Maya Angelou

an author, poet,
historian,
songwriter,
playwright, dancer,
stage and screen
producer, director,
performer, singer,
and civil rights
activist.
Name: Maya Angelou
Also Known As: Margeurite Johnson
Current Home: Winston-Salem, North
Carolina
Date of Birth: April 4, 1928
Place of Birth: St. Louis, Missouri
 Education: High school in Atlanta and San
Francisco



Awards:
Langston Hughes Award 1991; Essence
Woman of the Year 1992; Grammy Award
for Spoken Word Recording, 1993 and
1995; Quill Award for Amazing Peace,
2006

She is best known for her autobiographical
books: 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),
which was nominated for the National
Book Award.

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite
Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4,
1928. She grew up in St. Louis and Maya
Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St.
Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928.

She grew up in St. Louis and Stamps,
Arkansas. Among her volumes of poetry
are A Brave and Startling Truth (Random
House, 1995),

The Complete Collected Poems of Maya
Angelou (1994), Wouldn't Take Nothing
for My Journey Now (1993), Now Sheba
Sings the Song (1987), I Shall Not Be
Moved (1990), Shaker, Why Don't You
Sing? (1983),

Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well
(1975), and Just Give Me a Cool Drink of
Water 'fore I Diiie (1971), which was
nominated for the Pulitzer prize.

In 1959, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr., Maya Angelou became the northern
coordinator for the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference.

From 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.

She accepted a lifetime appointment in
1981 as Reynolds Professor of American
Studies at Wake Forest University in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 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.

In 1971, she wrote the original screenplay
and musical score for the film Georgia,
Georgia, and was both author and
executive producer of a five-part
television miniseries "Three Way Choice."

She has also written and produced
several prize-winning documentaries,
including "Afro-Americans in the Arts," a
PBS special for which she received the
Golden Eagle Award.

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).

An author whose series of autobiographies
is as admired for its lyricism as its politics,
Maya Angelou is a writer Angelou's poetry
and prose -- and her refusal to shy away
from writing about the difficult times in her
past -- have made her an inspiration to her
readers.
Graduation (Part II)
1 What was Marguerite’s immediate
reaction to Mr.Donleavy’s speech? Describe
Marguerite’s feelings after Donleavy had
given his speech.
She was greatly hurt. She wished that all
men of whatever race or age, should be
dead.
(1) What she had accomplished at school
all came to nothing. The blacks could only be
manual workers.
(2) She recalled some black leaders and
wished that they had killed all the white
people.
(3) She would rather die and she would like
to see all people dead because the blacks
were discriminated against .
(4) She was greatly distressed even when
she heard the singing of “Onwards Christian
Soldiers” and the recitation of “Invictus”,both
of which were meant to encourage and give
confidence to the graduating class.
(5) She was quite unfeeling when her own
name was called and her honors were read.
(6) She thought that the blacks couldn’t be
great men and women and could only be
wiped
2. What do you think of Henry Reed’s
performance at the graduation ceremony?
He demonstrated great composure of
mind and exercised constraint at the moment
of insult and resentment. With his valedictory
speech and the Negro national anthem,
which he led the audience in singing, he
aroused feelings of self-identity and dignity
among the blacks.
3. Try to describe Marguerite’s changing
thoughts from the time of Mr.Donleavy’s
speech to the singing of the Negro National
Anthem.
She got more and more resentful because of
the discriminatory tone of Mr.Donleavy’s
speech. She felt frustrated; all her
accomplishment and aspiration seemed to
have become meaningless and worthless. But
the way in which Henry Reed gave his speech
and the singing of the Negro
National Anthem enhanced her feeling of
black unity, and her awareness of the
strength of the blacks, thus filling her with
confidence in the blacks’ struggle for human
rights and justice.
Vocabulary
1.
frill: (pl) 装腔作势；摆架子
2.meticulous小心翼翼
3.decasyllabic十音节诗行
4.farcical引人发笑的
5.presumptuous专横的
6.tomahawk印第安战斧and teepee美国印第安
人的圆锥形帐篷
7.wigwam棚屋
8.abomination憎恨
9.perfunctory马马虎虎的
10
preliminary预备的, 初步的
11.palpable可触知的, 明显的
 12.pertain to属于, 关于, 附属, 适合, 相称
 13.impertinence不适宜, 鲁莽, 无礼
 14.ecru淡褐色, 米色
 15.puce深褐色的
 16.lavender淡紫色的
 17.beige浅褐色的
 18.valedictory告别的\告别词
 19.outrageous蛮横的, 残暴的, 无耻的, 可
恶的, 令人不可容忍的
 20.elocution雄辩术, 演说法

21.soliloquy自言自语, 独白
 22.crusher压碎的东西,
 23.funky胆战心惊的
 24.toadstool毒菌
 25.go through with完成, 把...进行到
底:complete something which has been
agreed or planned, often with difficult.
 He promised to marry her,but now he
doesn’t want to go through with it .

26. rebut反驳
27. hush安静
28. hymn赞美诗, 圣歌
29. chasten磨炼
30. auction拍卖
 31.give to: in the habit of : He’s given to
drinking rather heavily .

She’s given to depression.
 32.Exercises:
Language work.
 (p164) I 2.portions一部分, 一分
 4 engaging动人的, 有魅力的, 迷人的
