Marcos Reyes Reyes Page.1
Prof. De Los Reyes
ENG 112
December 10th 2011

Maya Angelou is a well-known American author, especially

during the times of the civil rights movement which she was an

activist. Maya had a long career, which includes different works from

poetry, plays, screenplays for television and film, directing, acting,

and public speaking. She is a profound writer of poetry. Her style of

writing is geared for self-empowerment. To rise over all odds and to

take pride in who you really are.

She shows her honesty and emotions. Mostly her experiences

that she went through in life or read about. Most of her works flow

and rhyme well and usually very inspiring. Some of her poems are

even considered autobiographical kind of poems.

The style of Maya Angelou can range from complex symbolical

ideas to easy, straightforward concepts. Her style is like a story. The

vocabulary is usually easy to understand, and not too complicated.

Her works are not always conventional either. (Study World 1)

Maya Angelou was born April 4, 1928 as Marguerite Johnson in

St. Louis. She was raised in segregated rural Arkansas. She came

from a broken home. Angelou was raped at eight, and was an unwed Reyes Page. 2

mother at 16 years old (Williams 1).

Angelou is a poet, an author, a historian, an actress, a playwright,

civil-rights activist, a producer, and a director. Ms. Angelou began her

career in drama and dance. She married a South African freedom

fighter and lived in Cairo. Later she also taught in Ghana.

In the 1960's she said that being black, female, non-Muslim, non-

Arab, six foot tall, and American made for some