As an African American, Maya experienced racial discrimination in Arkansas. ... Angelou's theories about literature can be established from her different works and style of writing. Angelou is considered as one of the great voices of contemporary black literature, as well as a remarkable renaissance woman. Angelou relied on black literature theories in writing whereby her poetry complements the search for self-identity among African Americans, which is expressed in her autobiographical narratives such as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. ... With her work of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings...

• Word Count: 1524
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Irony is a significant device used by the poets in the slavery poems "On Being Brought from Africa to America," "The Dying Fugitive," and "Middle Passage." "On Being Brought from Africa to America" is a piece from the celebrated African poetess Phillis Wheatley. ... Here Wheatley is addressing the attitudes of the whites towards the African slaves and freedmen of that time. ... She also tells them that though they may not believe it or want to aid them, the Africans can be cultured and more importantly saved through their acceptance of Christ. ... Robert Hayden uses his extensive knowledge ...

• Word Count: 846
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

He also believed in the study and importance of the Greek and Roman classics as great works of literature. ... During the Renaissance, writers such as Dante Alighiere, Giovanni Boccaccio and Petrarch, along with the Italian painter Giotto were responsible for rediscovering, preserving and disseminating classical literature from the Greek and Romans. ... He wanted to restore the ideals of Ancient Rome by unifying Italy and wrote a Latin epic, Africa, which dealt with the results of the Punic Wars. ...

• Word Count: 645
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate