Sing Sing prison

Maya Angelou, an African American woman who grew up in the 1930s and 40s, first published her story in 1969 and later the autobiographical movie about her book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was released. Starring in the movie as Maya, Bailey Jr., and Momma were Constance Good, John Driver, and Esther Rolle. The book and movie both tell the story of Angelou’s hard childhood while growing up an African American girl in the South and overcoming adversity. Born Marguerite Johnson, Angelou and…

Have you ever been bullied or oppressed in any shape, form, or fashion? While the oppressor tried to keep you down, did you keep your head up and smile? That is what Maya Angelou writes about in her poem, “Still I Rise.” A motif that is evident in this poem, and many of her other poems, is identity. Maya Angelou conveys the motif of identity through her use of tone, repetition, and imagery. Tone plays a big role in the development of identity in the poem. In the beginning of the poem, the tone…

"One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage we can not practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous or, honest". -Maya Angelou Marguerite Annie Johnson, better known as Maya Angelou, was born on April 4, 1928 in St.Louis, Missouri. Due to their mother's addiction problem, Maya and her brother Bailey, grew up in Arkansas with their grandmother. Eager to adjust, she learned lot about life from her grandmother,…

a lot for being in a cage. This is almost like a slave. A slave is a person that does not have freedom and he has to suffer a lot because of his “cage” an owner. As for “Caged Bird”, the author said that a bird who is tied to his cage who can only sing of freedom. This is also related to being a slave. A slave is almost chained up every day. He cannot do anything, but pray for freedom. Both of these poems talk about slavery. This is why both poems have similar…

Oppression. Empowerment. Growth. Change. What do these four things have in common? While the poems “Still I Rise” and “Unwelcome” contain noticeable differences in style and tone, they share similarities in them and sound. In literature, writers tend to use tone to paint a picture of what their writing is about. Throughout Maya Angelou's poem “Still I Rise” she uses a writing style that helps achieve a tone of empowerment. Over the course of Angelou’s life she was belittled and a victim of…

experience speaking in front of an audience was in junior high school. The teacher asked us to pick a famous poet, recite that poem, and explain why we choose that poet. Since Maya Angelou was my favorite poet I choose her poem “Why a caged bird sings.” The poem describes Maya Angelou as a young girl who grew up with insecurities because, as a young child Maya Angelou struggled with the pain of being rejected and abandoned. In this poem Maya Angelou captivated her readers with the portrayal of…

In the two poems, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “Sympathy” by Laurence Dunbar, these short works share many similarities as they both speak on being a minority in a white world. As Maya Angelou describes her childhood in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and the ways of which the world became portrayed to her because of her race and the time that she grew up in, she was a visual representation of being a minority in a white world. Also, in “Sympathy” Laurence Dunbar…

Johnson, born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri and died on May 28, 2014 at the soulful age of 86. Although we may know her as Maya Angelou, we can relate to her literary works in more ways than one. Her 1969 memoir, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” made literary history as the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman. She received several honors throughout her career, including two NAACP Image Awards in the outstanding literary work category. She embodied the definition…

Women in literature, like in real life, face adversity and through their journey, they find their identity while coming of age. They show the importance of women in society and the crucial role that they play. In both I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the protagonists were required to overcome adversity as they each discovered a greater sense of self. By being able to overcome their certain situations, Marguerite Angelou and…

Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, is a writer,and she is known for many auto-biographical novels and she also writes poetry and essays. She also loved to study music, dance,and drama. From 1963 to 1966 Angelou was involved in the black civil rights movement. Maya Angelou wrote this specific poem called; “Phenomenal Women”. Angelou has a very creative way of saying things throughout her poem. Angelou talks about a woman in the poem that talks about herself a lot she repeats the…