactions. Despite being a victim of racism, she was resilient and remained consistent in her dreams and never at once did she consider giving up on her dreams. Her poem’ I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ is a memoir that is used to depict her resilience in the face of oppression to stay determined and focused on the need to ensure that she ultimately becomes a winner is another remarkable trait. Maya was also confident of her ability, and the setbacks in life did not let her spirit to be dampened. She believed in herself even at her lowest time when she was abusing drugs. Her experience in being constantly discriminated because of her heritage, her rape ordeal, and other instances that would have threatened to dampen her self-esteem was not enough to prevent her from attaining her ambitions. Angelou was also a motivator and encouraged women and the whole community to stand up for themselves. She was a woman who had considerable strength and dignity that in turn inspired many people to fight for their dreams and their beliefs. Her life and the fight to become the lauded role model are due to her personality traits that ensured that she remained a motivator even in her death.

It is interesting to note that one of the aspects that make Maya stand out from most of the other creative artists was the fact that she turned her troubled childhood and her rape ordeal to become the tutors of her creative talent. However, she borrowed the inspiration and the drive for printed work from a renowned novelist known as James Baldwin (Kirkpatrick p3). Other important influencers in inspiring the works of the people who were involved in the works included people such as Robert Loom is and the most popular cartoonist of her time who was known as Jules Feiffer. The meeting with the forces of the creative at that era inspired Maya to build more on her sketches that later turned into autobiographies. The meeting with the influential figures at the time, however, did not inspire her creative juice since she resorted to autobiographies. Her inspiration was derived from some black writers and the post-slavery events and experiences for the black writers and leaders. Her creativity was similar to James Baldwin as she adopted the set working style that ensured that he first began to write notes in longhand on yellow legal pads, which ensured that the ideas were uninhibited then moved on to filling in the unhinged ideas.

Her routine for her writing session included booking a cheap motel that was only made up of a bed as its sole furniture. (Kirkpatrick p4) Her writing schedule was extensive, and her predictive behavior was important in ensuring that the disturbances were minimal. Her recluse went on for weeks on end until she finally had a manuscript that would be allowed for publication. It is during these solitary moments that she was able to manage to write her first literary work that has garnered various literary awards and has been translated into ten languages. Moreover, her short stint at the Harlem Writers Guild helped her to refine her writing skills, and figures such as Martha Graham, Pearl Primus, and Ann Harpring were important figures that ensured that she was ready for the recognition that was bound to happen because of her talent. Other important figures in the life of Angelou included her adoptive parents Vivian who gave her a chance to be exposed to legendary artists such as William Shakespeare and other important well-known artists.

Maya Angelou continues to be recognized as an important creative because of her contribution to literature. She has hence become one of the most important voices in the world of literature even though she has been recently deceased. Apart from her obvious priceless contribution to literature, she continues being creative since she was a renowned civil rights activist. Her obvious dedication to ensuring that the Africans were freed from slavery makes her become an important figure on the African American history (Francis p4). Also, she was a poet who had released numerous poems that continue to teach literature in the classrooms. Also, her creative remains memorable because she was a creative filmmaker who produced a screenplay. Her role in empowering women to be involved in some of the careers that are perceived as the preserve of the men was a significant aspect that matched with the feminist movement at the time. Other roles that make her continue being recognized as a person who was on the forefront of changing and influencing the contemporary literature include the fact that she was a skilled and a creative dancer who used her ability to dance to hone her skills. As an educator, her ingenuity as a person who appreciated the need for the people to understand the importance of education makes her be fondly remembered even after her death. Her innumerable honorary degrees and one of the most significant one from the University of Arkansas, are some of the many contributions that she has attained in her tenure because of her contribution to the world of literature.

Maya Angelou was initially known as Marguerite Ann Johnson in the fourth of March in 1928 (Kirkpatrick p6). She was the second born from her brother known as Bailey Junior. Maya’s parents were Bailey Johnson who was a navy nutritionist and Vivian Baxter who was a nurse by qualification but preferred to engage in gambling activities and schemes. Her name Maya was coined from her brother’s incompetence and after her parents’ union had been liquidated, an adoptive family that lived in the rural region of Arkansas took in the two siblings. The community was a caring one, and the adoptive family who happened to be their grandparents greatly helped Maya to adapt to the different lifestyle that she was exposed to in the city. Her childhood was not however all rosy and comfortable as she had on numerous occasions been whooped with lashes and a near-fanatic belief of the beliefs that were advanced in the family. Their grandmother was not an open-minded parent and condemned all actions that would influence the children to stand up for themselves or even talk back to each other. The need to escape from the strict rules exposed her to the classic literature of Caucasian writers such as Edgar Poe and Shakespeare. Other authors that gave her an escape moment include African authors such as James Weldon, Paul Dunbar, and Langston Hughes.

The routine was however short-lived when she was invited to move back in the city. The simple life of living in the big city and her mum’s new man soon gave her the security that she had yearned for in a long time. The blissful break soon came to an abrupt halt when the man raped her. Moreover, she was forced to endure an insensitive session in the court testifying against him.

Her rape ordeal changed her to an angry and a volatile child that she had to go back to rural life (Kirkpatrick p5). She was withdrawn, and the rural life helped her to regain her self-worth. She continued to immerse herself to the world of classic literature as an escape from her traumatized life. She grew up to become an intelligent woman who attended secondary and college in California. At her young adulthood, she was exposed to a hard life that compelled her to resort in using drugs and engaging in prostitution to sustain herself and the son. Her career and her motivation to succeed saw her move across continents and in between having three husbands. Maya has accrued innumerable honorary degrees, and one of the most significant ones is from the University of Arkansas that acts as a reminder of her contribution to the emancipation of the black people.

Bibliography

1. Kirkpatrick, Kathryn. ‘The Life and Works of Maya Angelou.’ Unpublished paper. Retrieved on April 13 (2019).
2. Palupi, Ngesti Retno. ‘The Sounds of African-American in Maya Angelou’s Poems: Alone, Still I Rise, Caged Bird and Equality.’ Jurnal Ilmiah Mahasiswa Fib 7.4 (2014).
3. Francis, Taylor. ‘Interviews: Maya Angelou’. The Black Scholar, 2019, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00064246.1977.11413883.

