I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou Analysis

Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri (1928) as Marguerite Johnson; however she grew up in Stamps, Arkansas where her grandmother ran a general store. Angelou has acted and written several plays, poems, and a six-part autobiography “I Know Why the caged Bird Sings” making her one of this country’s foremost black writers. In this story Angelou tells about how her grandmother (momma) triumphs over a pack of taunting neighborhood children. I feel very strongly about this particular piece given the time set and the way black people were treated by the whites, and how without harsh words or threats some black people overcame the taunting and cruelties of the whites.

Have you ever considered how a young, insecure, black girl growing up in the South during the 1930s dealt with physical and verbal discrimination directed toward her African American race? This may not seem like a big deal at first, but consider that this was a time before the African American Civil Rights Movement; a time during which racism and segregation were a fact of life. It was a daily struggle for blacks to live in a society that clearly and openly did not accept them as equal people. They were frequently ridiculed and disrespected just because of the color of their skin. Since they were evidently treated

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.

The type of language that an author uses in his or her work can greatly impact the outcome. One such example of this was in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, in which she used certain types of language to characterize herself when she was younger and the society that she grew up in. Her choice of language used in the end of Chapter 16 helps to characterize her desire to quit working for Mrs. Cullinan, her resistance to the discrimination that she puts up with while she works, and the fact that Mrs. Cullinan changed the names of her servants and workers for her convenience. So, the language used by Angelou in Chapter 16 in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings clearly characterizes Angelou’s younger self, and the society that she

In an excerpt from her novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings called “Graduation,” Maya Angelou narrates the anticipation surrounding graduation in her small town of Stamps, Alabama. Angelou effectively contrives noteworthy differences between paragraphs 1 through 5 and 6 through 10 through the use of emotional and descriptive diction, powerfully bold comparisons, and a shift in perspective in order to instill pride and dignity in Angelou and her race despite the era’s highlighted social injustices which she endures.

Maya Angelou is one of the most distinguished African American writers of the twentieth century. Writing is not her only forte she is a poet, director, composer, lyricist, dancer, singer, journalist, teacher, and lecturer (Angelou and Tate, 3). Angelou’s American Dream is articulated throughout her five part autobiographical novels; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Gather Together in my Name, Singin’ and Swingin’ and Getting’ Merry Like Christmas, The Heart of a Woman, and All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes. Maya Angelou’s American Dream changed throughout her life: in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya’s American dream was to fit into a predominantly white society in small town

Mrs.Flowers is everything that embodies a poised, powerful, and bold, southern African American women in Maya’s life. She is looked at as a mentor to Maya through a period in her young life. As an educated and wealthy women, everyone aspires to be her, especially Maya. Bertha Flowers introduces Maya to the importance of education with books and the introduction of sociable relations with others. The gravity of how much Mrs.Flowers means to Maya can only be explained in this interaction were Maya gushes, “ She was one of the few gentle women I have ever known, and has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be (Caged Bird 92). We can see that Angelou recalls even from her childhood and now to adulthood in writing this book that Mrs.Flowers has truly changed her life with a goal of someone she can aspire to be one day. If we follow this relationship further we can see how Mrs. Flowers has been her saving grace, following her rape she has given Maya an outlet to find her voice. This outlet is reading, she gives Maya books on top of books to read, but the catch is that Maya must read every book, every paragraph , every word out loud. Maya struggles immensely with this predicament, but learns that it is much easier reading someone else's words first and then formulating your own won’t be so burdensome.

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

While reading I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings during the summer, I was engrossed by the way Maya Angelou depicted the horrors she faced growing up during segregation in USA. Her voice rang raw throughout the book as she unearthed the truth about discrimination and rape.

The theme that Maya Angelou incorporates into her autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is one of imprisonment because of the oppression dictated on the subject through the misconceptions of society. The title itself suggests imprisonment as the overlying theme. Assuming that the bird mentioned in the title is Maya, one can analyze that the cage is the oppressive beliefs of society and the reason why the bird sings is that it wants to combat racism by explaining that the cage cannot confine it from its freedom. Maya Angelou is commenting that the subject should always fight against the respective cage that each person is constricted within and not mourn over the suffering and restrictions that one has to go through. Maya Angelou employs character and conflict into her autobiography in order to effectively develop a theme of imprisonment and overcoming the oppression inflicted upon oneself.

At a young age, Maya Angelou realized the worth of words when an incident caused her to stop speaking at the age of seven. She was sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend and when she confided in her uncles about the rape, they murdered him out of rage. She believed that words were powerful and during the time that she did not speak, she began to grow a liking towards books and poetry. Prior to her writing career, Maya Angelou worked various professions such as being “a waitress, cook, and a madam who managed prostitutes” (“Angelou”). Later, she went on to becoming a singer and a dancer and appeared at the nightclub, the Purple Onion. There her pen name Maya Angelou was born. Her writing career began when she published her autobiographical novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and from the success of the book, she continued to publish her poems. Maya Angelou’s personal story influences her works, “In her writings, Angelou has often aimed to speak for all African-Americans by concentrating on her own experiences and feelings” (“Angelou”). Maya Angelou’s works connect to her ancestors and the racial discrimination she herself went through.

Maya Angelou’s autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, portrays the African American experience through stories of her childhood and early adulthood during the 1940s-1960s. Angelou grew up with her grandmother, Momma, in a segregated town named Stamps where she learned what growing up African American really meant. In this time period the Civil Rights Act was not yet passed, therefore racism and discrimination was at an all time high. Angelou along with countless other African Americans were forced to deal with ignorant whites. Growing up in this society was challenging for Angelou, she did not accept herself as she was and wished to be white at times. Despite the hardships, she learned to believe in herself and became proud of who she was (Angelou).

Finally, Maya Angelou had transformed many people's lives she brought one of her life experience when she got abuse into the open and accepted her past by writing one of her best known poems I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Glorifying above all, she broke may barriers in today's society and a wise woman who brought true meaning and wisdom to all of her readers and listeners around the world. Another example is Maya angelou being a great role model and always showing women the power to surpass the many obstacles that women have undergone needs to be done more often, but the fact that our society has a month for women is satisfying to know, Maya Angelou has delivered a message across the world letting others know that women will continue to fight for what they believe is