A Phenomenal Woman-
Maya Angelou, born, Marguerite Johnson, was sent along with her brother to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas, when her parents were divorced. Growing up, she learned what it was to be a black girl in a world whose boundaries were set by whites: "As a child she always dreamed of waking to find her 'nappy black hair' metamorphosed to a long blonde bob because she felt life was better for a white girl than for a black girl" (Rigney 45). Despite the odds, her grandmother instilled pride in young Marguerite, with religion as an important element in their home. After five years of being apart from their mother, Marguerite and her brother, Bailey, were sent back to Saint-Louis to be with their mother. This move would change Angelou's life dramatically. While living in Saint Louis, she was raped by her mothers' boyfriend. After which she confided in her brother what had happened, and soon the person was found dead. Young Marguerite believed her voice had killed him this caused her to become mute for nearly five years. Her dysfunctional childhood spent moving back and forth between her mother and grandmother caused her to struggle with maturity. She became determined to prove she was a woman and began to rush toward ma
President Gerald Ford appointed her to the Bicentennial Commission. The poem also creates the image of what all women should strive to be. She has been through what they are encountering, and she offers an important message to all of them: "Hold on, Hold on by all means. With ten best-selling novels, Angelou's response to her critics is, "If that canon, that body of literature written largely by white men, acknowledges my work, then well and good. Maya Angelou lectures throughout the United States and abroad and has been named a Reynolds professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. (Essence 174) As a member of several college advisory boards, and after thousands of appearances and lectures, Dr. Maya Angelou worked hard her entire life to become the woman she is today. Readers however believe, much has changed in 63 years. I accept this honor" (Angelou, Essence). She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her acting in Roots and Georgia. Don't give up; continue to get your work done. Her most well known poem "Phenomenal Woman" contains many of her strengths and weaknesses. Now 72, Angelou is the author of many books and novels, including And Still I Rise, and The Heart of a Woman, and I Shall Not Be Moved.
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Acceptance Essays
