Maya Angelou

In this, Angelou remarks “Anything that works against you can also work for you once you understand the Principle of Reverse.” This would show that despite all the negativity surrounding Angelou’s skin colour, she had the ability to succeed, as everything that went against her, pushed her into being a woman with the knowledge of struggle and hardship. As a result, Angelou exclaimed that she was “the master of my fate” and “the captain of my soul” showing Angelou’s power to decide her fate. Similarly, with the introduction of Mrs. Flowers, Angelou found her identify stating “I was respected not as Mrs. Henderson’s grandchild or Bailey’s sister but for just being Marguerite Johnson.” Subsequently, Angelou was no longer what her oppressors wanted her to be, but was herself. Altogether, this sense of newfound identity by Angelou displayed her individuality, showing the audience the most important aspect of one’s self, is what they believed they were, and to Angelou, she was simply Marguerite.

Maya went to eat with her family when she got a prank call from the girls saying bad things about her mom's job, and that is when she realized that the girls didn't want her anymore. After that at the end of The Girls Rene and Brianna decided that they shouldn't treat her like that

Although Maya saw her biological relation with Bailey Sr. as nonexistent, she viewed Daddy Clidell, “one more faceless name added to Mother’s roster of conquests,” as her true father figure. With Bailey Sr., Maya felt uncomfortable around him, usually speechless when they were alone together, unless spoken to. She established him to be an outsider, not true to his culture, and hid from his responsibilities. He showed no affection, just talent for reeling the oblivious in. On the contrary, with Daddy Clidell, Maya felt welcomed and appreciated, valued enough to be told the heroic tales of conning the con artists, winning “over the powerful, arrogant white.” Daddy Clidell brought the “shoulders of laughter.” He was gregarious, while

Maya testified against him which was very hard on her since she was only an eight year old. Her uncles beat the offender to death. Maya felt as if she killed him because of the statements she testified against him. Feeling this way she became silent for five consecutive years She attended public schools in Arkansas. Her and her brother Bailey joined her mother in California to continue the schooling career. In 1942 her teacher Ms. Bertha Flowers helped Maya to talk again and encouraged her to continue to write the

When Maya returns to Stamps after spending time with her mother, she endures the shame of having been sexually abused by Mr. Freeman, her mother’s boyfriend. Maya stops speaking to everyone except her brother, Bailey. Her real mother accepts her silence at first as trauma, but she later gets angry at Maya’s “disrespectful behavior”. Much to Maya’s relief, she is sent back to live with Momma in Stamps along with her

She raises Bailey and Maya as if they are he own kids. Through the novel Maya never had a father figure, but she had Momma. An independent black woman. Momma owned her own store, took care of her crippled son and took care of her two grandchildren. She is a religious and a strong woman. Growing up Maya always questioned why Momma did some of the things the way she did, for instance one time some white children called Momma names and mistreated her, but she did not budge. Maya thought, “Who owned the land they lived on?... If there was any justice in the world, God should strike them dumb at once!” (23), Maya is thinking about retaliation, but does not realize that there can be serious consequences. Kinsolver exemplifies with this quote that society separates black and white and gives power to only the whites. Maya thinks otherwise, in that they should be equal and this is her first step of breaking societal expectations. As Maya matures she learns how to be more womanly and independent from

Maya’s upbringing as a child is very parallel to Taylor’s because she is raised by her grandma, whom she calls Momma, without an affective paternal figure in her life. As a child, Maya sees that her grandma successfully raised her and her brother on her own. Momma owns a shop in their town called, The Store and she runs it generally by herself. She makes an effort to protect Maya and Bailey from being mistreated in society because when the dentist refuses to attend to Maya’s needs, Momma tells the dentist, “I wouldn’t go press on you like this for myself but I can’t take No. Not for my grandbaby” (Caged Bird 189). Momma asserts her power in demanding service for her granddaughter and shows Maya that she is strong and possesses the power to be successful in society and overpower a male in some circumstances. Maya watches her grandma in this situation and instantly categorizes her as a powerful woman and looks up to her even more now. Maya visualizes her Momma as a form of a hero because, “Momma had obliterated the evil white man” (Caged Bird 191), because she stood up to the white dentist that is seen as evil in her family’s eyes. Maya then realizes that Momma is one of the more powerful black women in society that is able to stand up to the white race when the blacks are mistreated. Maya can then exert her

While Maya did live in Stamps for about half of her childhood, she also was bounced around from home to home, and state to state the other portion of her childhood. Although, Angelou’s grandmother did have a big influence on her decisions and religion, those are just minuscule facts in the raising of a child. However, most of the dramatic changes in Angelou’s life, occurred with her mother or because of her mother's decisions. As Angelou grows older, the reader sees this shine through as she realizes a small self-centered portion of her mother, who ignores her daughter, failing to realize that Angelou is pregnant

Maya and her brother move in with their grandmother at a very early age, hence why they call her Momma. Momma has lots of grit and is very strong. She exposes Maya to the everyday life of an African-American worker in the early to mid-1900s. She also exposes Maya to the harsh segregation that African-Americans endured. Momma didn’t just reveal the harsh realities to Maya and just leave it at that, she shows Maya how to deal with it, by praying.

Even though before they met their mother, Bailey and Maya considered themselves “unwanted”

When they met their mother, they are taken with her; she is very beautiful and charming, and Maya and Bailey are no longer nervous or sad at being taken away from Stamps. Maya thinks her mom is too pretty to have been a mother, and sees that she and Bailey are already taking a shine to each other.

One main woman was her Momma. Her depiction of Momma and her repetitive actions and important influence was portrayed through strong levels of diction and syntax throughout each anecdote. As a black woman during Angelou's childhood, respect and equality was a hard thing to come across;

Vivian takes Maya to the hospital. Bailey privately urges Maya to name the rapist, assuring her that he would not allow the culprit to kill him. Maya reveals Mr. Freeman's name, the authorities promptly arrest him. Maya thinks of herself as a grown woman, remembering that her nurses told her that she has already experienced the worst that life has to offer.

Maya thinks that the real reason Momma sends her and Bailey to California is because she wanted to protect them from the intense racism they would have to undergo.

Maya Angelou describes what her life with her grandmother is like while constantly being discriminated against her race. She then found her father, and he leaves Maya and Bailey off to their mother’s house. There, the mother’s boyfriend rapes Maya. After suffering from psychological shock, Maya then moves back to her grandmother’s. As a teenager Maya gets nervous about her sexual identity and tries to discover it. Through these harsh times, the naïve and softhearted Maya grows to become a strong, independent woman.