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Maya

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On April 4, 1928, St. Louis, Missouri in the United States Vivian Johnson and Bailey Johnson welcomed their daughter Maya Angelou. The world was in for a change that day. Marguerite Annie Johnson was her real name. It wasn’t till Maya Angelou's early twenties when she received her name that we would all know today. Maya Angelou was a master of all trades, Maya went on to become an acclaimed American Poet, autobiographer, storyteller, and activist. Maya Angelou was best known as a poet and an award-winning author. In 1931 Maya Angelou and her brother has been sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps in Arkansas. At this time Stamps was a racially divided and Maya had now experienced what being a black girl in this racist society. As one could imagine her grandmother did her best to instill values and morals among their home. When Maya Angelou was eight years old she was living with her mother in Saint Louis. Tragically Maya was raped which then lead Maya to become mute for close to five years. Maya Angelou was sent back to Stampa because no one could handle the state that Maya was in. While living back in Stamps Maya life was going to change for the better. Mrs. Flowers was a woman that rescued Maya from who she thought she was. Maya confidence was regained and she was once more thriving. Maya at this time lived behind the back of the Johnson Grocery store with her brother and Uncle Willie. At this time Johnson Grocery Store would sell to both whites and blacks. In the home Mrs Annie had taught the Christian principals, respect, love and courage. Mrs Annie had a hand in Maya Angelou believing in God, an honest days work and family. Mrs. Annie was a the changing factor in Maya’s life. Mrs. Annie opened Maya’s eyes to a world of good, the world where she could fly. As time would have it Maya and her brother went back to live their mother. Maya becomes overwhelmed and has run away to live with her father and his then girlfriend. This living arrangement becomes unhealthy only after a mouth and Maya is now living with her mother again. “At fifteen life has taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.” (Maya Angelou). As Maya is determined to prove that she is an adult she then soon finds herself pregnant at the age of 16. Maya Angelou gave birth to her son Guy. Maya would provide for her son by working as a waitress and a cook. Maya Angelou’s life was filled with single parenting, racism, overcoming poverty, and seeking higher education. “During World War II, Angelou moved to San Francisco, California, where she won a scholarship to study dance and to act at the California Labor School. Also during this time, Angelou became the first black female cable car conductor—a job she held only briefly, in San Francisco.” (Angelou 2015 The Biography.com website) Maya goes on to marry Tosh Angelos a Greek sailor. This was when she became an Angelou. Unfortunately the relationship only lasted three years. It wasn’t till mid-1950 when Maya Angelou’s career started to take off. Maya performed at the Purple Onion nightclub in San Francisco. Maya specialized in Calypso songs and dances. In 1957 Maya releases her first album, Miss Calypso. “A member of the Harlem Writers Guild and a civil rights activist, Angelou organized and starred in the musical revueCabaret for Freedom as a benefit for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, also serving as the SCLC's Northern coordinator.” (Angelou 2015. mayaangelou.com/biography/) As Maya’s life would have it Martin Luther King, Jr requested that she would become the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Maya marries South African freedom fighter Susumu Make. Angelou performed in an off-Broadway production. While the play had earned strong reviews Maya moved to Africa with her son and Make. This was in pursuit to become an associate editor of “The Arad Observer” this was located in Cairo, Egypt. This was the only English Language news weekly in the Middle East. At the University of Ghana Maya served as an assistant administrator at the School of Music and Drama. Maya moved back to the United States and was encouraged by her friend James Baldwin to write about her life. “Her efforts resulted in the enormously successful 1969 memoir about her childhood and young adult years, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which made literary history as the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman.” (Angelou 2015 The Biography.com website) Unfortunately, the book had been band in some schools. Due to her speaking on her sexual abuse, at this time this was something that was not talked about. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings had been adopted at most college campuses around the world. Maya Angelou continued to shine. She went on to write the drama Georgia. She became the first African-American women to have a screenplay produced. Maya won a Tony Award nomination and an Emmy Award nomination for her work. Maya had over 30 bestselling titles. She is now named One Hundred Most Influential American Women. President Bill Clinton requested Maya Angelou writes and delivers a poem”On the Pulse of the Morning” this was read at the presidential inauguration.

Two different theories of personality that applies to Maya Angelou are Behavioral and Trait. Maya’s interaction with her environment and individuals around her played a large part in making her who she is. Maya went through sexual abuse, single parenting, racism, overcoming poverty, and seeking higher education. Mrs. Annie pushed and thought Maya to treat everyone with equality. It did not matter what the color of your skin was it matters what your soul looks like. Maya was raised with Traits of her own. Mays had an understanding of the greater good in others. She had Mrs. Annie who helped to guide her to having a better understanding of what she wanted out of this world. Maya’s personal trait was always to see the greater good around her, no matter how dark her world maybe. Maya’s individual’s behavior would be Openness to Experience. Maya is imaginative, independent and enjoys variety. She did not look at her life as something that was bad. Instead she looked at it as a tool to make it a better place for herself and others. She was always ready to take on anything. Maya Angelou was a strong woman that made a pathway for other women.

resource:
~Maya Angelou. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 08:21, Jun 14, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/maya-angelou-9185388.
~Maya Angelou (2015).Caged Bird Legacy • Copyright 2015. All Rights Reserved Retrieved 09:00pm, June 14, 2015 http://www.mayaangelou.com/biography/

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