Analysis I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

After Maya started speaking again at the age of 13, thanks to one of her teacher and as well as a family friend, Mrs. Bertha Flowers who helped her cope though that ruff time period, she had a whole new outlook on what she wanted to do with her life . “It was through literature that she found her voice again. And what a voice it was and is.” (Emilie M. Townes). By the age of 14, during World War II, Maya was living with her mother and brother in Oakland California. She attended the California Labor School where she had won a scholarship to study drama and dance at San Francisco’s Labor School. Three weeks after graduating from school at the age of 17, she gave birth to her son who was named Guy Johnson. Shortly afterwards, she dropped out of school and became the first African American female cable car conductor.

Maya Angelou is a leader by example, she sets the standard by her actions and the stories she tells teaches the audience a lesson. Majority of her work is to inform us of the past and she wants us to learn from her experiences in life; she is a life teacher. The purpose of this poem was to inform us of the history of our country. The poem is titled “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” and her purpose of writing this is to teach the reader why the caged bird sings. Maya Angelou wants to put the reader in her shoes to get the ultimate experience of racial inequality but instead by taking the role of a caged bird or a free bird.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Specifically it will discuss the themes of racism and segregation, and how these strong themes are woven throughout this moving autobiography. Maya Angelou recounts the story of her early life, including the racism and segregation she experiences throughout her formative years. With wit, sincerity, and remarkable talent, Angelou portrays racism as a product of ignorance and prejudice. However, she finds the strength to rise above this crippling condition.

African Americans living in the south face a lot of hate and prejudice. The civil rights movement improved the lives of many blacks. Maya Angelou in her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, uncovers the racism that blacks face and how Maya begins to think she is less equal that whites.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiographical novel written by Maya Angelou, was published in the year 1969. The novel follows Maya as a young girl facing challenges such as racism and sexism following the civil rights movement. While reading the book, the reader is introduced to events in history such as the Great Depression and World War II.

What was the effect of the Black fighter, Joe Louis ' victory over his white opponent?

“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she- roes!” - Maya Angelou. What does it mean to be an American? To many, freedom in America isn't free. To many others, being Americans means the freedom of speech, freedom from poverty, and freedom to live. We all are humans, we all are Americans. We as a unique community, have a variety of ethnics, individuals whom seeks freedom to succeed and achieve greatness. Unlike freedom like we dream it to be, the novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou illustrates the story of a girl who is molested, harassed, assaulted during her young childhood ages. Now is shaped into a girl who is living in a society like no other. A girl, who lives with her grandparents, from

Everybody in the town of Stamps always trembled with the anticipation. Today is the day that all the large classes from grammar school and high school were finally graduating. As the ceremony began the principal welcomed parents and friends. The principal talked about the “great leader” Booker T. Washington our great leader. Like a river diminishing to a stream and then to a trickle his voice became quiet.. He cleared his throat and said “ Our speaker tonight, who is also our friend, came from Texarkana to deliver the commencement address, but due to irregularity of the train schedule, he’s going to, as they say ‘speak and run’. He said that we understood and we wanted the man to know that we were most grateful for the time he was able to give

A strong and influential memoirist is able to grasp the reader’s attention and dive into topics bigger than themselves. Maya Angelou, the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, describes herself as neither a hero nor a victim as she recollects her past. Growing up, Maya Angelou not only suffered from white prejudice and gender inequality, she was presented with situations that made her feel powerless. According to Angelou, “The Black female is assaulted in her tender years by all those common forces of nature at the same time that she is caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice, whites illogical hate and Black lack of power,” (Angelou, 272). However, she found herself persevering through all of the adversity she faced and accepted her reality: “the fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement” (Angelou, 272). Angelou did an exceptional job of describing herself as neither a hero nor a victim in her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Throughout her life, Marguerite experiences many different situations and people that all contribute to the way she grows up and the person she becomes. Despite some of her tragic circumstances, she learns a lot growing up, mainly because of the African-American women in her life who teach her all different life lessons. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Marguerite gets to absorb teachings from her mother (Vivian), Mrs. Bertha Flowers, and her grandmother (Momma). These women allow Marguerite to learn and grow as an African-American female, all while paving her own way.

Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya shields herself against the confusion of St. Louis by reading fairy-tales and telling herself that she does not intend on staying there anyway. Vivian works in a gambling parlor at night. Maya pities Mr. Freeman because he spends his days at home waiting for Vivian to return. Maya begins sleeping at night with Vivian and Mr. Freeman because she suffers from nightmares. One morning after Vivian has left the bed and the house,

Most novels have at least a bit of history in them. The Law of Now and Then is the conflict between novel and history. It can be applied to Maya Angelou’s life changing novel, I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings, because she writes her own point-of-view about events that happened in history; however, she is able to write the novel in a literalistic way. Also, Angelou wrote this novel with a child then adult perspective while she tells her own story. It may also be applied because we now can feel the pain and suffering that blacks then had to deal with and that will always be in history. A major event in history included in the book is when she became the first black and female streetcar conductor which was a pretty big deal back in the day. Ever

Maya finally tells Bailey what happened to her and who did it, he tells the

Near the end of the poem it is revealed that the bird “opens his throat to sing” Maya Angelou felt this way in her own life. She wrote, sang and danced because it was her way of expressing her longing for freedom despite being oppressed for most of her life. Although freedom, to the caged bird, is “fearful” because it is “unknown”, he still sings “a fearful trill”. The cries of help are heard but the overarching parents only hear it as background noise.

Usually during in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings humor is most often ironic and more often than not it is situational. “Often, the same speaker would reintroduce the same topic throughout with little uptake from others.”(B) The most humorous aspect in the autobiography is the church fight scene. The sunday begins like any other Sunday but this was how it began, the book says, “Deacon Jackson, a tall, thin, quiet man, who was also a part-time Sunday school teacher, gave a scream like a falling tree, leaned back on thin air and punched Reverend Taylor on the arm. It must have hurt as much as it caught the Reverend unawares. There was a moment's break in the rolling sounds and Reverend Taylor jerked around surprised, and hauled off and punched