Maya+Angelou+Conversations

** Maya Angelou ** //Conversations with Maya Angelou// MBD

Maya Angelou has mastered almost every aspect of the arts. From writing poetry, novels, and memoirs to teaching, to acting, producing, and film making, it seems she has done it all. Through these many works, Maya Angelou has influenced the lives of many people. She was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis. Soon after, her parents divorced, and she was separated from her brother Bailey. Throughout Angelou's adolescence, she was forced to overcome many challenging obstacles. At the mere age of sixteen, Maya gave birth to her son Guy-this forced Maya to grow up quickly. Maya was married and divorced twice throughout her life. Although her personal life and relationships were troubling, she accomplished so much in her work life. She spent a lot of time promoting Civil Rights and even traveled to Africa to study writing more in depth as a Civil Rights Activist. She has published countless works such as //I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Gather Together in My Name, Singin' and Swingin' and Getting Merry Like Christmas, The Heart of a Woman,// and //All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes.// Also, she has been given numerous awards for her work. Although it seems as though a writer so talented as Angelou could write with ease, Angelou stresses the fact that she works extremely hard and diligently to focus on her writing (//Contemporary Authors// 133: 14-17; //World Book// 1: 460-461). || -Maya Angelou's writing is so powerful that it controls her. It consumes her to the point where she disconnects her relationships for brief periods of time just to work. This dedication is positive for her, though. She cannot imagine living any other way. In fact, she loves to work and never feels done after she completes a text. || || (JqOqo50LSZ0) || **"The black American female has nursed a nation of strangers--literally. And has remained compassionate. This, to me, is survival. She is strong. And she is inclusive, as opposed to exclusive. She has included all the rest of humanity in her life and has often been excluded from their lives. I'm very impressed with her" (Angelou 17).** -Maya Angelou writes about the growth of African American women as if it is an individual character. She talks about the strength of African American women. Also, she mentions how over time, black women have become equal to everyone else in society. Maya Angleou uses the same topic of discussion in her own wirting to further express her position on women's and African American's rights. || - Maya Angelou speaks, once again, of the differences between black and white women. She wrote about African American rights to make her contribution in the Civil Rights Movement. She hopes that with her writing she can make the country a better place for everyone. In a broader sense, she hopes everyone struggles as one to further improve our country. || || -Maya Angelou stresses that for one to really strive for a better life, they should not just try to make it by simply enduring. You have to survive the obstacles of life, but you must also do more than that. You should make the best of the situation and "thrive" in it. Only when you thrive to you live life to the fullest and make the best of bad times. || -This quote demonstrates the passion Maya Angleou has for life. She is so passionate and dedicated to her work that often she does not let anyone interfere with her work. Angelou's work is her life, and she will not let anybody come between her and her work and thus "minimize" her life. || || -Maya Angelou talks about how any race or group had to fight day after day for their freedom. Nothing can be achieved without dedication, struggle, or passion. This relates to her work on The Civil Rights Movement. She writes about how, being an African American woman, she had to fight for equal rights among African Americans day after day, never stopping until freedom was achieved. || Works Cited:
 * [[image:maya-angelou.jpg width="415" height="416" caption="(maya-angelou.jpg)"]] || **Biography:**
 * **"**//**It**// **lives me. It's as if I've been created by my characters just to draw them" (Angelou 11).**
 * media type="youtube" key="JqOqo50LSZ0" height="344" width="425"
 * **"As I see it today, all the struggles are one. The armaments we use and the battle arenas for black women and white women are different. The struggle, I hope, is to make this country a better place for everybody" (Angelou 115).**
 * [[image:49.jpg caption="(49.jpg)"]] || **"Well, there's nothing noble in enduring pain, just enduring. . .the human being is not at his or her best when he or she simply endures. Still, it is important, at a stage, to endure so you can overcome. Surviving is important, but thriving is** //**elegant"**// **(Angelou 118).**
 * **"I will not allow anybody to minimize my life, not** //**anybody**//**, not a living soul-nobody, no lover, no mother, no son, no boss, no President, nobody" (Angelou 119).**
 * [[image:angelou_m_03.jpg caption="(angelou_m_03.JPG)"]] || **"Being free is as difficult and as perpetual-or rather fighting for one's freedom, struggling towards being free, is like struggling to be a poet or a good Christian or a good Jew or a good Moslem or a good Zen Buddhist. You work all day long and achieve some kind of level of success by nightfall, go to sleep and wake up the next morning with the job still to be done. So you start all over again" (Angelou 19).**
 * There is much to learn about American History while reading about Maya Angelou. If one is born in unfortunate circumstances, and is dealt hard hands like getting pregnant ate age sixteen, one can overcome hard times with dedication, passion, and hard work. Maya Angelou has become a very successful woman, and she has contributed so much to our country through her writing and Civil Rights work. Like Angelou, anyone, no matter what circumstances they are in, can acheive success if they dedicate and apply themselves. ||  ||

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//Contemporary Authors // . Vol. 133. Farmington Hills: Thomson Gale, 2005. Print.

//Conversations with Maya Angelou //. Ed. Jeffrey M. Elliot. Mississippi:University Press of Mississippi, 1989. Print.

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//World Book //.Vol. 1. Chicago: World Book Inc., 1996. Print.