African American author, playwright, actress, poet, and singer. Born in St.
Louis, Angelou attended public schools in Arkansas and California before
studying music and dance. In a richly varied life, she has been a cook,
streetcar conductor, singer, actress, dancer, teacher, and director, with her
debut film Down in the Delta (1998). Author of several volumes of
poetry and ten plays (stage, screen, and television), Angelou may be best known
for her poem "On the Pulse of Morning,'' which she read at the inauguration of
President William Jefferson Clinton in 1993.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970), the first volume of her
autobiography, is one of the fullest accounts of the African American woman's
experience in contemporary literature.
Sites about Maya Angelou:
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The official Maya Angelou Web site, provided by the company that represents
Angelou, contains a short biography, a comprehensive bibliography of her works,
and a link to Web coverage of recent Angelou events.
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Poets.org offers this short biography and list of Angelou's works, as well as
links to two of her poems.
Empirezine, an online magazine (http://www.empirezine.com/spotlight/maya/maya1.htm),
offers this spotlight on Angelou that includes a biography, selected poetry, and
a discussion forum. Read through some of the messages on the discussion forum.
Why do you think Angelou's works and her personal experiences touch such a wide
audience? Why do people find inspiration in her words?
On the Maya Angelou section of the Poets.org page, click on the link to Angelou's poem
"Still I Rise." Read it out loud at least once to get a feel for the poem's
rhythm and its flow. How do you think this poem relates to her short piece,
"Graduation"? What sentiments expressed in "Graduation" do you also see in
"Still I Rise"? How does the poem reflect feelings and attitudes in ways that
are different than the prose piece? Which do you think is more effective?
Choose two reviews or critiques of Angelou's works from the list of literary
criticism at Link 3 and look them up in your library. What do the
"critics" say about Angelou's work (remember, criticism is not necessarily
negative)? Write your own critique of "Graduation" and cite some of these
critics to support your argument, or counter their opinions with your own.
Listen to a clip of Angelou's "On the Pulse of the Morning," a poem written in
honor of President Clinton's inauguration in 1993:
http://www.ibiblio.org/cheryb/women/mangelou.au.
Pay close attention to the music that plays at the end of her reading. Do you
recognize it? (Hint: we've highlighted the composer in these Web pages.) Why is
this particular composition fitting both for the event and for Angelou's poem?