I would like to think that if I had been born anything other than black and other than a black American women, that I had done something wrong in a former life and God was making me pay for it." ... In spite of a tragic beginning she has still managed to become a poet, a author, a historian, a actress, a playwright, a civil-rights activist, a producer, and a director. ...

• Word Count: 694
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Angelou was an acclaimed poet, author, dancer, actress, playwright, director, and civil rights activist. ... Through a variety of literary techniques, such as metaphor, simile, personification, and imagery, Angelou presents the hardships of being a young black citizen in America during 1940 in "Graduation". ... Angelou utilizes imagery when describing Reed as a "small, very black boy with hooded eyes, and long, broad nose and an oddly shaped head" (23). ...

• Word Count: 1074
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate