Maya Angelou

About the Author

Maya Angelou grew up in the segregated American south with her grandmother, an unusually well-off black store owner. She eventually left Arkansas to live with her mother and attend high school in California, where she also worked as the first black streetcar employee in San Francisco. Shortly after obtaining her high school diploma, she gave birth to her son. She was a lifelong lover of language, performance, and learning. She went on to become an accomplished dancer and performer, but is most famous for her many decorated collections of poetry and for her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. At the time of her death, Angelou was working on another autobiography. Her work addresses issues of racial and gender discrimination, and she is often hailed as one of the most important cultural critics of this century.

LitCharts guides for works by Maya Angelou

Explore LitCharts literature and poetry guides for works by Maya Angelou. Each literature guide includes a full summary, detailed analysis, and helpful resources. Each poetry guide offers line-by-line analysis and exploration of poetic devices.

A Kind of Love, Some Say

In "A Kind of Love, Some Say," Maya Angelou reflects on the workings of domestic violence. The poem's speaker—apparently a survivor of such abuse—reflects that, when one partner hurts another, they... view guide

Caged Bird

"Caged Bird" was published in Maya Angelou's 1983 poetry collection Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? The poem describes the opposing experiences between two birds: one bird is able to live in nature as ... view guide

Country Lover

In "Country Lover," American poet Maya Angelou conjures up a night on the town in just a few short lines. The poem follows the adventures of a "Country Lover," a young Black man from the rural Amer... view guide

Harlem Hopscotch

“Harlem Hopscotch” is a poem written by the American poet, playwright, memoirist, and Civil Rights leader Dr. Maya Angelou. It uses the childhood game of hopscotch as an extended metaphor for how B... view guide

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings tells the story of Maya Angelou’s childhood in Stamps, Arkansas. She and her brother Bailey are sent away from their parents on a train to live with their grandmoth... view guide

Life Doesn't Frighten Me

The American poet Maya Angelou's "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" was first published as a picture book (illustrated by the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat) in 1993. In this poem, a little girl claims that ... view guide

On Aging

Maya Angelou's "On Aging" calls on younger people to treat their seniors with understanding and respect. Published in the collection And Still I Rise in 1978, the year the poet turned 50, "On Aging... view guide

On the Pulse of Morning

American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou wrote and performed "On the Pulse of Morning" for the presidential inauguration of Bill Clinton in January of 1993. The poem echoes key points i... view guide

Phenomenal Woman

"Phenomenal Woman" is a poem by Maya Angelou, first published in 1978. The poem rejects narrow societal expectations of women and proposes an alternative perspective on what defines real beauty. Co... view guide

Refusal

In Maya Angelou's "Refusal," a speaker decides that if they and their lover can't be together forever—even beyond the end of their life on Earth—they will simply refuse to die at all. The speaker's... view guide

Remembrance

Maya Angelou's "Remembrance" tells the story of an all-consuming love affair. The poem's speaker is a woman who is completely enraptured with her lover. When they're together, she feels so overpowe... view guide

Still I Rise

“Still I Rise” is a poem by the American civil rights activist and writer Maya Angelou. One of Angelou's most acclaimed works, the poem was published in Angelou’s third poetry collection And Still ... view guide

The Traveler

"The Traveler" first appeared in Maya Angelou's acclaimed 1978 collection And Still I Rise. This short, melancholy poem tells the story of a wanderer who travels the wide world but finds no pleasur... view guide

When Great Trees Fall

The American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou wrote "When Great Trees Fall" in 1987 after the death of her friend and fellow writer/activist James Baldwin. The poem, which Angelou read a... view guide

Woman Work

“Woman Work” was written by the American poet Maya Angelou and first published in her 1978 collection And Still I Rise. The speaker, implied to be a Black woman, talks about all the "work" she has ... view guide