Maya Angelou (Post 5)

Maya Angelou is well known for her poetry, best-selling literary work, TV and film acting appearances, TV screen writing work, dancing background, and civil rights activism in the 1960’s. However, many people may not know that she has also directed films. Her most well known film is “Down In the Delta.” The film is based on a grandmothers will to rescue her daughter from drug and alcohol abuse, and prevent her grandson from getting caught up in the inner city streets of Chicago. To save her family, grandma Rosa pawns a silver candelabra called “Nathan” that has been in her family since the 19th century in order to buy bus tickets for her daughter and grand children. Rosa’s plan is to send her family to rural Mississippi for the summer, and give her drug, alcoholic daughter the responsibility of earning money to return home and buy the family’s heirloom back from the pawnshop.

In reference to the article Author/Auteur, authoring in film made by women is characterized by the authors approach by simultaneously conforming to and subverting patriarchal literary standards. Angelou has conformed to the traditional patriarchal standards by sticking to the conventional stereotypes of women caring for their families.

Her authoring essence is also apparent with her use of confrontation with culture. This is evident in her approach with Thomas’s character. She uses his character to confront the difficulty of staying away from gang violence for a young black boy living in the inner city.

According to the Author/ Auteur article, women also demonstrate their authoring ability by creating monstrous or madwomen characters, such as Loretta’s character. This is evident in the scene where Rosa’s finds Loretta strung-out in a crack house.

The article also discusses the authoring signature. Angelou expressed her authoring signature in a 1999 Ebony magazine article.

"In all of my work, I try to tell the human truth--what it is like to be a human ... what makes us stumble and tumble and fall and somehow miraculously rise and go on from darkness into light," …"This is what drew me to Down in the Delta. It is a story of these very kind of human truths, a story to remind us that, as human beings, we are more alike than different."

Critics have applauded her use of poetry and her ability to relay a message to the audience with her sensitive and intelligent approve to the subject.