Barbara Kingsolver's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Taylor receives no explanation from the woman who leaves Turtle with her, yet Taylor still takes on huge responsibility of caring for the child. Then, Taylor starts to notice a lot of things that makes her wandering what happened with the little girl. Taylor starts noticing Turtle’s smile while she was bathing her, and she also discovers that Turtle has been sexually molested and abused. By discovering these details of Turtle’s life, Tylor want to know more about Turtle’s life. She start working, but Tylor keeps thinking about Turtle. For example, in page (69) Tylor starts the work at Burger Derby, but after 6 days she quiet. She kept thinking about Tylor and who will take care of her while she is in work. That shows how Tylor start acting like mother when she left her job and tried to find a good place for her and

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.

Lou Ann is another character who shows female strength throughout the book. She is a single mother, but she feels she can’t do it alone because of her low self esteem. Lou Ann thinks she needs a husband around her to help with her child, but she finds herself realising she is just as capable with or without a man around. “And it struck her that his presence was different from the feeling of women filling up the house. He could be there or not and it hardly made any difference. Like a bug or a mouse scratching in the cupboards at night-you could get up and chase after it, or just go back to sleep and let it be. This was good she decided.” (page 65). Lou Ann starts to gain confidence as a mother. As soon as she sees Taylor question her confidence about whether or not she is good for Turtle she swoops in and tells her “You fight back, Taylor. Nobody picks on you and lives to tell the tale.” (Page 179), And “Well, don’t feel like the one ranger,”she said. “Nobody is.”. When Taylor is having legal issues with turtle, she starts to lose hope again, so Lou tells her, “When I met you, that first day you came over here, I thought to myself, ‘Bonita Jankenhorn, roll over. This one is worth half a dozen of you packed up in a box and gift-wrapped.’” She explains how highly she thinks of Taylor and that she needs

The characters Taylor and Turtle are an example of a nontraditional family that is just as strong as a traditional one. They meet the bare minimum requirements for a healthy mother daughter relationship. Taylor takes Turtle to Doctor Pelinowski’s in order to check out the damage of Turtle’s prior injuries. With this action, Taylor proves how she takes time out of her day to ensure Turtle’s well being, just as a traditional mother does. This care is necessary for every kind of family to be strong. Next, Taylor worries about

During their picnic at the lake, Taylor sees Turtle burying her doll. She explains to Turtle that dolls don't grow when they are planted. When Turtle says "Mama”(Kingsolver 281), Taylor finally realizes that Turtle must have seen her mother buried. Now it’s Taylors job to inform Turtle that her parents are gone, but in a comforting way. Taylor says, “‘I'm sorry’, I said. ‘It’s awful, awful sad when people die. You don’t ever get to see them again. You understand that she’s gone now, don’t you”(282). Turtle now knows to some extent that her mama is gone(she might not completely understand since she is just a child). However, Turtle can now move on now that Taylor has helped her on her journey to be reunited with her family. Now Taylor moves on from helping Turtle find her family and legally adopt Turtle and become her mother. Just as Turtle in a similar way must fit in with her new home, Taylor helps Estevan and Esperanza fit in with theirs.

Taylor takes in Turtle, her new daughter, and begins to care and love her even though she knows nothing about Turtle and her past life; demonstrating how Kingsolver believes anybody can move on from a tough past if somebody is there and cares about them. Taylor asks the manager of the bed and breakfast she wishes to stay at: “you won't mind if I just bring the poor kid in here to warm up while you decide”(22). Even though Taylor has just been given Turtle

In that case if anyone who is trying to put her down will end up failing. Maya is really proud of her appearance and not afraid to show that. As shown above it is explain that when you are strong and have confidence nothing will stop you from moving forward in life. As you can tell this poem is a very good advice from the author herself she includes how other people get amazed by the confidence she has. After all it is all about the confidence you carry at all times and putting aside all the negative things you carry that hurts

