Maya Angelou

Maya Angeloubiography.comHero, a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character. Hero, a person who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, ability, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal. Maya Angelou, an American author, actress, screenwriter, dancer, poet, and a civil rights activist. Maya Angelou was acknowledged for being an inspiration that achieved many remarkable things and overcame extreme situations. A hero, not far from Maya, must possess dauntlessness and not be afraid to stand for what's right. Maya Angelou exemplifies the definition of a hero. She overcame difficult struggles while showing grit that helped her become successful and she took a stand and fought for what she believed in.

Maya at a young agegooglesites.comIn the course of Maya Angelou’s life she has put up a demanding fight, but by being determined she has powered through and overcome these hardships. Even from the time Maya was younger, she encountered struggles that would be hard to conquer. “When she was eight, Maya Angelou stopped speaking. That was the year her mother's boyfriend raped her. But worse than that, worse than the terrible pain in her stomach, worse than the blood or the feeling that her thin hips were coming out of their sockets, was the knowledge that her voice had killed him. After she cried out against him in court, he was found kicked to death. She did not speak again, except to her brother, for five years” (To come; Maya Angelou). Maya Angelou had stopped speaking for several years. The reason for her sudden halting was because she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend when she was just 8 years old. Not only that, but she had suffered terrible stomach pains, and felt like her hips were coming out of their sockets. After speaking out in court against the man for his terrible deed, she found out that he had died later that day. Maya being so young, she believed that it was her fault. Maya deemed that it was her voice that caused him to die. This thought had stayed with Maya for 5 years. This example is just one of many that shows how strong Maya is. Not only did she withstand the pain of being sexually assaulted at a very young age, but also dealt with racism and traumatic experiences just for the color of her skin. At the time, Jim Crow laws separated black and white people under a social and legal structure known as segregation. Maya Angelou had to move multiple times because of how bad the racism was. She encountered harsh comments and stares throughout her whole childhood. “One afternoon, a former sheriff named Mr. Steward visited Momma’s store. He told the family that a black man had bothered a white woman. He warned them that Uncle Willie might receive a visit from the members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)” (Egan). Maya Angelou had stated that she remembers her fear after all these years as if it was yesterday. She said that the fear filled her mouth. Throughout Maya’s life she has dealt with such disastrous situations and has overcome them with determination and grit, which shows just one of the many reasons to consider her a hero.

Maya during her successful careersaintheron.comDuring Maya Angelou’s life she encountered difficulties but still managed to become very successful in her life. Maya has been known to be an inspiration to so many people of all ages. Angelou's career has seen numerous accolades, including the Chicago International Film Festival's 1998 Audience Choice Award and a nod from the Acapulco Black Film Festival in 1999 for Down in the Delta. She also won two NAACP Image Awards in the outstanding literary work (nonfiction) category, for her 2005 cookbook and 2008's Letter to My Daughter (biography.com). Maya Angelou has had several accomplishments accolades, which have built up for her throughout her life. For example, in 1998 with her choice award in a black film festival, and two for her literature, in 2005, and 2008. Maya Angelou also was a very famous poet/writer. She wrote a best-selling memoir, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings in 1969, followed by 1974's Gather Together In My Name, 1976's In Singin' And Swingin' And Gettin' Merry Like Christmas, 1981's In The Heart Of A Woman, 1986's All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, 2002's In A Song Flung Up To Heaven and 2013's Mom & Me & Mom. Her Just Give Me A Cool Drink Of Water 'Fore I Diiie poetry collection was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, she wrote the 1972 screenplay for Georgia, Georgia, and appeared in Alex Haley's Roots TV series in 1977. She taught American Studies at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, from 1991 (Angelou). These examples shows all the books she has written, and the multiple awards she has won. She wrote books in several years, such as 1969, 1974, 1976 and more, as well as won awards such as the Pulitzer Prize, and wrote screenplays and taught American Studies at Wake Forest University. Maya Angelou is such a successful women, which is why many kids and adults look up to her.

Overall, Maya accomplished many things. She wrote several poems, books, and screenplays throughout her life. However, it is what was inside her poems that were truly special. She embraced her beliefs on racism and the Civil Rights movement in her work. She also fought through the rough and difficult times. She managed to become very successful even when put through such hard times. Maya defines a hero in her own way because of what she believed in and all of the things she accomplished.

Works Consulted

Egan, Jill. Maya Angelou: a Creative and Courageous Voice. Gareth Stevens Pub., 2009.

“Maya Angelou.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 27 Feb. 2018,    

www.biography.com/people/maya-angelou-9185388.

"Maya Angelou." Record Collector, July 2014, p. 144. Biography In Context,

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A376071853/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=e1cc9164. Accessed 27 Mar. 2018.

"To come; Maya Angelou." The Economist, 7 June 2014, p. 98(US). Biography In Context,

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A370316419/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=9afbf2c3. Accessed 27 Mar. 2018.