Maya Angelou Essay, Research Paper

 Maya Angelou is one astounding woman. Through childhood Maya developed a sense of independence and is known for that today. Another attribute she acquired from childhood was experience. An author of three autobiographies, Maya depicts her life in a way no one else can. One of Maya s books, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, which is an account of her youth describe the trauma of being raped, the violent death of her attacker, and her subsequent refusal to speak (Maynard). Maya went through so much during her childhood that it alone brings utmost respect to her. Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928 (Schafer). Due to her parents divorce Maya and her brother, Bailey, were shipped off to Stamps, Arkansas to live with their paternal grandmother and Uncle Willie. They soon adopted their grandmother as their own mother and began calling her Momma. Momma owned a general store, William Johnson General Merchandise Store, where she sold lunches to town workers. Maya was raised a very religious woman. Her grandmother sent them to have their Sunday School lessons perfectly memorized or they would be punished. Uncle Willie was crippled and did his best to deny the fact. He listened to Bailey and Maya recite their school work and if they messed up they were thrust into the heater and were scalded (Caged Bird 4-8). Forced to march into the coldest night, Maya and Bailey washed and greased their legs to save themselves form the switching they would receive for being dirty. Thou shall not be impudent and Thou shall not be dirty, were guidelines Momma set for them. Their whole lives depended on obeying and breaking her commandments. Momma convinced us that not only was cleanliness next to Godliness, dirtiness was the inventor of miser. The impudent child was detested by God and shame to its parents and could bring destruction to its house and line (Caged Bird 20-22). Maya and her brother were always very close. Sharing secrets, plotting destructions, and playing games. She got her name from her brother and it stuck for life. This is my sister…, so she got the nickname My. Then she was addressed as Mya Sister and it was later elaborated into Maya (Caged Bird 57). Maya s father came to Stamps to take Bailey and her to Saint Louis to visit their mother and Grandmother Baxter. He once again abandoned them and returned to California. St. Louis brought new life and experience to Maya. It opened many doors for Bailey and her. Blacks walked around just as whites did. Racial prejudice was at a low. Negro men had city jobs and women were addressed respectfully. Mr. Freeman was Mother s boyfriend. He came in and out and seldom spoke. Maya slept in her mother s bed often and it was nothing strange. One morning Mother got out of bed and Maya fell asleep again. She woke up to a strange feeling on her leg. It was unfamiliar and Mr. Freeman laid awake on the bed. He told her he wouldn t hurt her and he pulled her towards him. He placed her hand between his legs and once again tried to reassure her everything was okay. He dragged her up on his chest and held her. Then came the nice part. He held me so softly I wished he d never let go. The bed was wet, but she knew she didn t have an accident. If you tell anybody what we did, I ll have to kill Bailey. Maya was scared and forced to keep the only secret ever from her brother. That was the first act of violation from Mr. Freeman and it would not be the last. The second time was much worse than the first. This time Maya resisted. No sir Mr. Freeman. She backed away. Now this ain t going to hurt you much. You liked it before didn t you? She

couldn t admit in fact that she had liked it before. She woke up and Mr. Freeman was washing her. She was tired and he sent her to the library. She was in so much pain. She started to throb between her legs. She returned home, hid her red and yellow stained underwear, and escaped from everything by crawling into her bed. She was sick, and not just any sick. She couldn t move and she was scared. Sunday a doctor came and took her temperature. Mother pulled off the sheets as the panties fell to the floor. She was taken to the hospital and then it was taken to court (Caged Bird 62-67). An eight year old testifying in court about a rape must have been the most traumatic experience ever. To have to relive the event in her head and tell a number of people had to bring back the worst feelings. Maya stayed strong and Mr. Freeman was sentenced to a year and one day. His lawyer got him released that day. A tall white man came to the door. He was a policeman and Maya once again was scared. Mrs. Baxter, I thought you should know. Mr. Freeman s been found dead on the lot behind the slaughter house… Maya was convinced she had gotten him killed. I had sold myself to the devil and there could be no escape. The only thing to do was to stop talking to people other than Bailey (Caged Bird 60-73). For weeks Maya was silent. She was punished with thrashings and was called impudent and her muteness sullenness . They were sent back to Stamps. Maya continued her escapade for almost a year, until she met Mrs. Flowers. Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Stamps. She requested Maya to come to her house and she was forced to talk. Mrs. Flowers asked her to read to her. She began the first of what we later called my lessons in living (Caged Bird 80-84). I wouldn t miss Mrs. Flowers, for she had given me her secret word which called forth a djin who was to serve me all my life: books (Caged Bird 170). Maya experienced prejudices at an early age. Maya became infected with a toothache. The nearest dentist that would treat blacks was twenty five miles away but Momma knew a white dentist up town who owed her a favor. Momma had helped him during the depression and they were going. The entrance was behind the building and Momma knocked. A white nurse answered the door. She was led inside. Annie, I don t treat nigra colored people. Annie, my policy is I d rather stick my hand in a dog s mouth than in a nigger s (Caged Bird 157-159). Bailey returned home one day shaking. He had seen a black man dead floating and bloated (Caged Bird 167). It was high time to leave Stamps once again. Momma explained to them that they needed to be with their parents and Uncle Willie was getting old. Too many things were happening, and they were moving to California. Maya would be sent first, and a month later Bailey would follow (Caged Bird 165) At the age of fifteen, Maya began to explore her sexuality. She experimented with the idea and then took the action. Shortly thereafter she became a young, unwed mother (Caged Bird 190-194). In an unfamiliar place, Maya faced the challenge of raising a son. Through her young adult years she juggled many jobs to support her son. She worked as a waitress many times, and even ran a whore house. Elderly nannies took care of Guy, her son, and she continued to work. She met a man and fell in love with him. It was a love so strong that she became a prostitute to get him out of gambling debt. Fear of being caught by the police she once again returned to Stamps (Gather Together 1-53). She continued her drive to provide for her son by becoming a dancer. There she began her career. She married a South African Freedom fighter and lived in Cairo where she was the editor of The Arab Observer, the only English-language news weekly in the Middle East (Maynard). In Ghana she was the feature editor of the African Review and taught at the university. In the 1960’s at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.