Maya Angelou Essay

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.

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.

Thesis: Maya Angelou’s experiences with racism, female subjection……are evident influences to her literature….such as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”

Maya Angelou tells of her life experiences and struggles in her book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” that gives us insight about Maya’s life as a young black girl growing up in a time of racism. The novel discusses various forms of oppression that she had to face as well cope with them. Robert A. Gross wrote an analysis for Newsweek about the book and claimed that Angelou’s book is not only an interesting story of her own experience, but also a portrayal of a Southern black community, thus being a historic reference of the 1930’s. Joanne Megna-Wallace backs up Gross’s claim in her critique of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and also stresses the importance of the novel as a historic book, and also discusses how Maya Angelou intended the autobiography to target the historic circumstances of the time period. However, these two analyses portray the novel in two completely different ways. Robert Gross views the novel as a well-written story that was cleverly thought out and racism has a slight impact on the main character’s life. He views the autobiography as being a beautiful story that portrays the warmth and understanding within the black community, whereas Wallace argues that Maya Angelou’s autobiography is way of exposing the horrific racist conditions that made up her childhood. She focuses on Maya Angelou’s struggle and the tragic events that made her the woman she is.

The memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiography written by Maya Angelou as she grew up in the mid-20th century, where being a black girl and facing racial issues in society, had to overcome many problems that show the larger issue of the time period. I chose this book over the other nineteen memoirs because of the strong recommendations I received from my fellow class mates, and because of my interest in racial issues during the terrible times of segregation. Life was not fair, and Maya Angelou had to face a lot during the 30’s and 40’s in order to try to live a normal lifestyle and become a confident person. Maya shares her story with us to increase our knowledge of racism, prejudice, unequal treatment of women, and sexual

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.

Maya Angelou has been awarded over 30 honorary degrees and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her 1971 volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie. Again, the theme of this volume of poetry focuses on Angelou's perspective on what it means to be a black woman in the United States, but also address experiences common to all people. The book has two parts, "Where Love is a Scream of Anguish" and "Just Before the World Ends." The first

Maya Angelou’s classic novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a tale of an African American family facing racism, oppression and prejudice acts in the deep south of Stamps, Arkansas in the 1930’s and 1950’s. Throughout Maya’s early childhood she suffers from traumatizing events, that leads to her powerful voice of inspiration that challenges the dominant ideology of racism. Throughout Maya’s novel her tone can be summarized as personal, scorn, and serious. Her purpose of writing I know Why the Caged Bird Sings was to tell her and her family's story of survival; resilence. To grace the world with enlightenment on how strong the African American community could be if we were to work together.

Maya Angelou was an American author, poet, dancer, actress, and singer. Her many accomplishments speak for her talent; however, Angelou was not always so accomplished and self-assured. Angelou’s memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, is a bildungsroman created by a progressive process of affirming identity and resisting racism. Angelou uses a sequence of lessons about identity and racism from helpless rage and indignation to forms of subtle resistance and finally outright protest to illustrate Angelou’s coming of age.

There are many times in life where you will need to change how you look at things because you do not agree at first. Maya Angelou was one of those people who believed this and she learned this from her greatest influences. Such as, her mother, grandmother, neighbor Mrs. Flowers, mother’s boyfriend and the civil rights. All of these individuals and events affected her in different ways by the levels of influence they had on her. Maya Angelou was brought into

Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiography that describes the coming of age of a Southern black girl who overcomes society’s cruelty as she grows up. Taking place in Stamps, Kansas during the 1930s, the autobiography captures Marguerite Ann Johnson’s, or Maya’s, battle of finding herself and coming to terms with who she is while growing up in a time period comprised of oppression and discrimination. Furthermore, Maya endures many childhood hardships due to her race, and she defeats these obstacles with her intelligence and fortitude. Thus, Maya Angelou utilizes her vividly detailed experiences of racism’s impact on her and her resistance to racism to demonstrate the struggle of the Southern black girl who grows up in a society overwhelmed with white superiority.

The main purpose of Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is to recount the early life of Maya Angelou, through the eyes of her childhood. The book shows how her testimony marks the beginning of a new era: how racism and segregation helped her become a voice for the problems of our time, especially for women. As a child, thinking of herself as a fat black girl trapped in a twisted reality, she internalized that blonde hair and white skin were beautiful. She was raised in Stamps, Arkansas, a place so segregated that she believed white people were only a figment of the black imagination: “In Stamps the segregation was so complete that most Black children didn’t really, absolutely know what whites looked like” (25). As she grew older, she was continually a victim of discrimination: in a power play, her white boss shortened her name, Marguerite, to Mary. Angelou saw that move as demeaning, the way one would treat a pet animal. Furthermore, a white dentist refused to treat her because of her skin color: “Now, my policy is I don’t treat colored people,” said Dentist Lincoln (188). These two experiences helped Angelou realize how disgusting people could be.

In the following autobiography by Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya is confronted by the insidious effects of racism, segregation, and prejudice at a very young age. The definition of being beautiful, according to Maya, was having blond hair and blue eyes. Thus, Maya from childhood imagined herself as a fat black girl trapped in a nightmare. This intrapersonal dilemma of identity however did not compare to a plethora of overt and personal incidents of prejudice, many of which related back to race and sex. This work of literature took place in the mid to late 1900’s an era in which African Americans did not possess equal rights in America. Aside from racial prejudice, there was a strong negative connotation towards women at the time. But now even in the 21st century it can be seen that traces of prejudice still exist, similar to that in Maya’s memoirs, along with new conflicts that have arisen in our generation.

" A light is supposed to help you see your way; it brightens not just your day, but your path." These were the words spoken by Dr. Maya Angelou, a well-known American poet, an actress, a singer; overall, "a jack of all trades." During Angelou's visit to the Glide Memorial church in San Francisco, she taught the importance of inspiring others and "shining your light" on them despite your differences. Regardless of your ethnicity, sexuality, gender, religion or age; you should treat everyone with kindness and with the upmost respect. She teaches this lesson to her audience by reflecting on the hardships throughout her life; all while managing to come out being victorious and being an inspiration to people throughout her literary work and her

“Alone” by Maya Angelou and “The Ballad of the Landlord” by Langston Hughes, both used similar and different techniques to develop their themes. In “Alone” a person gives advice that life is hard when you're alone. In “The Ballard of the Landlord” a man is faced with a unfair landlord. The theme for “Alone” is life is hard on your own and the theme for “The Ballard of the Landlord” is life can be unfair. Angelou and Hughes both used similar and different techniques to develop their themes.