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In praise of … the uncaged bird In praise of … Maya Angelou
(about 11 hours later)
Two years ago, Maya Angelou, who died on Wednesday aged 86, shared her philosophy on life. "I think you say to life – I am with you kid; let's go!" With that laissez-faire approach, life took the poet, author, dancer, playwright, director, actor, professor and civil rights activist to extraordinary places. She never lacked insight; her own story might fill a thousand storyboards, but she contented herself with seven volumes of autobiography, beginning with a childhood of abuse and oppression in the 1930s deep south. So searing was the first volume, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, that it simultaneously made her one of the most admired and most banned authors in US literary history. She held up a mirror to America, challenging perceptions, altering the landscape, and as she met declining years, Angelou surveyed her country and saw progress."I'm optimistic. I have hope," she said. Her life helped to make hope possible.Two years ago, Maya Angelou, who died on Wednesday aged 86, shared her philosophy on life. "I think you say to life – I am with you kid; let's go!" With that laissez-faire approach, life took the poet, author, dancer, playwright, director, actor, professor and civil rights activist to extraordinary places. She never lacked insight; her own story might fill a thousand storyboards, but she contented herself with seven volumes of autobiography, beginning with a childhood of abuse and oppression in the 1930s deep south. So searing was the first volume, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, that it simultaneously made her one of the most admired and most banned authors in US literary history. She held up a mirror to America, challenging perceptions, altering the landscape, and as she met declining years, Angelou surveyed her country and saw progress."I'm optimistic. I have hope," she said. Her life helped to make hope possible.