It was when Maya returned to live with her grandmother that she discovered reading, great literature and the endless possibilities of her creativity. ... She later met the renowned African American dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey with whom she formed the unsuccessful dance team ˜Al and Rita'. ... While in Ghana, Angelou also secured jobs as a writer for "The Ghanaian Times", a feature editor for "The African Review", and as a freelance writer for "The Ghanaian Broadcasting Corporation". ... She was also involved in the African American Expatriate community and this is when sh...

• Word Count: 884
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Maya Angelou is the ultimate Renaissance woman and is one of the great voices of contemporary literature (mayaangelou.com). She is also one of the most influential African-Americans in American history. ... Maya has beaten the odds and become one of the most well known African American women of today. ... She was also a feature editor in The African Review. ... Maya has made a great impression on American Literature; she is a living legend. ...

• Word Count: 1253
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

When Angelou returned to the United States after a performances in Ghana while acting, she wrote several screenplays and became the first African-American woman to have a feature film adapted from one of her own stories. ... Some mentionable awards include The American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award in 1990, The Legacy Association National Award in 1996, The Humanitarian Contribution Award in 1997, The Alston/Jones International Civil & Human Rights Award in 1998, The Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature in 1999, The Presidential Medal of Arts 2000, and a Lifetime Memb...

• Word Count: 548
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the years following Martin Luther King Jr's death, the civil rights movement and the African American community both underwent a series of changes that would find their way into literature for years to come. ... Through closer examination of this piece of literature I found that several characters and situations were not only believable in the context of the novel but also found representation in our nation's history. ... s death had on the African American community and it's faith in the civil rights movement would help the reader realize that it was not only in fictional ...

• Word Count: 916
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

We also see the first amendment challenged in works of literature such as Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man. ... As an African American male evolving in a White society, the narrator discovers that he is an invisible individual. ... Mandela spoke of how the African society was being physically and mentally mistreated by the government. ...

• Word Count: 708
• Approx Pages: 3

Introduction to Literature 131 A "Dream Deferred" in "Harlem" As a child growing up everyone seems to have the ideal life set in their mind. ... Has so much more meaning you can interpret dream to be the dream of the African Americans in general, a personal dream, the dream of Harlem to become more then it is at that time, and it can be generalized to fit the circumstances of that time. ...

• Word Count: 525
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Her African-American heritage has greatly influenced her writing, leading her to be one of the most widely read poets of today. ... One famous African-American writer that she was friends with and who also had an impact on her writing was James Baldwin. ... After meeting with James Baldwin, " her poetry had moved beyond the had-line stance taken by many African Americans. ... One of her most prized books was a mix of literature and politics called Those Who Ride the Night Winds. ... Yet she grows discouraged when African-American students do not take full advantage of the opportunities they h...

• Word Count: 1670
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

In Martin Luther's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", he talks about how the African-American people were being treated unfairly by an unjust law. ... One of the most influential figures in American thought and literature also saw a need for civil disobedience. ...

• Word Count: 1738
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

"This response to a published statement by eight fellow clergymen from Alabama (Bishop C. C. J. Carpenter, Bishop Joseph A. Durick, Rabbi Hilton L. Grafman, Bishop Paul Hardin, Bishop Holan B. Harmon, the Reverend George M. Murray, the Reverend Edward V. Ramage and the Reverend Earl Stallings) was c...

• Word Count: 6336
• Approx Pages: 25