Maya Angelou Research Paper

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Did you know Maya Angelou is one of the most influential poets that ever lived? She is an amazing well-known poet. Angelou came from a troubled childhood. She was very talented and grew up to become a civil rights activist, actor, singer, and of course a poet. Maya Angelou remains an inspiration to so many people across the world. Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson, which would late change to Maya, on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents divorced in 1931. So Angelou and her brother, Bailey, whom she was very close to, went to live with her paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. When Angelou was seven, she went to visit her mother in Chicago. Sadly while there, her mother’s boyfriend raped Angelou. She was ashamed to tell anyone but her brother. Angelou’s uncles, for vengeance, killed the boyfriend. Angelou felt that her words had killed her mother’s boyfriend, so she didn’t talk until she was 12 and a half. At the age of 16, she had a son named Guy, from a short-lived relationship. Angelou once stated, “I believe that every person is born with talent.” She couldn’t have been talking about anyone else but herself when she quoted that, because she grew up to be a very talented…show more content…
When Malcolm was assassinated in 1965, Angelou joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in helping him organize the Poor People’s March to help sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. While there, Dr. King was assassinated on Angelou’s 40th Birthday. Every year after that, Angelou sent flowers to Dr. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King until Coretta’s death in 2006. Angelou continued to do some civil rights work, because she knew that there wasn’t equality yet. “All achievements require time.” quoted Angelou once. Equality for everyone is an achievement that is still isn’t there yet. Becoming a famous poet was an achievement that Angelou achieved in

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