How Their Life Influenced Their Poetry

Maya Angelou’s poetry was influenced by the many things that Maya did and had gone through in her life. Mayas depressing and sad childhood also influenced her by creating inspiring poems. Maya had gone through a lot in her in her life when she was young. This helped her write her thoughtful and interesting poems. A poem that was influenced by Mayas life is “Still I Rise”. Slavery, racism, and discrimination in the poet’s life influenced this poem. “Leaving behind nights of terrors and fears I rise.

Bringing the gift that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and hope of the slaves. ” This quote shows you that Maya had a tough time in her life. Maya when she was younger was sent back to live with her mother after her parents divorce and was rapped by her mother’s boyfriend. Several of Mayas uncles murdered her mother’s boyfriend and after this catastrophe Maya didn’t talk much. What helped her escape that loneliness and depressing life was writing poetry. Maya would express her feelings all into a piece of paper and make it into poetry.

That’s what helped Maya rise. “Still I Rise” is a great poem. It shows how strong and brave she was. Angelou wrote this poem expressing that people can say or do what ever they want but you are still going to rise. In other words people can try to hurt you but if you’re proud of your self and proud of whom you are then that will help people back off because they know and can sense that nothing can bring you down. A poem called “Our Grandmothers” is also a poem that was really influenced by discrimination and racism in Mayas life.

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Angelou used to be discriminated because of her color and race. Being separated from her mother at such a young age and with a lot of racism going around at that time influenced Maya to write “Our Grandmothers”. In the poem a woman named Momma is going to be sold by the master away from her children. But Momma tells her children to be strong and say “I shall not be moved”. My opinion is that the theme of the poem is that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what color or religious you are you are all the same.

Everyone is unique and special in their own way. Just because you’re a different color then someone else it doesn’t mean that you have to mistreat or be mean to them. Last but not least is “Phenomenal”. This poem was influenced by her confidence in life. “Now you understand just why my head’s not bowed, I don’t shout or jump about or have to talk real loud, when you see me passing it ought to make you proud”. This means that you don’t have to act all crazy, dress up, act up or anything just for people to notice. You should be confident and just be yourself.

Being confident will help you get far in life. For example Maya is very confident and she has done a lot of great things in her life. Being confident and being who she is not acting like someone else helped her achieve it. When Maya Angelou was younger, she loved to work in her grandmother’s store. She loved everything about it and working in the store is what practically made her such a hard worker. Since she was used to working so hard in the store when she grew up most of the things were mostly a piece of cake for her because she was used to it.

Also because of Mayas hard work, Maya has achieved a lot of great things in her life. Especially maintaining a baby at a young age by her self before she even graduated from high school. Maya has reached a lot of goals and has accomplished a lot of her dreams because of all the hard work she has done. Maya Angelou is a very lucky woman. She has had an opportunity to become famous and publish her poems into a book. Maya even had the opportunity to write a poem for Clinton who asked her to write one just for the occasion.

Maya is an African- American woman that people can learn a lot from. Maya Angelou is a very phenomenal and intelligent woman. All of these poems were influenced by Mayas life. Maya has been through out a lot in her life. She is such an incredible poet and woman. She’s so elegant and intelligent. Her intelligence is also what helped her be everything she was and is today. Maya is the poet I chose because of the way she expresses herself in her poems also because of the way Maya makes her poetry sound so interesting and understandable. Throughout her life, she influenced her poems.

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