The document provides an overview of Maya Angelou's life, including her difficult childhood, her rise as a prominent writer, and her experiences with racism and trauma. It highlights her seminal autobiography, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' which broke barriers for African American women writers and touched on taboo subjects. Additionally, it summarizes her extensive body of work, including poetry and autobiographies, and her enduring impact on literature and society.

1. A Short Guide to
Maya Angelou
"If growing up is painful for the
Southern Black girl, being aware
of her displacement is the rust on
the razor that threatens the
throat"
--I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings

2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
-Maya Angelou
The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedomThe free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

3. The Early Years
Maya Angelou
• Born to Vivian and Bailey Johnson St Louis,
MO on April 4, 1928
• Given name: Marguerite Ann Johnson
• Lived with her Grandmother in Stamps,
Arkansas until she was twelve years old.
Of Stamps, Angelou said,
“ . . . the segregation was so complete that most Black
children didn't really, absolutely know what whites looked
like.” (Angelou)
Maya Angelou age 9

4. Adolescence and Vivian Johnson
When she was twelve Maya and her brother, Bailey were sent north
to live with her mother, Vivian.
• Maya said of Vivian that she was a “terrible parent for small children, but
wonderful for teenagers.”
• She challenged her children to take risks. and to find their own way.
Morever, she supported them whether they succeeded or failed.
• With Vivian’s encouragement Maya (always sure she was too tall, too
graceless, and too homely) took dancing and singing lessons.
• At sixteen Maya applied for a position as conductor on a trolley car. She
knew blacks were not usually hired for this position. She had to sue to get
them to hire her.
• At seventeen, Maya got pregnant, but kept it a secret from her family until
after she graduated from high school. With Vivian’s support, she continued
to work multiple jobs, act, sing, and dance in various dance troupes and in
plays. During these years she began to write poetry and plays.

5. Adulthood and Marriage
Maya Angelou was married twice—the first time to a
Greek sailor whose last name became the foundation
for the one she is now known by. Her second marriage
was to an activist with whom she did much of her
traveling.
She wore a lot of hats before she began writing in
earnest. Just a few of them:
• A street car conductor
• Waitress and cook
• Madam of a brothel
• Actress in the off-Broadway hit “Porgy and Bess”
• Co-wrote, directed, sang and acted in in an off-
Broadway hit Calypso Heat Wave
• Was the editor of a newspaper in Cairo Egypt
• Taught music at Ghana’s School of Music and
Drama
• She was a contemporary of Malcolm X and Martin
Luther King Jr—aiding in both men’s organizations
at their request.

6. Formative Experiences
• At the age of seven, Maya was raped by her
mother’s boyfriend. She didn’t speak for six years.
During those years reading became a safe haven
and she inhaled literature and poetry.
• Maya was raised by formidable women—who held
positions of power within their family and
community.
• At the age of fifteen, Maya spent a month living in
a junk yard with homeless teens and was
profoundly changed by it.
Odd that the homeless children, the silt of the war frenzy, could
initiate me into the brotherhood of man . . . The lack of
criticism of our ad hoc community influenced me, and set a
tone of tolerance for the rest of my life.
--I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

7. Early Work and the Critical Response
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was published in 1969
by Random House
• In her first work, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”,
Angelou relays what it was like to be an African American
girl growing up in the 1930s. In this autobiography she
touches on such taboo subjects as child rape, the effects of
segregation, and teen pregnancy.
• It was the first book written by an African American
woman to make the New York Best Seller’s List and it
remained there for three years.
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings won the National Book
Award as well as international acclaim, garnering the
attention of professors and teachers as well as famous
reviewers.
• Because of the controversial subject matter it is among the
most frequently banned books in the US, joining the ranks
of works by Sylvia Plath, John Irving, and Mark Twain.
• Caged Bird broke the glass ceiling for female African
American writers. Other authors such as Toni Morrison
(author of The Bluest Eye) and Alice Walker (author of
The Color Purple) were able to publish work that had
previously been ignored and rejected by editors and agents.

8. Poetry
Angelou’s 2nd book, was a collection of poetry. Just Give Me a Cool
Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie and published in 1971 by Random House,
was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize later on that year. Even with that
acclaim her work met with mixed reviews, with on reviewer calling it
schlock (good for the masses—not so much “serious” readers of
poetry) and another raving about her use of lyrical language.
All together, she’s published sixteen volumes of poetry.
• Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well (1975)
• And Still I Rise (1978)
• Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? (1983)
• Poems (1986)
• Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987)
• I Shall Not Be Moved (1990)
• On the Pulse of Morning (1993)
• The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994)
• Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women (1995).
• A Brave and Startling Truth (1995)
• From a Black Woman to a Black Man (1995)
• Amazing Peace (2005)
• Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me (2006)
• Celebrations, Rituals of Peace and Prayer (2006)
• Poetry for Young People (2007)
• We Had Him 2009

9. Autobiographies
Despite the fact that she defines herself as a poet and
playwright, Maya is best known for her seven award winning
autobiographies. According to Maya she wrote Caged Bird in
response to a challenge from her editor, Robert Loomis, who
said that it was impossible to write an autobiography that was
also literary.
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)
• Gather Together in My Name (1974)
• Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (1976)
• The Heart of a Woman (1981)
• All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986)
• A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002)
• Mom & Me & Mom (2013)
Maya Angelou and James Baldwin
Who Maya credits with having
encouraged her to write I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes

10. Maya Angelou Now
At 85 years old Maya Angelou continues to write, travel, and teach. She recently
released her seventh book, entitled Mom & Me & Mom , yet another Times Best
Seller. This one is about her mother. She remains a Reynolds Professor of
American Studies at Wake Forest University.

11. Sources
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. New York: Random House, 1969. Print.
—. Maya Angelou: my terrible, wonderful mother. 29 March 2013. Web. 1 July 2013.
—. Poem Hunter. 3 January 2013. Web. 1 July 2013.
Banned Books Awareness: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 30 October 2011. Web. 1 July 2013.
Maya Angelou Global Renaissance Woman. 2013. Web. 1 July 2013.
McMurry, Myra K. "Association Role-Playing as Art in Maya Angelou's "Caged Bird"." South
Atlantic Bulletin Vol. 41 .No. 2 (1976): 106-111. Print.
Northover, Alice. Women in Literature: Maya Angelou. 28 September 2006. Web. 1 July 2013.
Plimpton, George. Maya Angelou, The Art of Fiction No. 119. 1990. Web. 1 July 2013.
Walker, Perrie A. "Racial Protest, Identity, Words, and Form in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings." College Literature October 1995: 91-108. Print.
Mary Paddock
Instructor: Lori Rogers
ENG380-899-Su13
July 3, 2013