Maya Angelou as a Role Model: Family, Career, and Activism

Introduction: A Life Shaped by Hardship

The way we live our lives is an expression of our worldview. The choices and decisions we make, while involving some degree of personal volition, are deeply influenced by the experiences and situations we pass through as individuals. People who endure fiery trials in childhood may be destroyed by them — or they may emerge deeply insightful. The latter is true of Maya Angelou. Her childhood experiences of abuse and parental divorce, combined with a life of privation and hardship, produced one of the most insightful and powerful women in modern America. A role model for many women and men alike, she stands shoulders above many others in society. Her music, poetry, and books form a tapestry of beauty and human expression that inevitably influences how we live our lives.

Maya Angelou's View of Family and Relationships

An understanding of Maya Angelou's view of family can be derived from her multiple relationships as well as her experiences within her family of origin. Maya Angelou clearly believes in family. The strong bonds she maintained with her brother are demonstrated by her decision to tell him about the abuse she had endured. Additionally, the name she used publicly — Maya — is a nickname given to her by her brother (Maya Angelou, 2012). She is monogamous and tends toward the traditional Western model of family life. Her monogamy is notable because she engaged in a romantic relationship with a Ghanaian national and relocated to Ghana for a period of time. This action suggests that she was willing to make sacrifices for the success of her relationships. Family was clearly important to her. She was married at one point to a young sailor, but the marriage ended in divorce. These events and her subsequent choices suggest that while family is important to her, she remained wary of marriage as an institution.

This perspective is very much in harmony with my own worldview about family and marriage. Marriage is important but not a necessity. If relationships are not working, couples need to make a decision either to repair them or to end the unhappy union. I could not conceive of living life in a continuous state of unhappiness.

A Phenomenal and Multifaceted Career

The career of Ms. Angelou is phenomenal. She is a poet, actor, songwriter, and author. She also found time to lecture and mentor students. This approach to one's career is deeply inspiring. She pursued exactly what she wanted to do — and, of course, this did not happen overnight. She clawed her way through difficulty and discouragement before she was able to experience the rewards of success. Maya Angelou also demonstrated a generous side to her personality, regularly donating money to charitable organizations and worthy causes. Her wealth and fame allowed her to live the life she desired.

While I may not aspire to as varied a range of career paths, I share the view that one's career should be pursued to the highest level possible. Furthermore, success in that career should enable the lifestyle one desires.

Conclusion: A Voice That Lets Others Sing

Maya Angelou is an outstanding and enigmatic individual. Her life, like her work, is an expression of her beliefs about the humanity of all people. The challenges she faced as a child and later as an adult created the conditions necessary to birth within her the genius that exudes from everything she produced. She knows "why the caged bird sings" — and her voice has allowed others to sing along.

References

America's Renaissance Woman: Maya Angelou (2012). Retrieved from http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/ang0bio-1

Maya Angelou: A biography (2012). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/maya-angelou-9185388?page=1