Maya Angelou was a writer and a well-known civil rights activist. She is known for her memoir, The Caged Bird Sings. Maya changed the world by fighting for what she believed in. She never gave up and was very positive. She cared for women rights, she was a teacher, she was an amazing poet, dancer, a director, a screenwriter, and an actress. Maya Angelou is still known today for her poems, her civil right movement and caring for women rights. Angelou has accumulated many awards and honors throughout her life, and it’s difficult to put a single label on her legacy. Charismatic and passionate, warm and wise, formidable without being forbidding, American author and poet Maya Angelou died last year aged 86. She was a role model and an activist who recorded and celebrated the experience of being Black in the United States.

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri to Vivian and Bailey Johnson. Her parents divorced when she was three years old, and as a result Angelou moved around as a child. She was raised in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas, and spent much of her childhood being raised by her grandmother. Maya Angelou has done many things in her life that no people would ever think of. When she first dropped out of high school she became the first Black cable car conductor in San Francisco. She has created 12 best-selling books, most of them autobiographies. Maya Angelou has traveled all over the world and done many jobs. She has also worked with Dr. Martin Luther King. In 1993 Maya Angelou read her poem, “On the Pulse of the Morning” at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. She has done many things, but she is widely known for being a great poet, writer, playwright, and teacher. She was treated with hand-me-down clothes from white women and she was made fun of. Her childhood was also filled sadness. At the young age of eight she was sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend. This terrible ordeal sent her into four years of silence. She would only speak to her brother Bailey. It was during this time that she began reading and getting interested in poetry. She began to talk again because of a teacher that told her to express herself. When Maya started talking again it started a whole new world. Because of her four years of silence Maya got interested and learned to love poetry. This may have been the beginning of her fabulous career.

Angelou won a scholarship to San Francisco’s Labor School to study dance and drama. Although she dropped out briefly when she was fourteen to become the first female cable car conductor in San Francisco, she eventually returned to George Washington High School in San Francisco to graduate. Soon after graduation, Angelou gave birth to her first son, Clyde (later renamed Guy), and worked in restaurants to support her family. The second of her autobiographies, Gather Together in My Name (1974),begins when Angelou is seventeen, picking up where I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ends. Gather Together in My Name portrays Angelou’s struggle for survival as a single black woman raising a young son. The mother to a son, Angelou mentored many “daughters,” some through her work, others personally like Winfrey, who said Angelou “moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace.”

Never hesitant to speak her mind, Angelou passionately defended the rights of women, young people and the ignored. She effortlessly traversed the worlds of literature and activism, becoming a confidante to the original civil rights leaders, their successors and the current generation. “I’ve seen many things, I’ve learnt many things,” Angelou told the Associated Press in 2013. “I’ve certainly been exposed to many things and I’ve learnt something: I owe it to you to tell you.”

Reflecting on her time working alongside Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King as the Northern Coordinator for the movement, Angelou recalled that they speculated on the likelihood of America having a black president together and Angelou predicted that it would not happen in her lifetime. Overjoyed to be proven wrong, at the ripe age of 83 she was one of President Obama’s most ardent supporters, campaigning tirelessly for his election. She continued to speak out on a range of topics throughout her later life, from the polarizing nature of celebrating ‘Black History Month’, to the detrimental effect of black rappers using the ‘N’ word, and reflected on her own life, which was characterized by optimism despite adversity.

Angelou accredited much of her development as a writer to her childhood growing up in the small town of Stamps, Arkansas with her paternal grandmother. Back then it was a town ravaged by racial inequality, affording the young Angelou her first taste of the injustices she would spend a lifetime trying to right. Her grandmother was the only black store holder within a very segregated community, her store was thus a gathering point for the black people in the area. It was here that Angelou first witnessed the strength and spirit of the African-American community when it drew together.

This fueled her involvement with the Black Arts Movement, a highly influential New York-based artistic collective. Unlike the Harlem Renaissance before it, the Black Arts Movement developed after the assassination of Malcolm X and was associated with the Black Power Movement; it therefore embraced a more radical, militant aesthetic. Angelou was one of the seminal figures of this group, primarily involved in the Harlem Writers Guild, along with figures such as Amri Baraka and James Baldwin who together opened doors for greater African-American creativity and empowerment. The assertive nature of much of this creative output inspired later generations to express their outrage at social injustice through creative means. Maya Angelou’s contribution to American culture was recognized by President Obama when she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor in 2011.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is arguably one of the most moving and eye opening poems ever written. Angelou also wrote an autobiography with this same title, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It is clear that this title had great significance to Angelou, as it was the title to her entire life story. In her autobiography, she talked about the struggle of being a black author and poet. She often felt that her words were not heard because of the color of her skin. She felt that in some ways, she was still experiencing slavery. Although African American people were free people in Angelou’s time, there were still many restrictions on them in society, making it so that many black Americans did not feel free at all.

This stanza is in stark contrast with the first. By using the word “but” to begin this stanza, the speaker prepares the reader for this contrast. Then she describes the “bird that stalks his narrow cage”. The tone is immediately and drastically changed from peaceful, satisfied, and joyful to one that is dark, unnerving, and even frustrating. She describes that this caged first “can seldom see through his bars of rage”. While the free bird gets to enjoy the full sky, the caged bird rarely even gets a glimpse of the sky. She claims that “his wings are clipped and his feet are tied”. Text from her autobiography reveals that Angelou often felt this way in life. She felt restricted from enjoying the freedom that should have been her right as a human being. The speaker then reveals that these are the very reasons that the bird “opens his throat to sing”.

The author felt this way in her own life. She wrote and sang and danced because it was her way of expressing her longing for freedom. The poem reflects facts of the racial segregation or social discrimination in American society against the black people. Using the metaphors of caged and free birds, Maya Angelou has highlighted the nature of captivity and the importance of American ideals of freedom and liberty. There are two major themes in the poem. The first major theme is given in the first stanza which is freedom. It is given through the image of a free bird which goes wherever it wants, ranging from enjoyment on stream to soaring in the wind. The second theme is captivity that cripples the bird in the cage. This theme goes on in the third stanza and tries to state that the caged bird is forced to sing a song of freedom. Then the free bird again comes into view in the fourth stanza and enjoys life on trade winds, trees and in the width and breadth of the sky. Next stanzas describe the caged bird’s fear while it is trying to sing a tune for its freedom during its bondage.

Conclusion

Maya Angelou was a warrior who struggled all of her life with her womanhood. One of the most captivating features I found out regarding her personality trait was her ever-enduring strength. Even though after encountering so many problems in her life, she never gave up and kept on working hard for the prosperity of her life. I look up to Maya Angelou because I believe that she is a woman of strong character. She teaches us to pick ourselves up through hard times and never lose hope no matter how bad the situation might be.

