Marguerite Annie Johnson, more commonly known as Maya Angelou, is a world-renowned poet, author, and civil rights activist. She has published several books of poetry and seven autobiographies. She is credited with many plays and movies that she has worked on for more than 50 years. Her hard work paid off because she received 54 awards and 33 honorary degrees in her lifetime.
Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928. She was only three years old when she and her parents suffered from a terrible divorce. She then went to live with her grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Where her older brother gave her the nickname Maya. When she was seven years old, she went to live with her mother back in Missouri, where her mother’s boyfriend raped her. He was later sent to jail and died after he was released from prison. Maya Angelou thought that she was responsible for the death of the man. She became mute for six years due to the trauma caused by this event. While she was dealing with her mutism in her teen years, she lived again with her grandmother. Throughout Angelou’s childhood, she wrote many stories and poems in a notebook she kept. From a young age, Angela demonstrated an interest in poetry and writing. Shakespeare and Poe’s work have always inspired her the most and influenced her writing style.
Remembering her childhood experiences and traumas, Maya Angelou published the well-known poem I Know Why the Caged Brid Sings in 1969. Her book became successful, reaching the New York Times best-seller list for two years, and she was nominated for a National Book Award. Angelou’s book reflected on the racism she experienced in her life as well as her self-confidence. She has written many other poet books, including a Pulitzer Prize nominee, Give Me a Drink of Wate’ fore I Die, released in 1971. Angelou’s On the Pulse of the Morning was written by her and given at Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. In total, she won 3 Grammys and 54 major awards.
The media made her look like not always the most positive person; since her poems have divided people’s thoughts and opinions. One statement specifically was her support for Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Many critics complained that she was supporting him personally over the issue of harassment. Some of her books, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, have been banned from schools because parents don’t like the amount of foul language and violence. Maya Angelou has inspired everyone with her resilience and motivational words.