During her graduation, two speeches were given, one was from a fellow black student who directed his speech in the way of pathos in which he tried to evoke emotion and motivate all the students to be their best despite their backgrounds. The other speaker was a white man, who was an elected official and went more the way of ethos, using ethical words, which made him lose the audience. He implied that all the white kids would go on to do great things and all the black kids would go to be athletes or do some sort of social work. In Maya’s essay titled “Graduation,” Angelou mentions “The white kids were going to have a chance to become Galileos and Madame Curies and Edisons and Gauguins, and our boys (the girls weren’t even in on it) would try to be Jesse Owenses and Joe Louises” (51). From this quote I can resonate with the fact that people, including my mother thought that white kids had more of an opportunity to be great as opposed to minorities, which is why she moved me so I could be a Galileo, or a Madame Curie. Also, that shows how I might relate to Maya in the fact that even though they are two completely different times, the reality is that based on race or being colored there is a pre-placed weight on one’s shoulder to break past that. Another quote that resonated with me personally is when Angelou discusses the speech made by Henry Reed- “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” (Reed qtd. in Angelou 53). I personally think that this quote compares Maya and I’s thinking because she felt like she had no control over her life and it was determined, and at one point my mother felt like that was going to be my path, however we both chose to be the “captain of our own soul”. I could of chose to be a stereotype and be like the majority but I decided to take my life into my own hands

The poems “ I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou are both poems that speak on the issues of the mistreatment of African Americans, and how these challenges were created simply by the color of one’s skin and overcome. While the poems “Mother To Son” and “ Dreams” by Langston Hughes refer to the hopes of African Americans for a better standard of living, and the consequences of departing from these dreams of bettering themselves. This comparison of these four poems is important because all four aim to better society for African Americans, and inform the population struggles that they maybe be able to relate, and provide them with the inspiration to keep pushing forward. These poems explain why the desire for equality was so important to African americans at this time, and what they had to go through to get it. I believe that these poems are all used as methods of expression, information, as well as rebellion against the racial in injustice that was suffered for so long.

In Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, important aspects of the African American women’s experience in America in the early/mid. 1900’s are discussed such as the physical abuse and emotional abuse they endured and their social standing in society. In both novels you are able to witness the anguish and persecution that these women had to undergo. Maya from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Celie from The Color Purple are the main characters and we see that they are both differentiated against during their journeys of life. Men in their lives take advantage of both women and they are used for sexual pleasure, and as slaves. They are not treated fairly as they should be and people in their

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,

Religion is the backbone for stability when things are going wrong. It can be used as comfort for the future and can be a moral way of living life. In the novel “I know why the caged bird sings” by Maya Angelou, in this autobiography, it reveals the childhood or Maya Angelou and the hardships of growing up. She was abandoned by her parents when they had sent here and her brother to stamps Arkansas to live with their grandmother. From the beginning to end we see a growth in her character and this essay will explain how religion help shaped her into the person she became. In this paper, you will see the various places where religion is brought up and explained the significance of the event to the growth of Maya Angelou and her environment. This

Storytelling helps other people to emotionally connect themselves to the author so that they know they are not the only ones who are experiencing a painful or exciting experience, and are able to share the same emotions. It often helps other people to know what they should do in order to get over it when it comes to a painful experience. Maya Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings explores the life of Maya Angelou and the struggles she has been throughout her childhood to her adulthood. Richard Wagemese’s Indian Horse explores the life of Saul Indian Horse and the struggles he has been through after departing from his family. The power of storytelling can unfold questions which ask the audience of how and why are the events are unfold the

Maya Angelou describes what her life with her grandmother is like while constantly being discriminated against her race. She then found her father, and he leaves Maya and Bailey off to their mother’s house. There, the mother’s boyfriend rapes Maya. After suffering from psychological shock, Maya then moves back to her grandmother’s. As a teenager Maya gets nervous about her sexual identity and tries to discover it. Through these harsh times, the naïve and softhearted Maya grows to become a strong, independent woman.