poet, singer, actor, and storyteller. She learned French, Italian, Spanish, Serbo-Croatian,

Arabic, and Fanti. Marguerite Ann Johnson was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4,

1928. Angelou acquired the first half of her pen name from her brother, Bailey Junior, whose

babyish chatter transformed "my sister" into "Maya". In 1931, Maya and Bailey were

dropped off by train from Long Beach, California, to Stamps, Arkansas- which contrasted

Under the care of Mama, the children's old south paternal grandmother, and their

semi-paralyzed Uncle Willie, they lived behind the Wm. Johnson General Merchandise Store.

They took in religious and ethical training. Maya's escapism from her harsh, obedient

everyday life lead her to classic literature. She read particularly white writers- Shakespeare,

Kipling, Poe, Thackeray, and Butler- and notable black writers- Paul Dunbar, Langston

Hughes, W. E. B. Du Bois, and James Weldon Johnson.

In 1936 her father came and whisked Bailey and her back to St.Louis, to live with her

mother Vivian and uncles. Her mother drank and danced in gambling halls, lived with a new

Maya she feels as though unimportant matters melt away and share her triumphs, be

survive and overcome hard odds. It is examples such as these that impact Maya and form

Maya to Stamps, where she rebuilt her self-respect by shielding herself from the outside

few weeks. As quickly as I understood that I had not reached my home, I sneaked away to

Oprah Winfrey has said in a recent interview that Maya and her have a

I think that the most compelling novel of the two was definitely I know why the

Some common words found in the essay are:
Bird Sings, County Florida, Mama Mama, Stars Lonesome, Oprah Winfrey, Stamps Maya, California Living, San Diego, Round Rock's, Moving Accra, caged bird, bird sings, caged bird sings, san francisco's, stars lonesome, classic literature, interview maya, greatly wrong, st louis,
Approximate Word count = 1866
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)