Maya Angelou was one of the most significant poets in 20th century America. Angelou’s biography and her journey to recognition are filled with numerous tragic events, including early pregnancy and sexual abuse. Angelou found her voice in the 1960s writing lyrics and advocating for equality for black Americans. She is not only an outstanding poet and master of words, but also a television and cinematic figure who entered the Directors Guild of America with her scripts (Academy of Achievement). Angelou self-adapted her autobiography into a TV serial. A statue of Maya Angelou should be erected as a genius poet and social activist who contributed to the liberation of the country from apartheid and its consequences.
The first argument for the erection of the monument to Angelou is her contribution to the world poetry fund. Angelou’s work has not only amazing sincerity, but is also highly artistic. Her iconic poem “Still I Rise” is one of the most expressive texts about her own humanity and immediacy, capable of overcoming any adversity (Harisunker and du Plessis 215). Angelou’s poetic achievements and the inspiration of her work clearly deserve a landmark in history.
Angelou’s civic engagement is also incredibly valuable. Working with Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, the poet used his verbal skill to liberate the mentality of oppressed African Americans. Angelou’s struggle for racial equality has shaped the face of modern history. Therefore, Maya Angelou deserves a monument as a great historical figure.
It can be argued that the statue cannot be erected to the poet because of the controversial biography of her early life. In the 1950s, in order to support herself and her son, the future poet worked in a cabaret and sang (Wagner-Martin 67). Her image as a burlesque dancer and performer in the Caribbean musical genre of calypso is weakly associated with the status of a great poet and fighter for human rights. However, Angelou herself described this experience in detail in her autobiography and referred to it as something that a person must transcend. The ability to overcome the hardships of the past to become a better person only adds to the power of Angelou’s image.
Thus, a monument to Maya Angelou can be rightly erected. Angelou’s merits are also high for culture and literature since with her simple poems she always manages to find the key to the heart of the reader. But no less important is how her poetic gift was used in the name of the liberation of the African American population of America. The statue of Maya Angelou should be erected because of her contribution not only to art but also to the very idea of humanism and the tolerant attitude of people towards each other.
Works Cited
Harisunker, Nadene, and Carol du Plessis. “A journey towards meaning: An existential psychobiography of Maya Angelou”. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, vol. 17, no. 3, 2019, pp. 210-220.
“Maya Angelou”. Academy of Achievement, 2021, Web.
Wagner-Martin, Linda. The life of the author: Maya Angelou. Wiley Blackwell, 2021.