Being discriminated against for who you are is one of the saddest things somebody can ever feel. She had been a victim of racism for a very long time but she fought back for it and never gave up. She broke the fences and raised her voice through her words. In her poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, she uses the symbol of a bird trying to escape its cage as a sign of a person trying to get free himself from the state of racism. How beautifully she managed to spread her message!

I know why caged birds sing is a book written by Maya Angelou. She is even known as the American poet and civil rights activist. She is globally known for the ‘Black Women’s poet Laureate’. Her poems always reflected the image of the society and the problems she faced being a BLACK. Here in her book ‘Caged Birds’ mostly refers to the reflection on social disparity, ideas of speech, freedom and justice to and individual. The birds who are been kept in the caged refers to the inequality of justice seen in the society where there was a differentiates between the African – American counterpart.

‘I know why caged birds sings’ was publish in 1996 which was the first of many memories of her. It is the story of her life basically from here earliest memories to the late teenage years [first seventeen years of her life] which begins when she and her brother Bailey are send to live with their grandmother in Stamps Arkansas. Maya who went by Marguerite at the times had a strong sense that it meant something to have your parents send you away to live with their grandparents and she does have that sense of herself and her brother that they are not orphans but they are being sent away from their own parents to live an extended family life.

Maya has very little interaction with white people and she writes about the other enough sub white people and not quite believing that they are real which is so interesting because later with integration people of color were very often forced to take on the dominant culture and to understand white people because the experiences of white people were taken as universal but in stamps and what I think was around the 1930s she experiences white people as other and really what she knows of white people is the Ku Klux Klan [a secret hate group in southern U.S] this fear of lynching and the threat of it is something that carries through the entire early part of the memoir there’s this line about how the sphere of lynching is always in the mind of a mother of a black man and there’s a scene that’s really powerful in the memoir where they have to hide her uncle who is disabled and they have to hide him just because something went down in the town somewhere and that riled up the Ku Klux Klan and they might come after any black man that they can find even though her uncle had nothing to do with anything and didn’t even leave the house. Maya Angelou writes in this way where you feel the threat of lynching as a reader and I have really never thought about or understood lynching quite so strongly or vividly both Maya and her brother Bailey are incredibly smart and wherein even the school is easy for them they also love to read and there’s a lot of passages specifically about what they are reading like Bailey’s reading this and Maya’s reading this and it’s so interesting and just will touch on my own love of reading. I just love that they’re not only the smartest kids in the class but they know how smart they are and they seem to have a sense of it as well that they are destined for something bigger than stamps there is an incident of sexual assault in the memoir and I don’t want to talk about the events around it because they were surprising to me.

What’s really interesting especially is the way that Maya Angelou takes up how this event impacted her later life and shaped her attitudes to sex and men and relationships that part especially is very interesting it’s not a thread that is dropped immediately Maya’s life is so interesting and I haven’t read her other memoirs yet but I hope that she at least picks up on some of the things that happened in ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ and tells more about them. So just to name a couple things she went to revival meetings in tents in the south she once drove down a mountain in Mexico before she had learned how to drive she spent some time living in a junkyard with basically a family of younger children that’s the one I think could be a young adult novel. She was the first black woman to be a streetcar conductor in San Francisco and that was no accident she made that happen because it’s what she wanted to do reading ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ Maya Angelou just strikes you as a person who was always going to prevail but she does talk about a couple people, a couple women, one living in stamps when she was younger. Later a teacher in San Francisco who saw something in her and encouraged her and pushed her to be even better than she knew that she could be. This shows the power of these individuals especially in a culture that doesn’t recognize on black woman or encourage her to be anything in particular they really helped her and supported. Later while reading this biography I just really love when you see the influence that a single person can have ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ is unapologetic which was really refreshing because so many things written by women are full of disclaimers and qualifiers and self-awareness used as a defense. We are taught to write that way and when we express too much confidence people will knock us down.

It great to read ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ and just hear her talk about her life without offering any apologies for it or trying to soften any of it so it’s easier for the reader to hear the one thing that does stand out from that and she offers an explanation though not an apology is what happened in San Francisco right after world war two was declared they noticed at least subtly or at least upon reflection that Japanese people were disappearing from the city and really the black community took over the part of San Francisco that they had been living in. She says “That they really didn’t think that much about these Japanese people who are being forced to leave the city we know of course they were being sent to internment camps.” This way the actual oppressed groups interact with each other is just not the ideal way that we think. They identify with each other, they didn’t share in any spirit of being oppressed as Japanese people were leaving the city the african-american community in that area started to flourish more and there was just not a lot of thought given to why that was happening or what it meant or any other things outside of just living individual lives it really feels. Especially in this part of the biography but also in other parts that this was just a life happening in a really interesting time. In history that this event is just like happening in the background of her life and later maya angelou as a person became much more involved in different movements.

Maya Angelou wrote ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ when she was 40 and by that point in her life she had been very involved in all kinds of different things including especially the civil rights movement and one thing I didn’t know until I came across pictures of them together is that she was good friends with James Baldwin and I think that he was already established enough at that time but he really helped her make this book a reality. I think her closed ones encouraged her to write it and then helping to get it published.

‘I know what the Caged Bird Sings’ liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life was such a moving wonder such luminous dignity that touches on something. Full of energy and I just get such a strong sense of Maya Angelou herself and she has this really interesting way of writing about herself like I mentioned it’s unapologetic and it’s just so clear and yet poetic at the same time it’s really beautiful.

Maya Angelou was an author, actress, dancer, poet, and civil rights activist. Opal Moore explains her work as “providing insight into American history and culture”(Telgen). This paper is about Maya Angelou, her greatest work “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”.

