Maya Angelou (1928–2014), born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, was an American poet, memoirist, performer and civil rights activist who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) made her famous, and poems such as Still I Rise and Phenomenal Woman are widely loved. She read her poem On the Pulse of Morning at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. When Great Trees Fall appeared in her collection I Shall Not Be Moved (1990).
Worked examples
Example 1 (MCQ, 1 mark). Maya Angelou's autobiography, which made her famous, is (a) Still I Rise (b) Phenomenal Woman (c) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (d) On the Pulse of Morning.
Solution. (c). The other three are poems.
Example 2 (short answer, 2 marks). Write two facts about Maya Angelou.
Model answer. Maya Angelou (1928 to 2014) was an American poet, memoirist and civil rights activist. She read her poem On the Pulse of Morning at President Clinton's inauguration in 1993.
Why this scores: two correct facts, one mark each, with no extra detail.
Example 3 (3 marks). The poem appeared in a collection called I Shall Not Be Moved (1990). Why does this title suit a poem that ends in hope?
Model answer. The title means being firm and not giving way. The poem shows people shaken by grief, but at the end they find peace and the strength to go on. The title and the ending both speak of standing firm after a blow.
Why this scores: the meaning of the title (1 mark), the link with the poem's movement (1 mark) and a clear conclusion (1 mark). This is a reasoned opinion; it is not a fact from the board's questions.
Doubts cleared
Q. Was Angelou the same person as the civil rights leader? She was a civil rights activist who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. She was a poet and writer and not a political leader.
Q. Do I have to remember her many books? No. Remember the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), the collection I Shall Not Be Moved (1990) and one or two poem titles.
Q. Is her name Maya Angelou from birth? She was born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. Use "Maya Angelou" in your answers.
Mistakes to avoid
- Giving the wrong years: she lived from 1928 to 2014; the poem is from 1990.
- Calling her a British or African poet. She was American.
- Confusing her poems with her autobiography.
Check yourself
- In which collection did this poem appear?
- Which poem did she read at the 1993 inauguration?
- Where was she born?
Answers: 1. I Shall Not Be Moved (1990). 2. On the Pulse of Morning. 3. St. Louis, Missouri.