Bober 1
Maya Angelou
In “Maya Angelou” by Marcia Ann Gillespie, Gillespie starts off by briefly summarizing
Maya Angelou’s life. She first talks about Maya’s award winning autobiography, I Know Why
the Caged Bird Sings, and then further explains the type of person she became. Later on
Gillespie begins discussing an interview she once had with Maya. Maya begins her interview
with her categories of life; spirit, grace, sensuality, friendship, healing, giving, and family. Within
these categories is what makes life worth living.
The first category of life is spirit. Spirit is the energy of life, so to Maya spirit is God.
Whenever Maya is feeling down about herself, she simply talks to God asking for his help.
Instantly she feels ten times better than she did before. Maya has more energy and feels as
though she can do anything. She then reflects on the struggles her people when through to be
where they are today. Maya believes faith is what made them stronger and what helped them to
get through all their difficulties when racism was an empowering issue.
Spirituality also connects to another category of life which is sensuality. Maya describes
sensuality by constantly being aware of the things around someone. To take in everything that is
going on; touch, taste, sound, sight, and smell makes a person more aware of their spiritual self.
Maya then further explains how our memories relate to our senses and remind us of our past and
how we felt at that moment.
The third category of life is Grace. How an individual views the word around them. If
someone is optimistic, they often see the positive outcomes in life. Yet if a person is pessimistic,
they usually see the negative side of everything around them. Grace is about finding oneself and
knowing and loving who they personally are as a person. Once someone finds grace, they
Bober 2
become more open to the people around them. They become more sociable and their ideals in life
become more important and less effected by the ones around them.
The next two categories that really connect are friendship and family. To Maya
friendships and family is what keeps people strong. They will always be around to support and
listen whenever they are needed. If these bonds between one another are ever lost there will be
loss of love and respect leading to chaos. Maya also discusses that people need to teach our
children emotion and that expressing them is completely acceptable. If our children are never
noticed in an emotional way they will lash out at other people. Children do not need to see their
parents constantly fighting; they need love and recognition which will lead them to a better life.
The two most important categories in life are giving and healing. In order to heal a