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson. She was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. When Marguerite was three and her older brother Bailey was four their parents Bailey and Vivian Baxter divorced. The kids were later sent to live with their grandmother Annie Henderson in Stamps, Arkansas (Johnson 17). They grew up helping their grandmother who they called momma in her country store. She raised the kids to be generous, work hard, and stay true to God. When Marguerite was eight years old her and her brother went to live with their mother in San Francisco. There she met her mother’s boyfriend Mr. Freeman who took advantage of Marguerite and raped her. She was later forced to testify against Mr. Freeman in court. While in court she lied about him touching her two previous times. Mr. Freeman was later let go and not sentenced. After his release he was kicked to death by Marguerite’s uncles. She felt responsible for his death and felt so guilty that she stopped talking (Johnson19). She and her brother were later sent back to Stamps to live with their grandmother again. In an interview she said she thought it was because “ the St. Louis family just got fed up with my grim presence”. After five years of not talking she met Mrs. Flowers and started reading with her. Mrs. Flowers taught her how important communicating and self worth were. When she was fourteen she dropped out of school for a few years. She later went back to school when she was sixteen and pregnant with her son. She graduated from Mission High Schools Summer School. She gave birth to a boy in 1945 who she named Guy (Phenomenal).

After high school Marguerite moved to San Francisco to study dance at the California Labor School on a scholarship. She later became a dancer at a nightclub in San Diego. It was then she decided to change her name to Maya Angelou. She worked many jobs including a cocktail waitress, prostitute, madame, cook, and dancer (Angelou). It was only later in life that she discovered that she wanted to start writing (Editors). She started writing and acting during the 1950s. She got her first part in the opera Porgy and Bess. She also met Anastasios Angelopulos, a Greek soldier and married him in 1952. Their marriage didn’t last very long as a few years later they got a divorce before she toured with the opera’s theatrical company in 1554 and 1955 (Phenomenal). She toured twenty two countries with the opera. She became fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and Fanti a west African language (Academy). After her tour ended she moved to New York to write and act in off broadway productions. She also joined the Harlem writers guild in 1958. While in New York she met Vusumzi Make, a South African civil rights activist. In 1960 Maya, Vusumzi, and her son all moved to Cairo, Egypt. While in Cairo Maya became the editor of the newspaper The Arab Observer. She also wrote articles for The Ghanaian Times while in Ghana, Egypt. Maya also became the assistant administrator at the University of Ghana for the music and drama programs (Encyclopedia). She moved back to the United States in 1964 after she met Malcom X to help him with his organization “ Revolution Returnees” (Maya). The organization did not last very long as a year later in 1965 Malcom X was assassinated. She later met Martin Luther King Jr., when she was moved by one of his speeches. He asked her to become the Northern Coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. They became such good friends that when he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, Maya’s fortieth birthday she stopped celebrating her birthday (Williamson). While working for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1970 she published her first autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Phenomenal).

Maya Angelou won many awards and recognition for her works in her lifetime (Phenomenal). In the 1970s she was appointed Bicentennial Commision by President Gerald Ford. She was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize award in 1970 for Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water Fore I Diiie. In 1970 she was nominated for the National Book Award for her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She was nominated for a Tony in 1973 for her part in Look Away. She Became a Rockefeller Foundation Scholar in Italy in 1975. She earned many honorary degrees from Smith College and Mills College in 1975. She also got honorary degrees from Lawrence University in 1976 and Wake Forest University in 1977. Also in 1977 she was nominated for another Tony for best supporting actress for her role in the production Roots. In 1983 she was named one of the top 100 influential women. In 1987 she was awarded the North Carolina award in literature by Wake Forest University for all of her literary works (Encyclopedia). She won the Audience Choice Award from the Chicago International Film Festival in 1998. She received the NAACP Image Award for nonfiction for her cookbook she published in 2005 and her book Letter to My Daughter. She also wrote the first nonfiction best seller by a black woman.

Her greatest work I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings begins with Maya and her brother Bailey on their way to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas after their parents divorce. They spent their days going to church, school, and helping in their grandmothers country store. While living in Stamps Maya experiences quite a lot of racism which causes her to wish she was the “perfect white girl with blonde hair and blue eyes”. When Maya was eight years old her father came to pick her and bailey up to take them to live with their mother and her boyfriend in San Francisco. Her and her brother both adjusted very well to the city until her mother’s boyfriend raped eight year old Maya. Once her mother found out they went to the police. During the trial Maya lied about him touching her two previous times. Because of her lie her mother’s now ex boyfriend was not sentenced and was set free. Although it was never proved it was thought that after he was set free Maya’s uncles murdered the man by kicking him to death. After Maya hears he was murdered she began to think it was her fault and stopped talking. After she stopped talking Maya and her brother are both sent back to Stamps. She spent the next five years not talking until she met Mrs. Flowers who helped her see that it was not her fault and helped her start talking again. She is also partly responsible for Maya’s love of literature. Mrs. Flowers also helped her begin to like who she was and made her proud to be black. As World War II starts their grandmother takes Maya and Bailey back to live with their mother again. Once they get to their mother they find out she has married another man who Maya calls Daddy Clidell. Just as Maya and Bailey were starting to adjust to life in the city again Maya’s biological father shows up and asks her to come on a trip with him. Maya agrees and drops out of school to go with him. During their trip to southern California her father’s girlfriend cuts her during a fight. She then decides to go back home. Once she arrives home she goes back to school. She also finds out that her mother and brother had been fighting and her brother has moved out to join the merchant marines. She begins to look for a job and becomes the first black conductorette on the street cars. During her senior year of high school she seduces one of the neighborhood boys and becomes pregnant. She decides to keep her pregnancy a secret to finish school. After she graduates she has her baby boy. Her mother takes care of him for the first three weeks because Maya is scared. The book ends with her being forced to hold her son and beginning to take care of him (Telgen).

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings takes place in Stamps, Arkansas where she lives with her grandmother. Although a lot of the story takes place in Stamps, part of it also takes place in San Francisco, California where she lives with her mother. It takes place in the 1930s – 1950s (Spark).

There are many characters in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The main character is Marguerite Johnson also known as Maya Angelou. She is a black girl who went through many hardships and wished she was a blue eyed, blonde haired white girl. She is an insecure girl who wanted to be white until later when she learned to love herself. Bailey Johnson Sr. was Bailey and Maya’s father. He left their mother when Maya was three years old. He was barely ever around and allowed his mother to take care of his children. Vivian Baxter Bailey was Maya and Bailey’s mother. She left Maya and her brother with their grandmother after her divorce with their father.

She was a smart and loving mother who always listened to her children. Vivian was married to a Daddy Clidell who was a businessman and Maya and Bailey’s first real father figure.

