Maya Angelou was raped by her mother's boyfriend, dropped out of high school, was a teenage mother, and constantly faced racism. Who would have thought that someone who had been through so much would one day be such a confident and inspiring woman? Maya Angelou's confidence in herself and the African American race that she demonstrates in her poetry gives others the courage to speak for themselves. Three poems by Angelou that show her confidence are “Still I Rise,” “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” and “Phenomenal Woman.” Although each poem is written differently, they all express confidence and the idea of ​​having the courage to stand up for oneself. Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928. According to “Maya Angelou – Biography,” Growing Up After growing up, Maya faced racism and discrimination against African Americans. When she was young, she was very interested in arts and music, and as a teenager, Maya earned a dance and drama scholarship to San Francisco, California. At the age of 14, she dropped out of school and worked many jobs to support herself and her family (Maya Angelou - Biography). Poetryfoundation.org states that Maya graduated from high school at age 17 and had her first son, Guy, shortly after graduation (Maya Angelou). Maya Angelou - The official website says that in 1960, Maya moved to Egypt, and later. in Ghana. She met Malcolm X in Ghana in 1964 and would later return to the United States with him to start an organization supporting African Americans. Martin Luther King, Jr. eventually asked Maya to be coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (Maya Angelou - Biography). In 1970, Maya Angelou published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which was middle of paper...... Elly Holland. “Maya Angelou.” Maya Angelou. University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 1998. Web. May 6, 2014. Hagen, Lyman B. Heart of a Woman, Mind of a Writer, and Soul of a Poet (Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 1997): pp. Cited as “Still I Rise” and the Black Spiritual “Rise and Shine”” in Harold Bloom, ed. Maya Angelou, Bloom's main poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2001. (Updated 2007.) Bloom's Literature. Facts about File, Inc. Web. May 6, 2014. “Maya Angelou – Biography.” Maya Angelou. Np, and Web. April 12, 2014. “Maya Angelou.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2013. Web. April 13, 2014. Thursday, Jacqueline S. “Phenomenal woman”. » Critical Companion to Maya Angelou: a literary reference to her life and work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2011. Bloom Literature. Facts about File, Inc. Web. May 7 2014.