Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928. Her real name is Marguerite Ann Johnson. She was (and still is) an American poet, memoirist, actress, author, producer and an important figure in the fight for equality on the bases of race, gender, ability and literacy.
She is also very well known for her six-part autobiography beginning with the book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, along with her poetry. Her volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Drink of Cool Water 'Fore I Die was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
Mrs. Angelou read her poem On the Pulse of Morning at President William "Bill" Clinton's inauguration in 1993.
She has been highly honored for her work by the United States Government and has been given many honorary bachelor's and master's degrees by many respected colleges and universities.
May Angelou is also famous for addressing issues such as race, gender inequality, poverty, love and loneliness in her poems, essays and stories. You may read the poem On the Pulse of Morning for further explanation of how literally skilled this poet truly is.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
On Inspiring Integrity & Celebrating Family
Inspiring Integrity
Integrity is an important thing in our lives because without integrity the world would be filled with sinister scums and thieves who have no sense of what is right or wrong. But with integrity people would be able to live in harmony with one another and the world would be a better place.
George Washington had integrity and his fellow countrymen loved him. Lewis and Clark had integrity and it created the strong bond between them and their men. There are numerous people who reached a certain immortality because of integrity.
To inspire integrity I should first have it myself and show that life changes for the better when you have it. Also, I should show that with integrity you would be happier and other's lives would be much easier, too.
Celebrating Family
Family is one thing all humans have and need. Your family loves, cares and supports you - a fact that some solitary people hate to confront. A person without a family is like a single blade of grass in the middle of a dry field, with no one to support him when he is down, to share his sorrows with and no one to share his joy with.
As a matter of fact, a family does not even have to be only with your true parents. An orphan could be adopted, people join together in groups and form their own families and we all belong in the family of the human race. Race, religions, languages and traditions do not keep people apart - it's the prejudices that do this.
The pilgrims had their families in the "New World" and were able to survive in the wilderness. Pioneers of America had their families and friends who tended to them and kept them company on the vast and lonely plains in harsh conditions. Countless inventors had their families who helped them when they were in need. Today many of us have families that love and care for us and provide food and education for us.
To celebrate family I should start by returning the care and affection they show me, be glad that I have such a wonderful family and treasure it.
Integrity is an important thing in our lives because without integrity the world would be filled with sinister scums and thieves who have no sense of what is right or wrong. But with integrity people would be able to live in harmony with one another and the world would be a better place.
George Washington had integrity and his fellow countrymen loved him. Lewis and Clark had integrity and it created the strong bond between them and their men. There are numerous people who reached a certain immortality because of integrity.
To inspire integrity I should first have it myself and show that life changes for the better when you have it. Also, I should show that with integrity you would be happier and other's lives would be much easier, too.
Celebrating Family
Family is one thing all humans have and need. Your family loves, cares and supports you - a fact that some solitary people hate to confront. A person without a family is like a single blade of grass in the middle of a dry field, with no one to support him when he is down, to share his sorrows with and no one to share his joy with.
As a matter of fact, a family does not even have to be only with your true parents. An orphan could be adopted, people join together in groups and form their own families and we all belong in the family of the human race. Race, religions, languages and traditions do not keep people apart - it's the prejudices that do this.
The pilgrims had their families in the "New World" and were able to survive in the wilderness. Pioneers of America had their families and friends who tended to them and kept them company on the vast and lonely plains in harsh conditions. Countless inventors had their families who helped them when they were in need. Today many of us have families that love and care for us and provide food and education for us.
To celebrate family I should start by returning the care and affection they show me, be glad that I have such a wonderful family and treasure it.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He was also a great inventor. One of his many inventions is the lightning rod. The lightning rod is used by many people today and really helps decrease the chances of fire caused by lightning.
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 on Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts. His father was Josiah Franklin. Josiah Franklin was a tallow chandler. Josiah's second wife was Benjamin Franklin's mother. Josiah had seventeen kids altogether; Ben Franklin was the fifteenth child and the tenth and last son.
Josiah Franklin could only afford to send Benjamin to school for two years. Benjamin attended Boston Latin School but didn't graduate. Though Benjamin had only attended school for a short time, he continued his education through avid reading.
At the age of twelve, Benjamin was apprenticed to his older brother James, a printer. Later, Benjamin escaped the apprenticeship without his brother's consent and became a fugitive.
When Benjamin was seventeen, he went to Philadelphia. He worked in several printer shops but still wasn't satisfied. Also at age seventeen, he proposed to Deborah Read. However, her mother declined his offer. Afterwards, Benjamin went to London. During his absence, Deborah married John Rodger, but Rodgers escaped to Barbados and took the dowry with him. After Benjamin came back, Deborah married Benjamin.
In 1733, Benjamin published Poor Richard's Almanac under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. Though everyone knew that it was actually Benjamin writing the almanac, he denied. He stopped writing it in 1758.
One of Benjamin's greatest inventions was the lightning rod. In 1752, Benjamin conducted the famous kite-flying experiment in which he was able to prove that lightning was electricity. During the 1700s, lightning was the main cause of many fires. Many of the houses were made of wood and once they were struck, they would completely burn down.
Benjamin wanted to fix that, so he invented the lightning rod. The lightning rod is a metal rod attached to the outside of a house or building. One end of the rod points toward the sky and the other end is connected to a cable which goes ten feet underground. The rod attracts lightning and once the rod is struck, it takes the charge underground and decreases the number of fires that are caused by lightning.
On April 17, 1790, Benjamin Franklin died at age 84. Approximately 20,000 people attended his funeral.
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 on Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts. His father was Josiah Franklin. Josiah Franklin was a tallow chandler. Josiah's second wife was Benjamin Franklin's mother. Josiah had seventeen kids altogether; Ben Franklin was the fifteenth child and the tenth and last son.
Josiah Franklin could only afford to send Benjamin to school for two years. Benjamin attended Boston Latin School but didn't graduate. Though Benjamin had only attended school for a short time, he continued his education through avid reading.
At the age of twelve, Benjamin was apprenticed to his older brother James, a printer. Later, Benjamin escaped the apprenticeship without his brother's consent and became a fugitive.
When Benjamin was seventeen, he went to Philadelphia. He worked in several printer shops but still wasn't satisfied. Also at age seventeen, he proposed to Deborah Read. However, her mother declined his offer. Afterwards, Benjamin went to London. During his absence, Deborah married John Rodger, but Rodgers escaped to Barbados and took the dowry with him. After Benjamin came back, Deborah married Benjamin.
In 1733, Benjamin published Poor Richard's Almanac under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. Though everyone knew that it was actually Benjamin writing the almanac, he denied. He stopped writing it in 1758.
One of Benjamin's greatest inventions was the lightning rod. In 1752, Benjamin conducted the famous kite-flying experiment in which he was able to prove that lightning was electricity. During the 1700s, lightning was the main cause of many fires. Many of the houses were made of wood and once they were struck, they would completely burn down.
Benjamin wanted to fix that, so he invented the lightning rod. The lightning rod is a metal rod attached to the outside of a house or building. One end of the rod points toward the sky and the other end is connected to a cable which goes ten feet underground. The rod attracts lightning and once the rod is struck, it takes the charge underground and decreases the number of fires that are caused by lightning.
On April 17, 1790, Benjamin Franklin died at age 84. Approximately 20,000 people attended his funeral.
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