Bailey Johnson Jr. was Maya’s brother who she considered her best friend. He was considered a troublemaker who moved out when he was sixteen. Another main character in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was Annie Henderson. Maya and Bailey called her momma. She was Maya and Bailey’s paternal grandmother. She raised the siblings in Stamps, Arkansas. She was a very generous woman known for lending money to whoever needed it during the great depression. Her main focuses were the kids, her country store, and God. The final character in the book is Mrs. Flowers. She was a black woman who lived in Stamps who helped Maya begin to talk again after she was raped. She teaches Maya literal and formal customs (Telgen).

One of the main themes in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is racism. The book follows Maya’s experiences with racism. While at the dentist for a toothache she was told by a white dentist that he “ would rather stick my hand into a dogs mouth than in a n*gger’s”. Living in Stamps taught her that nothing was going to be handed to her because of her skin color and she had to make her own way by working hard. The book also talks about black women’s reputations as unfeminine and pushy. It talks about the lynchings in Stamps. Another big theme in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is coming of age. It follows Maya as she grows up and figures out who she is and what she wants to do in her life. It follows her as she comes out of her shell and becomes proud and embraces who she is (Telgen).

Maya Angelou has a very unique style of writing. She makes her writing relatable to her readers. She often uses lyrics from songs and quotes from poems that are important to her (Telgen).

She uses first person point of view to tell her story.

Many people had a lot of great things to say about I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Edward E. Eller states that “she celebrates the endurance and triumph of the individual over adversity”. He also talks about how even though the book is about her life she makes it relatable to her readers. The last thing he says about Maya Angelou is that “ she shows us we can do more than endure, we can survive” (Telgen).

Another critic to write about Maya Angelou was Myra K. McMurry. McMurry talks about I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and how “ it not an exorcism or escape from the past, but a transmutation of that past. She also states that Angelou “ learned to survive in the cage she was born into”.

Opal Moore was another critic to review I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She says “ it provides a kind of insight into american history and culture”. Moore also stated that it is a “ positive reading for young people” and that “ it is an affirmation; it promises that life, if we have the courage to live it, will be worth struggle”.

Viktor Frankl developed a theory that through suffering and hardship, individuals are capable of finding the “meaning and purpose of life”. Born on March 26, 1905, Frankl developed his theory called ‘Logotherapy’ which were based on his experiences and observations during his time in the Nazi Concentration Camps. Although he survived the Holocaust, his wife, parents and other family members didn’t. This changed his attitude to find desire in the meaning of life, driven by his experiences of suffering. In 1945, Frankl published his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning” where he states, “When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves” (Horn, 2014). This can be reflected through the religious perspective of Buddhism as well as Maya Angelou’s ‘Meaning of Life’ through her works. The concept of ‘Suffering’ to achieve ‘Enlightenment’ in Buddhism’s perspective follows with Maya Angelou’s challenge with adversity during her early, which has enabled her to use her voice and words to advocate for the marginalised and silenced.

Maya Angelou’s Success in Life

Born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928, Maya Angelou has lived a long and storied life full of suffering, humility, inspiration, heroism, and leadership. Angelou was many things; an acclaimed African American poet, performer, historian, memoirist and civil rights activist. Angelou was one of the most eminent writers of her generation, earning dozens of awards and 50 honorary awards. Out of the 36 books she has published, Angelou’s critically acclaimed ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings’ was the first of her seven autobiographical books and was described to be a “poetic and powerful modern American classic” (Angelou, 2009). It was one of the first books to address the issues of rape, identity, and racism by honestly depicting the experiences of black women growing up in the 1900s (Lanzendorfer, 2017). Angelou was a dancer is Porgy and Bess, director of the 1998 film Down in the Delta, and worked alongside Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. as a civil rights activist advocating for social and racial justice leading up to the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s (Nichols, 2014). Maya Angelou continues to be an influential voice of our time, shaping history and paving the way for the marginalised and silenced through her works, speeches and actions.

Freedom of Will in Buddhism and in the eyes of Angelou

For Buddhism, the issue of freewill derives from the core concept of Karma which refers to actions driven by intention, and therefore agrees with Viktor Frankl’s first principle “Freedom of Will” as people can shape their life within the limits of their given possibilities. Buddhists believe that the action of body, speech, and mind affects the seeds of karma which shape every aspect of their life (Goldstein, 2019). Positive thoughts, words, and actions create positive effects for individuals, leading to happiness. Whereas negative thoughts, words, and actions undermine the dignity of life (Soka Gakkai International, 2015). As Buddhists believe that we are in control of our ultimate fates, good karmic outcomes are determined by our actions based upon motives of generosity; compassion, kindness and sympathy, and clear mindfulness or wisdom. This comes from the Noble Eightfold Path which leads to the end of suffering and ultimately, the path to achieving enlightenment. Although Buddhism does not believe in the notion of ‘free-will’, it is indisputable that it embraces a universal determinism where every effect, without exception, has a cause (Nicholas F. Gier, 2004). Furthermore, Maya Angelou’s free will were limited given the restraints she had growing up, during the 1900s. At such a young age, she experienced the divorce of her parents leading to her and older brother, Bailey Jr., to live with their paternal grandmother, Anne Henderson in Stamps, Arkansas. Although they were faced with the harsh economics during the Great Depression and World War II, Angelou’s grandmother prospered financially with the help of the general store she owned (Angelou, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, 2008). As an African American, Angelou sadly experienced firsthand racial prejudices and discrimination. Although her grandmother, “one of the most significant, pious women” in Angelou’s life, helped to develop her pride and self-confidence, Angelou became insecure of her appearance.

