2. Born as marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, on April 4, 1928.
An author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage
and screen producer, director, singer, performer, African-
american activist, and civil rights activist.
In 1959, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maya
Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference.
1961 to 1962 she was associate editor of The Arab Observer in
Cairo, Egypt, the only English-language news weekly in the
Middle East, and from 1964 to 1966 she was feature editor of the
African Review in Accra, Ghana.
She returned to the U.S. in 1974 and was appointed by Gerald
Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and later by Jimmy Carter
to the Commission for International Woman of the Year.
3. Had produced books like All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes
(1986), The Heart of a Woman (1981), Singin' and Swingin' and
Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (1976), Gather Together in My Name
(1974), and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969).
Her books were focused mainly on identity, family and racism.
In 1993, Angelou wrote and delivered a poem, "On the Pulse of the
Morning," at the inauguration for President Bill Clinton at his
request.
The first black woman director in Hollywood, Angelou has written,
produced, directed, and starred in productions for stage, film, and
television.
Maya Angelou was twice nominated for a Tony award for acting:
once for her Broadway debut in Look Away (1973), and again for her
performance in Roots (1977).
4. National Book Award nomination for I Know Why
the Caged Bird Sings
Pulitzer Prize nomination for her book of
poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I
Diiie
Tony Award nomination for her role in the 1973
play Look Away
In 1995, Angelou was recognized by her
publishing company, Bantam Books, for having
the longest-running record (two years) on The
New York Times Paperback Nonfiction Bestseller
List
Awarded the Presidential Medal of Arts in 2000 &
Lincoln Medal in 2008
5. Racism and Segregation
This poem is a representation of the racism and
oppression that people still face in this day and
age. It goes on to portray the importance of
hope and freedom for anybody to live. The line
"But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream"
demonstrates a resignation to fighting, because
the caged bird is losing hope. His screams for
help are now hollow echoes because long neglect
and abuse has broken his heart
6.
7. Sy m
• Bird in the cage bol
- A person that is timid and afraid to do things
• The fat worms and breeze
- Hope and opportunity
• Free bird
- The people that is dare and brave to
- take risks.
-The writer portrays the free bird as
more of a dare devil
EVIDENCE : and clips his wings, in the
orange sun rays, and dares to claims the
sky.
8. Pe r s oni
f i c a t i o
• Sighing trees
• Shadow shouts n
9. Me t a p
• The grave of dreams
•
•
Sings of freedom hor
Use of figurative and extended
metaphor
• She is comparing a bird trapped
in a cage to slavery and the pain of
the freedom
• The song the bird sings
represents the plea of freedom
• The poet relates to the feeling
of bird, as his parents were once
slaves
10. I ma g e r
• Expressing his feelings
here, the poem is lyrical y
• The third stanza
emphasizes how desperate the
bird truly is
• The bird sings a prayer not
of joy or glee, but of prayer to
heaven
11. Re p e t i t
• But on
• SENTENCE REPETITION
- So he opens his throat to
sing
12. Al l i t e r a t i o n
&ALLITERATION o n a n c e
As s
• An the trade winds soft through the
sighing trees
ASSONANCE
• And the fat worms waiting on a dawn
bright
lawn and he names the sky his own
13. Angelou could have been just another
casualty of race prejudice
Yet, by using her intelligence, sensitivity, and
determination, she succeeds in spite of the
odds against her
By writing with such power, she makes us
share her defeats and joys
She also teaches us a vital lesson with
strength and persistence, we can escape our
cages and sing our song