Maya Angelou was born under the name Marguerita Johnson in St. ... Her childhood experiences, which included rape at eight years old and a period of muteness, inspired her famous work, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", which was written in 1970. She is best known for her autobiographical books: All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), The Heart of a Woman (1981), Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (1976), Gather Together in My Name (1974), and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), which was nominated for the National Book Award. In her massive v...

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

Marguerite Ann Johnson, better known as Maya Angelou, was born on the 4th of April 1928 in St Louis, Missouri. ... Unable to deal with the pain and emotions of these traumatizing experiences, Maya Angelou spent the next five years completely silent, speaking to no one and living with the belief that "my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone." ... Through all the pain and sorrow of her losses, 1968 was a very defining year for Maya Angelou. ... It was also in this year that Maya Angelo wro...

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

Maya Angelou was her professional name when she started her career as nightclub singer. ... Maya Angelou's grandmother, Annie Henderson, along with her Uncle Willie, raised her in Stamps Arkansas. ... I thought I should like to see us all dead, one on top of each other. ... (Angelou Caged Bird 153) Maya knew this and made it clear in her writing (http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/ang0bio-1). ... The book that she was working on was called "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings....

• Word Count: 1000
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Marguerita Johnson, whose pen name is Maya Angelou, was born in St. ... (Angelou, 7). ... Maya's first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, "opens with a primal childhood scene that brings into focus the nature of the imprisoning environment from which the self will seek escape. ... I think that Maya is an extremely talented author. ... Maya Angelou is a very talented woman. ...

• Word Count: 588
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Maya Angelou and her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Dr. ... Holden shows this by saying, "If there's one word I hate, it's grand. ... In Maya Angelou's autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the American Dream is being able to find oneself and what makes each person happy, in spite of the obstacles that try to stop them. ... Maya Angelou believed that nothing was more important than achieving happiness. ... For Holden Caulfield, that means straying from the phony social norms, for Maya Angelou it meant purs...

• Word Count: 634
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

At the age of three, Maya Angelou's parents were separated. ... Maya Angelou tried to make a living for both herself and her son. ... (King, 1994) Maya Angelou wrote her first autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a memoir of her childhood and young adult period, in 1969, toward the end of the Civil Right Movement. ... Maya Angelou's I Am A Christian confessedly showed her faith in God and his love by words: " When I say ... ... Maya Angelou became one of the most influential women in American history....

• Word Count: 962
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School