Maya Angelou’s Will to Meaning

Viktor Frankl’s ‘Will to Meaning’ is seen through Maya Angelou’s childhood life as she continued to experience extreme racism and rape that ultimately changed her perspective on life. The ‘Will to Meaning’ is when a person experiences an abysmal sensation of meaninglessness and emptiness. Maya Angelou lived in a town entrenched in severe racism which significantly impacted on how she became extremely insecure growing up, viewing herself to be “awkward, unwanted and ugly because she was black” (Deborah Latchison Mason, 2019). For instance, when Angelou had severe toothache, she was taken to the only dentist in town by her Momma, where she was refused to be treated by the Dentist as he proclaimed that he would “rather stick his hand in a dog’s mouth than in black Maya’s” (Deborah Latchison Mason, 2019). This was just one of the many instances in Maya Angelou’s childhood that she experienced adversity. Furthermore, at the age of seven, Maya Angelou was severely raped by her mother’s boyfriend, Freeman, which left her hospitalised. Although Freeman was found guilty, he was only jailed for one day. Four days after his release, Freeman was found kicked to death and Angelou blamed herself as she had spoken his name (Chashymie, 2016). Angelou became mute for five years as she stated in her autobiographical book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, “I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again because my voice would kill anyone.” (BCC World Service, 2013). However, Maya Angelou expressed the hidden gift in the suffering contraction around expression by introducing herself to find passion in literature, with the help of Bertha Flowers. Bertha Flowers was described by Angelou as a beautiful, refined, and educated black women who became one of her saviours during the time of Angelou’s silence. Flowers was a great teacher who exposed Angelou to classic authors including Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and James Weldon Johnson and more. Through this, Angelou released that words had the power to create, not destroy. Angelou realised the power, eloquence, and beauty of the spoken word and this awakened her passion for poetry, built confidence and goaded her out of silence (Deborah Latchison Mason, 2019). In an interview, From Silence of Rape to Voice of Compassion (2016), she stated, “out of this evil… I was saved in that muteness” as Angelou was able to develop a voice of compassion. Out of emptiness, Maya Angelou was “able to draw from human thought, human disappointments and triumphs, enough to triumph [herself]” (Chashymie, 2016).

Happiness and Maya Angelou’s Meaning to Life

For Buddhism, the pursuit of happiness is achieved by detaching oneself from the concept of Dukkha and is done through knowledge and practice. Dukkha, translated to “suffering”, “pain”, “unsatisfactoriness” or “stress”, is based on the Buddhist doctrine of suffering; its reality, cause, and means. Dukkha comes in three categories; Suffering or Pain, Impermanence or Change, and the Conditional Status. This concept is derived from The Four Noble Truths; the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering (PBS, 2019). The Four Noble comprises the essence of Buddha’s teaches and explains that the notion of suffering exists; it has a cause; an end; and the cause to end it. In relation to Maya Angelou, the end of her suffering was when she utilised her personal experiences of profound racism and segregation into her passion, fortitude and strength for literature. This is seen through her poem Caged Bird (1983), that captured the attention of audiences around the world in relation to Black power and women – the fight against racism and oppression. In the poem, Angelou uses “caged bird” and “free bird” as symbols for exploring the themes of fear, oppression and the pressures of life. In relation to the 1960s, the “[captured] bird that stalks down his narrow cage” who “sings of freedom” is effectively used when explaining the struggle of African Americans and the racial segregation laws imposed in the early 20th century. Furthermore, Angelou was a prominently involved in the Civil Rights Movement 1950s to 1960s, working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X (Gillespie, 2014). to advocate for justice and equality; improving the quality of life for African Americans and all citizens. Despite the adversity Angelou faced, she became the voice for a voice for the weak, oppressed and marginalised by challenging social norms such as racial injustice and discrimination through her works and experiences.

Hence, the concept of ‘Suffering’ to achieve ‘Enlightenment’ in Buddhism’s perspective follows with Maya Angelou’s challenge with adversity during her early, that has enabled her to use her voice and words to advocate for the marginalised and silenced.

“The most visible black female autobiographer and poet” (Spring), otherwise known as Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou is one of the most influential African American women who is notorious for a strong portrayal of women of color. Maya is most famous for her poems and seven autobiographies. Through her poetry, we saw Maya explore a plethora of themes which all related back to something that she had experienced at some point in her lifetime. These themes included but were not limited to love, loss, racism, struggle, and discrimination. Often times Maya is remembered as the “people’s poet” and the “black woman’s poet laureate”. To this day, Maya’s work holds the same impact and popularity as it did when it was first released, her pieces are even referred to as the anthems of African Americans. During her career, Maya Angelou was acknowledged for her accomplishment’s countless times. She receives two NAACP image awards, a Pulitzer award and a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama (Yeheyes). Even in her death, Maya Angelou’s legacy remains alive.

Maya’s story began on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri as Marguerite Anne Johnson. Very early on in life, Maya endured hardships that molded her into the woman that she was and ultimately was the basis of her most important pieces. At the mere age of three-years-old, Maya’s parents divorced as a result of a tumultuous relationship. After the split, Maya and her older brother Bailey were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. At the age of seven, Maya and her brother briefly returned to their mother’s care. It was in this year that Maya’s childhood was stolen from her as she was molested and eventually raped by her mother’s boyfriend. As a result of the crime, he was jailed. Once he was released, he was brutally murdered. Because she believed that she was the root cause of the man’s death, Maya fell mute for almost five years. It is noted that Angelou stated, “I thought my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name…And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice could kill anyone” (Yeheyes). During the time that she had selective mutism, Maya’s listening, observing and memorization skills heightened as well as her love for literature. She wasn’t aware of it then, but this was ultimately the beginning of a successful career that would carry over several decades. Maya Angelou took experiences that she witnessed occurring in the world around her and in her own life and managed to expressed them figuratively.

In one of Maya Angelou’s most famous poems, The Caged Bird, she utilizes a variety of literary devices to illustrate the differences between the way blacks and whites were living their lives during the time of severe racial segregation. One of the most prominent literary devices in this piece was the metaphor that was used throughout the poem which in-turn formulates the theme. Being that Angelou was a known activist who worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement, that was the basis of some of the metaphors. Throughout the poem, Angelou continually references a ‘caged bird’ and a ‘free bird’. Having prior knowledge on her civil rights background and further breaking down the poem, we find that the caged bird represents someone who is oppressed, such as the African Americans during this time period as opposed to someone who is ignorant and free in reference to the white man. The metaphor is better depicted when she says, “The free bird thinks of…the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn” (Angelou). Maya also utilizes imagery in this poem. When she writes, “A free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wing in the orange sunrays” (Angelou). In the first stanza, Maya is painting the image of a liberated bird flying through the sky untroubled and free, accompanied by the sun gleaming on its wings. With the author making the decision to paint this image, it allows the reader to understand the bliss that comes with freedom and the pain that the imprisonment endured by the caged bird that it is “singing” to be free of (Angelou). In the poem, we also see Angelou begin to personify the bird by changing its pronouns from “its” to “his”. Her artistic decision to do so further elucidates that the bird is a symbol for the minorities who are oppressed and feel a sense of confinement within their communities. The song the bird sings is their continuous cry for freedom.

Angelou is able to take something as dark as racial injustice and turn it into a literary work of art. Living in the midst of unequal opportunity in comparison to her white counterparts, Maya Angelou managed to overcome the trials and tribulations that served as barriers to her development as an artist. From overcoming the isolation that she put herself through at such a young age… Angelou continues with her influence on current and past generations with the variations of work she has put out and how it can relate to anyone on a different level. Throughout her career she managed to teach women and young girl’s confidence how to be comfortable in your own skin.

