Maya Angelou

Since the 7th century, poetry has changed drastically over time. There are many poets that have contributed to this change. To name a few: Langston Hughes, David Wagoner , William Shakespeare, and Ella Wheeler Wilcox.   One in particular is not only a poet, but an author, an actress, a mother, a civil-rights activist, historian, and most importantly, a survivor. Maya Angelou is one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time because of her creative writing skills and mind.
Maya’s real name is Marguerite Annie Johnson (Maya Angelou - Biography). Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 (a year before the stock market crash), in St. Louis, Missouri (Maya Angelou – Biography). The stock market crash was the start of the Depression, a nationwide economic tragedy that lasted until the late 1930’s. (Maya Angelou Biography).When Maya was three years old, her parents divorced and she and her 4-year old brother, Bailey, were sent alone, by train, to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. (Maya Angelou Biography).While living with her grandmother, Angelou participated in a wide variety of dance classes including tap, jazz, foxtrot, and salsa (Maya Angelou: Poetry).
After four years in Stamps, the children returned to their mother's care (Maya Angelou – Biography). At age seven, Angelou confessed that her mother's boyfriend had raped her, and Angelou's uncles beat the man to death (Maya Angelou Biography). Horrified by what happened, she became silent, believing, that it was her words that led him to his death (Maya Angelou). She remained nearly mute for another five years, at which point her mother sent the children to live with their grandmother once again (Maya Angelou: Poetry).   Maya attended George Washington High School in San Francisco (Maya Angelou: Poetry). At the end of her senior year, Maya became pregnant with her son, Clyde Johnson (Maya Angelou – Biography). She gave birth to Clyde just a few months after graduating high school in 1945 (Maya...