Maya Angelou was a prominent American poet, novelist, and singer who is best known for her six autobiographies. An important part of her biography is her siblings. How many siblings did Maya Angelou have?
Maya Angelou had four siblings, with whom she experienced both joy and sadness. She was the second child; her older brother, Bailey Jr., was first, followed by her younger brother, Paul, and two younger sisters, Vivian and Margaret. All four siblings were raised in Stamps, Arkansas, by their paternal grandmother. Unfortunately, when Maya and her brother were just 8 and 6 years old, respectively, their parents got divorced.
Soon after, the siblings were separated from each other, with Maya and Bailey going to stay with their mother in St. Louis and Paul, Vivian, and Margaret remaining with their grandmother in Stamps. Bailey eventually left for Oakland, California, leaving Maya alone with her mother. At various points in her life, Angelou moved between St. Louis, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, only to return to Stamps to spend time with her grandmother and her siblings.
Angelou once said of her siblings, “The four of us were really, really close in Stamps…We had a closeness you rarely find”. She and her siblings maintained their strong connection despite the distance that separated them. Even when they weren’t together, they would still write letters to one another. Vivian and Margaret would often take their youngest brother Paul back to Stamps with them to spend time with their grandmother and with Maya and Bailey.
In her works, Maya Angelou speaks fondly of her four siblings, writing about how close they were to each other and how their separation affected them. Angelou also dedicated several of her works to her siblings. “Letter to My Sister” was dedicated to her youngest sister Margaret, and her collection of poems titled “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water `fore I Diiie” was dedicated to her older brother Bailey Jr.
Maya Angelou had four siblings who were close to one another despite the distance that separated them. They maintained a strong connection and their separation had a profound effect on each of their lives. Maya Angelou’s relationships with her siblings were also integral to her works as she dedicated several of her works to her siblings in acknowledgement of their close bond.
The Siblings of Maya Angelou
The siblings of Maya Angelou have an important place in both her biography and her works. Maya Angelou’s oldest brother was Bailey Jr., followed by her younger brother Paul and her two younger sisters Vivian and Margaret. All four of them shared a special bond and were very close, especially while growing up in Stamps, Arkansas. Maya Angelou even wrote about their closeness and the effect of their separation in her works.
The Separation of Maya Angelou’s Siblings
Maya Angelou and her siblings were separated at a very young age. When their parents got divorced, their grandmother took in the younger three siblings, while Maya and Bailey were taken in by their mother in St. Louis. The four of them moved between St. Louis, San Francisco and Los Angeles, never staying together for too long. Despite this, they still managed to maintain their strong connection through writing letters to one another.
Maya Angelou’s Works Dedicated to her Siblings
Maya Angelou’s works have an undeniable connection to her siblings, and she dedicated several of them to her siblings. Her collection of poems titled “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water `fore I Diiie” was dedicated to her brother Bailey, and her essay titled “Letter to My Sister” was dedicated to her youngest sister Margaret. By doing this, Angelou acknowledged the strong bond that existed between her and her siblings.
The Impact of Maya Angelou’s Siblings on her Life and Works
The siblings of Maya Angelou had an undeniable impact on her life and works. Despite the distance, the closeness of the siblings still remained intact, and the separation had a profound effect on the siblings’ lives. Angelou wrote fondly of her siblings in her works and also dedicated some of her works to her siblings, which further demonstrates the importance of her siblings in her life.
The Legacy of Maya Angelou’s Siblings
Maya Angelou’s siblings remain a part of her legacy, even after her death. Many of her works were dedicated to them, highlighting her appreciation for the bond that existed between her and her siblings. Even though they were eventually separated, the bond between the four of them remained strong throughout the years. They also each had an undeniable impact on Maya Angelou’s life and works, and their legacy remains with her works today.
