A personality review of Dr. Maya Angelou (personality theory).

Maya Angelou was inspired to read by several amazing authors and an educated Black woman. “She read books by Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar”. .”(Poetry Foundation, 2008). Maya said, “Even though she and Bailey were discouraged from reading the works of white writers at home, Angelou read and fell in love with the works of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allan Poe.”(Poetry Foundation, 2008). Mrs. Flower’s was someone who also once played a wonderful role in her life. She was the person whom was able to get Maya to speak again when she was young. Mrs. Flowers was a charming gentlewoman who was an aristocrat in the small town of Black Stamps. She would give Maya books to take home, and she would tell her to read the books aloud. “She explained the importance of education, importance of the spoken word, and instilled in her a love of poetry. ”(Poetry Foundation, 2008). Maya became so interested in writing that she moved to New York and joined the Harlem Writers Guide in the late 50’s and began her writing career.

Angelou did many important things during her lifetime. One that marked her life was working for Martin Luther King and Malcolm X as a civil rights activist. She became a spokesperson for African Americans and women around the country. Another thing that led Angelou to fame was President’s Bill Clinton invitation to participate in his inaugural. She wrote and recited the first inaugural poem for his presidency. She read On the Pulse of Morning, and Americans across the country were able to witness this special moment in time. This poem expressed the need for peace, social justice, equality as well as racial and religious harmony for all people despite their race, gender, origin or sexual orientations. Her poem was

The inspiring African-American woman born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri has been one of the many influential voices of our time. Educating herself and having love for the arts helped mold her life into what she imagined becoming a poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and even a civil rights activist. During her early years while still in High School Dr. Angelou experienced brutal racial discrimination directing her to the values of traditional African-Americans.

She also remained politically active throughout her life, continuing to show her support for the Civil Rights Movement, reciting her poem, “On the Pulse of Morning” at Bill Clinton’s inauguration, and publically endorsing both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Angelou finally passed away on May 28, 2014 at the age of 86. Even in her later years, Angelou never stopped writing. In the last 10 years of her life, she penned over four books and several poems. (Wikipedia.com) Angelou is remembered not only as an awe-inspiring poet and author, but also as a talented musician, playwright, and outspoken activist. She truly left her mark in every aspect of her

Maya Angelou has inspired me in more ways than one, and I had to write about her. When Maya speaks people listen. She has this wisdom that only few have, especially when life wasn’t always great. She turned tragedy into triumph, and helped others in doing so. So, Maya has proven too many women, especially black women that you succeed, even if you have had a child in your teen years. She’s proof that with determination nothing is unattainable.

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.

Marguerite Annie Johnson was born on April 4, 1928 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.She died on May 28, 2014 (aged 86)Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.Her spouses were Tosh Angelos (1951–54, div.) Paul du Feu (1973–81, div.) Secondly,Maya Angelou had a lot of Accomplishments. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television

Maya Angelou is a very well educated and well known black woman. She studied at California Labor School and was appointed Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University (Maya Angelou: Poet and Historian, n.d.). In giving her speech at Spelman College, a predominantly black school, she was very well qualified for the occasion. It is no secret that Angelou participated in the Civil Rights Movement, she was a teacher, a successful writer, and a national figure. According to Thill and Bovee (2015), “Successful communication relies on a positive relationship between sender and receiver”

When Angelou was about three years old, her parents, Bailey Johnson, a naval dietician, and Vivian Johnson, divorced, and Maya and her brother were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Angelou claims that her grandmother, whom she called "momma, had a deep-brooding love that hung over everything she touched" (Burt). Growing up in Stamps, Angelou learned what it was like to be a black girl in a world whose boundaries were set by whites. She was conditioned to think that white girls had better lives than black girls. Despite the odds, her grandmother instilled pride and confidence in Angelou that would benefit her for years to come (Shafer).

Because I live in a community with a majority black population, it is very easy to know all of the famous African American people. Growing up with my grandparents, I always heard a lot about the loving Dr. Maya Angelou. She was a tremendous figure in their lives and a phenomenal woman. One day my family was sitting outside, and my mom was reading a book with a lot of famous poems. The one she read aloud was Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird.” She was so emotional reading this poem. During that time, I did not understand her emotions. At my high school, we would always celebrate black history month, so one day my favorite teacher brought the movie “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” My classmates and I sat down and watched it for very first time. At the moment, I understood why my mom way so emotional when she read the poem. I finally understood the significance that poem brought to her life and what the poem was actually about. That day brought the admiration I now have with Dr. Maya Angelou. I started reading her poems and studying her. She was a woman that explained tough topics about certain things. Needless to say, the topics were not popular. Maya Angelou spoke the truth. She was a great activist who changed many people lives with her words.

Maya Angelou is a phenomenal woman. She rises through all things that come her way and she refuses to back down. Angelou chose at a very young age to be a writer and a role model for many people. She believes that everyone should be treated equally and that the world should come together as a unity. Angelou had many careers but is known mostly for her poetic creations. She has come a long way from where she started and I think anyone can agree with me when I say, she has made us all proud with her accomplishments. Angelou writes poetry to inform and encourage others to carry on through the worst of times. She is a strong, confident, inspirational woman and I am more than honored to be doing my senior paper on her.

Maya Angelou was born April 4, 1928. Her real name is Marguerite Johnson, but she later changed it to Maya. She was born in St. Louis, shortly after her birth her family up and move to Arkansaw. Maya grew up there in the rural parts of Arkansaw, and later married to a South African Freedom Fighter. She lived in Cairo with him, there she began her career as editor of the Arab Observer.

Maya Angelou was originally born Marguerite Anne Johnson, but she was known as Maya Angelou.. Maya Angelou, born on April 4, 1928, is the youngest daughter of Vivian Baxter Johnson and Bailey Johnson. Maya Angelou’s parents split while she was young; therefore, she and her older brother, Bailey , had to go live with their father’s mother, Anne Henderson , in Stamps , Arkansas. Maya Angelou’s older brother, Bailey Jr., nicknamed Marguerite “Maya”, derived from “My” or “Mya Sister”. At the age of eight, Angelou was raped by her mother’s boyfriend, while visiting her mother. As a result to Angelou’s rape, her uncle killed her mother’s boyfriend. Maya Angelou was so shaken up about the incident that she stopped talking for five years. When she returned to the state of Arkansas, she was a virtual

Maya Angelou was very brave. One of the things that makes her brave is being able to talk about being sexually abused. At the young age of seven, Angelou was sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend. This happened while she was briefly staying with her mother in St. Louis. For the rest of her life, she would have that memory in her brain, reminding her of such a traumatic experience. In 1970, Angelou had an autobiography that was on the New York Times’ bestseller

Unlike Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou devoted her life to inspiring African Americans to do whatever they wanted to do no matter what other people said. She also wanted to inspire people. Her poems Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise inspired not only the African American people, which is was intended to, but the whole world including men. Like Hughes, Maya Angelou did not think that one day she would be reading one of her poems at President Clinton 's inauguration. But she did think that she would inspire young African American writers that they too could become wonderful writers in a white society. Angelou is hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary black literature and as a remarkable Renaissance woman.