Maya Angelou's Life

…"I say, It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,

That's me."
Maya Angelou

"Maya Angelou personifies the resilience of the human spirit. The experiences of her childhood during the 1930's and 1940's in a racially segregated South, ultimately contributed to her philosophy of endurance despite defeat, and nurtured the author, poet, actress, playwright, film director and producer, and civil rights activist that we celebrate today. She is, in the words of her own famous poem, a "phenomenal woman" indeed."

Kim Gaines,African-American Village www.imdiversity.com/villages/african/Article_Detail.asp?Article_ID=2507

Maya Angelou, an Afro-American poet, was born in the southern state of Missouri in 1928. Knowing more about her life will help us to better understand her poetry.

On the Internet, go to the site: http://www.virtualology.com/virtualmuseumofhistory/hallofwomen/MAYAANGELOU.NET Read the biography of Maya Angelou and answer these questions:

  1. What lessons did Maya Angelou learn while growing up in Stamps?
  1. As a child what did she dream of?
  1. What event in her life caused her to be mute for nearly five years?
  1. What role did her neighbor, Mrs. Flowers, play in her life?
  1. Who in her family do you think contributed to her philosophy of endurance despite defeat, and instilled pride in her?
  1. What inspired Maya Angelou to write her first work of literature: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings?
  1. Why do you think President Clinton picked Angelou to speak at his first inauguration in 1993?

You can go to http://www.ibiblio.org/cheryb/women/Maya-Angelou.html to hear Maya Angelou read the last two verses of "On the Pulse of Morning".

  1. BONUS Did you know that Maya Angelou visited Israel? What did she do here?

Go to http://www.lordly.com/talent/lordly/AngelouMaya.html and search for the words " Tel Aviv " to find the answer.