Marguerite Annie Johnson Angelou known as Maya Angelou was a black African-American women who didn’t like racism between black and white people, though it was hard growing up being mistreated she would always stay as positive as she can. Maya was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. She had a family of four. Her mother Vivian Baxter Johnson, her father Bailey Johnson and her older brother Bailey Johnson Jr. Growing up in the Johnson family was hard. They were a poor family and had a difficult life being different coloured skin from others. Rather than their race being a pain her parents got divorced when Maya was only three years old. Without a choice both her and her brother were sent to their fathers mother (Grandmother) Anna Henderson, at Stamps, Arkansas. Living without her parents was rough going through many different things. However Anna would act like Maya’s mother, when Anna would go to work at a store Maya would go with her, she would always see many black people gathering together as a team. This helped Maya think that she can change the world. After many years gone by when Maya was at age of 7 her and her brother had a chance to go and see their mother. Sadly, it didn’t go well, later after talking to her mother, her mother’s boyfriend named Freeman sexually abused and raped Maya. Immediately Maya’s overprotected uncle found out and decided to kill Freeman who raped Maya. As fast as possible Maya Angelou went back to Arkansas and was in virtual mute for over five years. Eventually Maya then went to school. She went to California Labor School even though she was living a difficult life Maya would try to be as confident as she possibly could. She was a brilliant student and would always try her finest. Later Maya passed middle school and went to George Washington High School again she was a smart student and would get high grades. However, she decided to drop school to become San Francisco’s First African American Female streetcar conductor in 1940’s. She may have been successful but then got pregnant in her senior year of high school. She went through a lot and later had her child named Guy. Once she had her son in 1945 and later a couple of weeks she Graduated high school and won a scholarship to study dance and drama. The father of Guy was not with Maya anymore as they didn’t love each other. Maya then chose to leave her home and go and raise her child by herself at the age of 16, when Guy was only two months old.

Her mother was not upset at her and loved Guy. Vivian would call this the best thing that happened and would always act like she is there to help. Maya was a single mom and had to raise her child by herself without a father. It was extremely difficult but she tried to best to keep working, dancing and sing songs, but still she knew that she can go home to her mom Vivian Baxter at any time. As much as she wanted to raise her child she still tried her best to continue being a American poet, Author, Actor, Professor, Film director, Musician, Journalist, Playwright, Screenwriter, and a Film Producer. Nothing stopped Maya, she always had faith in herself so she created a autobiography called I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings in 1969 which made her the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman. Maya Angelou not only created book, songs and created films but she remembered going to her Grandmother’s work and seeing many black people get together, which gave her the thought to join a group called the Black Art Movement and to inspire generations of people to stand up for what was right and to talk about the importance it is that black people should have the same rights as everyone else no matter what their race is. In 1964 Maya Angelou decided to go back to America because she wanted to help Malcolm X to build his new Organization of African American Unity. Which helped her become contributor to the Civil Rights as a fundraiser and an organizer. Afterwards Maya Angelou started having a better connection with Malcolm X and started to love becoming a Civil Activist. But downhearted Malcolm X died on Maya’s birthday in 1968 which made Maya Angelou stop celebrating her birthday for years. Following this tragic experience for Maya she didn’t want to stop, she wanted to continue helping others. So she involved herself in Television Productions and stayed in the Civil Rights Movement working closer with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1960 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr he requested Maya to become the Northern Coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, this made her a Civil Activist. Everyone was so proud of Maya Angelou’s work and is still proud to this day. She then created a huge film called Georgia, Georgia that also made her the First African-American women. Maya won several awards in the horrifying successful life and then won another award is 1990 which was handed to Maya by Oprah Winfrey. She won the American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award. Later a year went by she got given the Langston Hughes medal in 1991 and other medal in 1994 called the Spingarn award. After numerous years she earned 2 NAACP Image Awards in the literary work (non-fiction) category in 2005 and 2009 and one of her biggest awards given by President Barack Obama, 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom award on February 15, 2011.

Still I Rise

This famous poem still I rise was created by Maya Angleou in 1978, the poem still I rise is supposed to be on the theme of racism and gender, as in the text you can easily hear how hurtful and hateful these words are that were used against Maya, all throughout the poem Maya writes down everything that she has been told and called throughout her life, disgusting depressing put down comments. But Maya tells us that she shall carry on no matter how hurtful the words are.

The tone of the poem or the expression the poem is giving us is inspiring I guess she also has angry confidence, and self confidence would also be involved in the poem. Maya is trying to get the words out there to tell the people that try to put her down that she will not fall because of their unkind words.

The vocabulary that Maya used in her poem would be very effective as she uses quite a lot of strong words I guess quite a bit of hyperbole was used in this text, the words Maya uses really impacts the poem as it makes you feel what she has been feeling what she had gone through. But if she used boring text not words that explained it enough no one would enjoy it. May does use repetition in the end too which flows very nicely with the poem.

The Techniques used in this poem are Metaphors and similes for example in one part she says “But still, like air, I rise” no matter how much hatred words or anything that she would get harmed by Maya will always rise and win over the challenges used on her just as air will always rise.

A caged bird

I know why the caged bird sings written by Maya Angelou in 1969, this is the first out of the seven-volume series and is based on Maya life or as many call, it autobiography. It has been said that it is a so-called coming age that shows us how strength and the love of literature can overcome hatred, racism and trauma. The explanation of the caged bird side of things is based on how Maya, unfortunately, turns from victim to racism but chooses to ignore the hatred and continue to write.

This poem has the tone of sympathy for the bird that can’t soar through the sky and feel the wind beneath his wings. The imprisoned bird (the caged bird) expresses or feels his dream to soar and feel the wind beneath his wings even with the chains on him. So, I guess this poem is persevering or sorrowful

The vocabulary in this poem would be very effective as it kind of puts you in their shoes, to feel what the caged bird feels, makes you feel I guess lucky for what we have and to never give up no matter the occurrences that you have been in or are in right now.

The technique used in this poem is a metaphor found when she compares wind with water, as the way she explains using downstream and current makes people think of the sea or ocean with the tides.

