Maya Angelou

an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist.

Name: Maya AngelouAlso Known As: Margeurite JohnsonCurrent Home: Winston-Salem, North CarolinaDate of Birth: April 4, 1928Place 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 wiped2. 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 :co

mplete 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 .

31. give to: in the habit of : He’s given to drinking rather heavily .

She’s given to depression. 32. Exercises:

26. rebut 反驳27. hush 安静28. hymn 赞美诗 , 圣歌29. chasten 磨炼30. auction 拍卖

Language work. (p164) I 2.portions 一部分 , 一分 4 engaging 动人的 , 有魅力的 , 迷人的