Title: Poetry of Maya Angelou - Wikipedia
Headings: Poetry of Maya Angelou
Poetry of Maya Angelou
Contents
Background
Poetry
Collections
Single publications
Themes
General themes
Racism/liberation
Struggle
Critical reception and response
References
Explanatory notes
Citations
Works cited

Content: Many of her poems are about love, relationships, or overcoming hardships. The metaphors in her poetry serve as "coding", or litotes, for meanings understood by other Blacks, but her themes and topics apply universally to all races. Angelou uses everyday language, the Black vernacular, Black music and forms, and rhetorical techniques such as shocking language, the occasional use of profanity, and traditionally unacceptable subjects. As she does throughout her autobiographies, Angelou speaks not only for herself, but for her entire gender and race. Her poems continue the themes of mild protest and survival also found in her autobiographies, and inject hope through humor. Tied with Angelou's theme of racism is her treatment of the struggle and hardships experienced by her race. Many critics consider Angelou's autobiographies more important than her poetry. Although her books have been best-sellers, her poetry has been studied less. Angelou's lack of critical acclaim has been attributed to her popular success and to critics' preferences for poetry as a written form rather than a spoken, performed one. Contents
1 Background
2 Poetry
2.1 Collections
2.2 Single publications
3 Themes
3.1 General themes
3.2 Racism/liberation
3.3 Struggle
4 Critical reception and response
5 References
5.1 Explanatory notes
5.2 Citations
5.3 Works cited
Background
Maya Angelou studied and began writing poetry at a young age, having "fallen in love with poetry in Stamps, Arkansas ", where she grew up and the setting of her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969).