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Author Study
Maya Angelou
by Sue Leavitt
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Maya Angelou is a
remarkable woman. She was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, on April 4,
1928 to Bailey and Vivian Johnson and was named Marguerite Johnson.
However, when she was three years old, and her brother Bailey was four
years old, they were put on a train by themselves and sent to live with
their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas.
On the International Website VG: Voices from
the Gap Women Artists and Writers of Color, it is stated that
in Stamps: "She learned what it was like to be a black girl in a
world whose boundaries were set by whites. She learned what it meant to
wear old hand me downs from white women. And she also learned the
humiliation of being refused treatment by a white dentist." |
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Nevertheless,
Maya Angelou as she later became known has come a long way from her
humble beginnings. She is now a poet, educator, historian, best-selling
author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and
director. She is fluent in many languages including: English, French,
Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and West African Fanti. Yet, she has never
received a college education. |
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She began producing books
after some notable friends, including author James Baldwin, heard her
stories of childhood. Her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,
published in 1969 chronicled her life in Stamps. It is often full of the
grim reality of her life, but also a self awareness and awakening for Maya
Angelou. In this book, her use of language with idioms, distinctive use of
vocabulary and imagery create a thirst to read more. Her second book,
Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie, published in 1971 was
nominated for a Pulitzer prize. |
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She wrote The Inaugural Poem On the Pulse of Morning and read this for
Bill Clinton's Presidential inauguration. Only two times has a poet been asked
to read at an inauguration. The first was Robert Frost at the inauguration of
John F. Kennedy. The second, of course, was Maya Angelou. |
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Maya Angelou is well known and respected international as well and is often
quoted. In a poem which she wrote to the United Nations she says that it is
"imperative that we discover a brave and startling truth." She goes on to say
that the truth is we have to start to love life. One of my favorite quotes that
I found on the, "The Quotations Page" Web Site is: "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your
attitude. Don't complain." |
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At a time when role models are hard to find, she is one for all women,
regardless of what color, as well as all people who have suffered oppression.
She has many reasons to feel sorry for herself, make excuses, and become an
angry and bitter person. Instead she has been able transcend the many obstacles
in her life and become a symbol to us all. She has not let the ignorance she has
faced in her lifetime affect the quality of the person she is. She is truly a
modern day hero. |
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