Reid KarpAP Lit. & Comp.Ms. Lehn, Per. 7Annotated Bibliography"Angelou, Maya (born Marguerite Annie Johnson)." Encyclopedia of African American Writing. Amenia: Gray House Publishing, 2009. Creed Reference. Network. March 12, 2014. This literary criticism was found in the Bryant Library database. It talks about how well Maya conveys her message to her readers and portrays vivid scenes in the minds of her readers. Maya's sense of history and her passionate desire to overcome obstacles and strive for greatness and self-appreciation is what makes Maya an exception. Living in America, Angelou believed that African Americans as a whole should find emotional, intellectual, and spiritual support by returning to their “home” in Africa. According to Maya, “Home” was the best place to capture a sense of family, past and tradition. When it comes to Maya's literary works, her novels seem to be more critically acclaimed than her poetry. That said, Angelou pursues tough social and political issues involving African Americans in her poems. Some of these themes are the fight for civil rights in America and Africa, the feminist movement, Maya's relationship with her son, and her awareness of the difficulties of living in America's struggling classes. However, in all of Maya's literary works she is able to “harness the power of the word” through an extraordinary understanding of language and the events she uses and goes through. Reading this critique gave me a better understanding of the process Maya went through to illustrate her life to her readers. It wasn't just sitting down with a pen and paper and simply writing down thoughts. It was really the fact that Maya was able to perfect something that she made… middle of paper… all the productions and documentaries used to portray the harsh reality of the unthinkable. I believe that Maya Angelou decided to tell this emotional film because she wanted to influence viewers in every way possible. Maya connects with readers (particularly African Americans) through her biographies and poems with her skillful use of language. However, Maya possesses other abilities that allow her to connect with many other audiences and influence them in positive ways they were previously unaware of. This source was limited because it did not provide the reader with much personal or biographical information about Angelou. However, it demonstrated that Maya was willing to use her prominence and intelligence to influence the general public in a positive way by informing them of the true and harsh realities that many minorities around the world face..