Maya Angelou

1. What was Angelou’s real first name, and why was she called Maya instead?

2. What terrible event happened to Angelou when she was eight?

3. What jobs did Angelou have while trying to support her son as single mother?

4. What happened to Angelou in 1951?

5. How many languages could Angelou speak and what were they?

6. What was the title of Angelou’s first book and what was it about?

7. How was Angelou recognised for her writing?

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 Maya Angelou

8. Who was Angelou’s second husband?

9. Which three celebrated American civil rights activists were friends with Angelou?

10. Name three films Angelou either acted in or directed.

Extension:
What were Angelou’s ideal conditions for writing, and why do you think this was?

How do you think Angelou’s childhood influenced her achievements in later life?

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 Maya Angelou

Which of Angelou’s achievements do you find to be the most remarkable, and why?

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Maya Angelou Answers
1. What was Angelou’s real first name, and why was she called Maya instead?
Her real first name was Marguerite, but her older brother Bailey called her Maya, derived from ‘my-a sister’.

2. What terrible event happened to Angelou when she was eight?

She was abused by her mother’s boyfriend, who was subsequently jailed for just one day. When he was
released, he was murdered. The shock meant that Angelou became mute for five years.

3. What jobs did Angelou have while trying to support her son as single mother?
She worked in a fast food restaurant, in a mechanic’s shop and as a dancer in a club.

4. What happened to Angelou in 1951?

She married aspiring musician and former sailor Tosh Angelos.

5. How many languages could Angelou speak and what were they?
Six: English, French, Italian, Arabic, Spanish and Fanti (a West African language).

6. What was the title of Angelou’s first book and what was it about?
‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’: it is the first volume of her autobiography and is about the poverty and
racial inequality of her childhood.

7. How was Angelou recognised for her writing?

In 1993 she was asked to write a poem for Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration; she won the Grammy
Award for Best Spoken Word Album three times; she was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize; she was awarded
the Presidential Medal of Arts in 2000 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010; she received over
50 honorary degrees.

8. Who was Angelou’s second husband?

Paul du Feu, a Welsh carpenter, comic strip writer, and the ex-husband of leading feminist Germaine Greer.

9. Which three celebrated American civil rights activists were friends with Angelou?
Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King

10. Name three films Angelou either acted in or directed.

‘Poetic Justice’ (acting); ‘How to Make an American Quilt’ (acting); ‘Down in the Delta’ (directing).

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 Maya Angelou Answers

Extension:
What were Angelou’s ideal conditions for writing, and why do you think this was?

She described the ideal place to write as very austere, with a bed, basin, dictionary, Bible, deck of cards and
bottle of sherry. She wanted as few distractions as possible so that she could concentrate on her work.

How do you think Angelou’s childhood influenced her achievements in later life?

Answers may explore Angelou’s experiences of racial inequality, and how these paved the way for her involvement
in civil rights activism. Students may also mention how her difficult childhood became the subject of her
autobiography. Students may also infer that the challenges she encountered in early life made her determined
to succeed.

Which of Angelou’s achievements do you find to be the most remarkable, and why?

Students’ answers here will vary, but they should use evidence from the text to substantiate their points.

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