Maya Angelou attained international fame in 1969 with the publication of her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; however, the seeds of her acclaim were planted long before. Raised primarily by her grandmother in Arkansas, Maya attributed her first important lessons to the woman she affectionately calls "Momma." With those lessons and other hard-earned knowledge, Maya progressed from being a victim of racism and sexual brutality with

Rive of God is hardly a romance, though, and has other implications that, even somewhat subtly, convey the author's social and political viewpoint. First, the political system, so intricately surrounding the Pharaoh is shown to be both divisive and efficient. It is efficient in the sense that there is a single authority, and realistically, it would be impossible for a real Pharaoh to have control over all the aspects Smith

Malcolm X, the most influential Black Muslim leader, was a man whose views and personality underwent so many changes that the final version of him bore little or no resemblance to the original one. In the book, 'Autobiography of Malcolm X', Alex Haley has highlighted all the changes that his political and social ideologies encountered and this helps us understand the complex multi-faceted personality of the man who had a

Identity Names are important and so this has been proved in countless ways in different societies. In some traditional societies, for example, names are believed to have some connection with a child's destiny or future. If he is given a name with good meanings, he is believed to grow up being just that- a good person. There may be little truth in this connection of names with character or destiny,

Internal Struggle for Identity and Equality in African-American Literature The story of the African-American journey through America's history is one of heartbreaking desperation and victimization, but also one of amazing inspiration and victory. Any story of the journey that fails to include these seemingly diametric components of the African-American journey is incomplete. However, African-American culture reflects both the progress of the African-American community, its external struggle to achieve equality, and

(Prophet Noble Drew Ali) Ali came to Chicago in 1925 and his movement took on its greatest force here. He saw Marcus Garvey as a motivation for his own work. Ali, like Garvey preached the significance of forming unity among all the people of the African Diaspora. Marcus Garvey was particularly acclaimed as a John the Baptist who set the way for the emergence of Noble Drew Ali at Moorish