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"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style" (Angelou). This quote was made based on a real life experience. This was how Dr. Maya Angelou lived her life, with content and happiness. Maya Angelou, born on April 4, 1928 and died May 28, 2014. Between her eighty-six years of life, Angelou strived to be anything. She was a writer, singer, dancer, professor, actress, producer, civil rights activist and even the first African-American female cable car conductor. She lived a traumatic childhood of being sexually abused but as she overcame that, look where she has gone. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was handed to her by President Obama in 2011 ("Maya Angelou."). A hero is a person who is a leader, yet selfless. A hero contributes to the world and to the people. The role of a hero belongs to the great Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou is an inspiration and a true hero because of her powerful, passionate voice, her talented works of art, and her thoughtful contributions to the world.
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Maya Angelou went through many hardships throughout her childhood but overcame them by earning her powerful, passionate voice. Angelou was not always the thriving, happy woman she was as an adult as she faced sexual abuse from her mother's boyfriend, Freeman (Cast). She had told her brother, Bailey, and Freeman was arrested but also killed. So Angelou had, "...decided that she had to stop speaking, so that no one else could be harmed by her words. "Instinctively, or somehow, I knew . if I talked to anyone else that person might die too" (King). Angelou was frightened if something ever harmed her family,so she did what she thought was best, which was to become mute. Becoming mute inspired her to try to take interests in other activities, such as the performing and visual arts. After being mute for many years, Angelou peaked her interest in the arts and earned her voice back with her love for music and dancing. "With a love for music, Maya Angelou would sing calypso, dance in night and supper clubs and eventually become known for her ability to write lyrics and perform spoken word" (Wake-Forest Memorial). Although she faced a tragic childhood, she found a passion. Her powerful passion for music helped her earn back her voice. Maybe becoming mute was good for Angelou because maybe moments of silence helped her figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Her years of silence helped her find an interest in her writing, her singing and dancing. The deafening silence made her strive and thrive for a better life. Angelou became apart of the strong woman who overcame sexual abuse. Today, she is an inspiration to all woman who suffered from sexual abuse. Angelou fought and won.
Angelou affected everyone through her talented works of art.. Some through her writing, some through her singing and dancing, and some with her civil activist acts. Even at a young age, Angelou was affecting the people around her with her art. "As a teenager, Dr. Angelou's love for the arts won her a scholarship to study dance and drama at San Francisco's Labor School. At 14, she dropped out to become San Francisco's first African-American female cable car conductor" (Wake-Forest Memorial). At fourteen years old, Angelou became a cable car conductor. At fourteen years old today, girls wonder what picture they are going to post on Instagram. Angelou should be an inspiration to many girls that are teens because she worked hard to be where she was while only fourteen. Angelou made many great works of art and she was finally recognized by a very important person in the world. "She wrote "On the Pulse of Morning" for the 1993 swearing-in of President Bill Clinton, becoming only the second poet in U. S. history." (Moore). Angelou has not only affected her fans but she has affected one of the Presidents of the United States through her works of arts. As an African- American woman who grew up in Alabama, Angelou has worked hard to become the second poet in U.S history to write for the president. Angelou wrote, sang, danced, and acted. She tackled all careers and aced them all. Her works of art inspired others to strive for more than one career choice as she did.
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Maya Angelou did not just write, sing, and dance, but she also contributed thoughtfully to the world. Angelou liked to speak for her heart and mind. So she was, "Inspired by King's movement, she and Killens would go on to become fundamental in organizing Civil Rights events like the Cabaret for Freedom for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference where she would become Coordinator and begin her anti-apartheid activism as well" (Cast). Angelou fought for our country as she followed Martin Luther King Jr, and she was also one of the leaders of the organization. She contributed her thoughts to the world and spoke for herself. As she inspired others to fight for their voice, she contributed more. As the world knows, Angelou was a well educated woman, and she did not want that to go to waste. Angelou wanted to be more than she was, so she became "...the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at North Carolina's Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. She is constantly on the lecture circuit and a regular guest on talk shows; she recently created a line of greeting cards for Hallmark" (Wake-Forest Memorial). Since Angelou became a professor, she offered more education to the college students and spoke her thoughts of writing. She also contributed her amazing creativity by creating a line of Hallmark greeting cards. Creating a line of Hallmark greetings cards inspired others to be share their creativity. Angelou contributed her biographies, poetry, songs, and her teachings to the world. As she contributed her heart and mind to what she wants to do, she inspired many others to do the same.
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Her powerful, passionate voice, her talented works of art, and her thoughtful contributions to the world are what make Maya Angelou a true hero and inspiration. As Angelou overcame sexual abuse and years of silence, she sang, danced, wrote, acted, fought for her country, and became a cable car conductor at the age of fourteen (Moore). She inspired others to write, and to make goals for their future. Her contributions to the world has changed the world. Maya Angelou inspires me and others through what she has gone through as a child and to where she was today. She has overcame traumatic memories and became one of the most famous poets and writers in the world. Her quotes inspire me to keep going although I feel dead inside from stress. She has definitely affected my life as a student and a growing girl. As Maya Angelou said, "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style"(Angelou). This is exactly how she lived her life and this is how I hope to live mine.
Works Cited
BrainyQuote. "Maya Angelou Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, 2001. Web. 04 Feb. 2016.
Cast, Henrietta. "Maya Angelou." Great Black Heroes. Gaius Chamberlain, 4 June 2014. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. -<http://www.greatblackheroes.com/entertainment/maya-angelou/>
King, Coretta Scott. "Maya Angelou." Maya Angelou (9780791018620) (2001): 8. Biography Reference Center. Web. 4 Feb. 2016.
Moore, Lucinda. "Growing Up Maya Angelou." Smithsonian. Smithsonian, Apr. 2003. Web. 03 Feb.2016<http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/growing-up-maya-angelou-79582387/?no-tis>
Wake-Forest Memorial. "31." Caged Bird Legacy. OWN, 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.
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Last edited 2/13/2016 12:00:00 AM
