Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me

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New York Times, January 20, 1993, Catherine S. Manegold, "A Wordsmith at Her Inaugural Anvil," pp. C1, C8. Analysing Context’ - helping students to ‘Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.’

National Post, July 20, 2002, Marcie Good, "Inspiration for Hire: Hallmark Has Hired Poet Maya Angelou," p. SP1. Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie, Random House (New York, NY), 1971,many reprintings. The resources are provided in both Word (to allow for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure for consistency of formatting between computers). When Angelou was 21 and a young mother, she was holding down two jobs and living on her own. One day, she went to her mother's house and received some unexpected praise.Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women, Random House (New York, NY), 1995, new edition published as Phenomenal Woman, paintings by Paul Gaugin, edited by Linda Sunshine, Random House (New York, NY), 2000. She was born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. She spent her growing up years in Arkansas, where she experienced racial discrimination. While life was not easy, especially since she became a single parent as a teenager, she used the tough parts of life as inspiration to write and touch the lives of others. Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events That Influenced Them, Volume 4: World War II to the Affluent Fifties (1940s-1950s), Gale (Detroit, MI), 1997. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the first of Angelou’s six autobiographies. It is widely taught in schools, though it has faced controversy over its portrayal of race, sexual abuse and violence. Angelou’s use of fiction-writing techniques like dialogue and plot in her autobiographies was innovative for its time and helped, in part, to complicate the genre’s relationship with truth and memory. Though her books are episodic and tightly-crafted, the events seldom follow a strict chronology and are arranged to emphasize themes. Other volumes include Gather Together in My Name (1974), which begins when Angelou is seventeen and a new mother; Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry like Christmas, an account of her tour in Europe and Africa with Porgy and Bess; The Heart of a Woman (1981), a description of Angelou’s acting and writing career in New York and her work for the civil rights movement; and All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), which recounts Angelou’s travels in West Africa and her decision to return, without her son, to America.

There are so many synonyms that mothers are associated with, like birth and love giver, unconditional caretaker etc etc. But all of these adjectives even when combined can’t describe her role wholly. So here I generate reality to focus on the essence of her sacrifice with my poem Mother:A Cradle To Hold Me Visualizing It!Through our Reflect Series, CIR is sharing works of wisdom, insight and inspiration with the hope of spurring meaningful reflection. “Mother, a Cradle to Hold Me” By Maya Angelou

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou (omnibus edition of all six autobiographies), Modern Library (New York, NY), 2004. Her poems about love are filled with emotion and passion, and they will touch your heart in a way that few other poets can. Maya Angelou’s poems about love and marriage explore the complexities of these relationships. She often uses metaphors and symbolism to convey the deep emotions involved in these bonds. Her poems offer a unique perspective on love and marriage, and her writing style is both powerful and moving. Passing Time Maya Angelou’s poetry about love is some of the most beautiful and moving work ever written on the subject. Her words capture the essence of what it means to love and be loved, and her poems are a testament to the power of love in our lives. Maya Angelou, photo from Poem Analysis With these sentiments in mind, Angelou, arguably America's most famous poet, wrote a book in honor of mothers, "Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me."Also author of the play Gettin' up Stayed on My Mind, 1967, a drama, The Best of These, a two-act drama, The Clawing Within, 1966, a two- act musical, Adjoa Amissah, 1967, and a one-act play, Theatrical Vignette, 1983. And Still I Rise, Random House (New York, NY), 1978, new version published as Still I Rise, illustrated by Diego Rivera, edited by Linda Sunshine, Random House (New York, NY), 2001,many reprintings. Life Doesn't Frighten Me (poem), edited by Sara Jane Boyers, illustrated by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York, NY), 1993.

Diary Entry’ - to help students to ‘Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ Essence, December, 1992, Marcia Ann Gillespie, interview with Angelou, pp. 48-52; August, 1998, Lisa Funderberg, interview with Angelou and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, pp. 70-76.

Maya Angelou’s thoughts on love and courage are quite profound. She believes that love is something that should be cherished and never taken for granted. She also believes that courage is something that everyone should aspire to have. Her words are quite inspirational and offer a great deal of wisdom. A Conceit