I chose the poem ‘Still I Rise’ by the legendary Maya Angelou because I admire how confident and resilient; she is despite the hardships she faced. Before we analyse the poem, let’s talk about Maya Angelou. Born at Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928 and died on the 28 of May 2014, at United States. She was an author, poet, civil right activist, songwriter, playwright, dancer, screen producer, director and singer. She was best known for her autobiographical writer.

Subject Matter

The poem by Maya Angelou narrates a story about racism and adversity, it is pointed for those oppressors in society to a history of racism that has been ended long ago but cannot be trusted upon. Her people were shown unfairly in previous, and she will rise above the brutality and pain they experienced. Throughout the poem the speaker is both confidence and outraged. Originally, she is confused by the way in which her oppressors or white people who despises her to achieve. She says that her happiness appears to make them feel sad, and she asks why that is. At the same moment, she insults those oppressors, accepting the effect of her actions and character in the fact that she baffles them with her power and confidence. The whole poem is a statement of power and determination. No matter what the oppressor does, to destroy her achievements or right she will always rise above the racism, pain and sexism to be the dominant woman she knows she is. Not only does the poem talks about resilience, but also speaks on behalf of other black people that there race is stronger than their oppressors.

Theme

One of the themes in the poem’ Still I Rise’ is self-respect and self-confidence. The poetry incorporates both concepts of how Angelou utilises different poetical techniques to conquer anything by her self-esteem. This is a perfect example from the poet, showing no matter the difficulties, obstacles or judgments, she faces and is to overcome, she won’t permit the hatefulness of society to ruin her own success or to affect her feeling of herself. The stanza of “You may kill me with your hate, you may trod me in the middle of the dirt but I will still, like poison, rise up”. The repeat of “I rise” shows the poet’s determination to stay strong.

Poetic Device

The poem, ‘Still I Rise’, utilises poetic devices to centre a strong denial and domination between brutal events and the speaker’s resilience to inspire the reader. The effective use of rhetorical questions in the fourth stanza states, “did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes?”. Her choice of vocabulary; specifically, “broken, bowed, lowered”, creates an image of sadness in the readers mind. “Broken” may suggest suffering, “bowed head” signifies her admitting defeat whilst “lowered eyes” shows weakness. However, her phrasing as a rhetorical question mocks her haters attempt, denying the intentions and strengthening her resilience. “You may kill me with your hatefulness”, in the sixth stanza, is another very effective use of metaphor. Here, Angelou emphasis on the cruelty of hate whilst implying the extents her haters result in by stating “kill”. It offers the reader a sense of context as the hatefulness may represent the racism she faced. Following this metaphor is the use of the simile, ‘but just like life, I’ll rise’. The contradictory relationship between ‘kill’ and ‘life’ shows the difference between Angelou’s mindset against hate. Stating that she will rise above the hate proves her domination, inspiring the reader.

Emotion

The simple repetition of “I rise” throughout the poem allows readers to feel an immense swell of pride, sympathy and happiness with her spirited rejection of further oppression. Although Angelou has endured horrible cruelty of racism, she has beaten her oppressors by rising above them and standing tall.

Why This Poem Inspires Me

Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’ infamous poem deals with a horrific subject of White criticism and racism and yet, leaves readers such as myself to feel a sense of happiness and pride which has deeply motivated me. Moreover, the fact that she positions the audience to feel this way is an indication to Angelou’s skill as a poet. She has uniquely written the poem with various poetic devices to show us what she has experienced, indicating that she is truly a strong woman. She has shown readers that the human spirit can overcome any obstacles in life. Furthermore, her refusal to be “broken” is an inspiration to me as well as it should be to others.

Alongside accumulating this research, I had also carried out literary research to form my collection of poems. Initially, I wanted to create a historical fiction about the work life of women however I changed the outcome of my artefact to a collection of poems instead. The reason behind this was that, at the time, I was reading a lot of poetry, and I concluded that through poem’s, the aim can clearly be presented. Moreover, I believe through poetry, it is able to depict the significance of the work life of women especially during the suffrage movement, it is able to entice and make the reader feel in a certain way.

On the literary context, I was inspired by a poet named Maya Angelou, the way she constructed her poems with a little elicit and provocative thoughts at the beginning of sentences to evoke conversation. The poet convey a strong, defiant tone that captivates the audience and to question her own lives. The poet incite new perceptions and viewpoint to reveal the struggles women endure in their daily lives whether that is in a working environment or home life.

The poem itself, ‘Still I Rise’, is an influential and empowering poem all about the struggle to overcome prejudice and injustice. The meaning behind the words conveys the repeated message of hope, no matter what the circumstances, there must always be ‘hope’ to cling on to. When the poem is read by those who understand the meaning of the repeated wrongdoings, the poem becomes a kind of anthem. It creates a beacon of hope for the oppressed and downtrodden. This is emphasised using repetition, metaphors and similes, in this way, the poet is able to express to her audience about how she has overcome racism in her life through demonstrating a strong, proud and bold attitude to inspire others. Maya Angelou reveals how she is above lies and oppression and ‘like dust, I’ll rise’. This is evident through the suffrage movement during the 20th century where it clearly proved that initially women in this movement were met with violence nevertheless, they were able to achieve their aim, of basic equality, after driving full force with the determination of resilience.

The tone is confident and ‘sassy’, and this is portrayed by the poet which as an African American woman was out of the norm for society. Let alone a woman, who had confidence in herself was a taboo subject. I was inspired by the way she constructed her use of language to effectively put forward her message. To the current female reader at that time, this may have played as an encouragement to shift their self-preserved way of acting into being more than just property. Additionally, to the modern reader, it may remind them to maintain their confidence as a woman and to have pride in being women and being equal to men.

Overall, the poet Maya Angelou has the ability that clearly presents her aim visibly, similarly, the style of the poem is attractive to me as a reader. Therefore, I was inspired from here to present my collection of poems in a similar way with a defiant and strong tone. Moreover, to have a repetition of a significant word that evidently intrigues the reader.

While, the style of milk and honey is written in the style of ‘confession booth verse’, with the individual speaker relating her own considerations and encounters. The writer has an intriguing method for showing her work, however rapidly it winds up reverberating with the reader. Her sonnets don’t underwrite the principal expressions of her lines or sentences, and she utilizes accentuation sparingly, regularly prior commas and periods completely. Instead of accentuation, she utilizes line breaks to show where a reader should stop amid their reading. The motivation to start my historical fiction in a wonderful like clear dream originated from this writer that recognize her message from the earliest starting point.