Maya Angelou Research Paper

Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist, author, and poet. She wrote many books and poems that conveyed the vivid experiences in her life. Maya Angelou’s works are well known and she is an eminent writer. One poem in particular that is well known is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” written in 1969. In this work she described racial inequality, and the lack of freedom African Americans experienced in the 1930’s and 40’s. Maya Angelou uses many Rhetorical strategies and literary devices to describe the lack of racial freedom in the world at this time.

In “Caged Bird” Maya Angelou writes, “A free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream...and he names the sky his own.” This shows how the author feels that the free persons are claiming the world their own, while the restrained race watches and can do nothing due to their ‘cage.’ Another example is when Angelou writes, “But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams, his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream” which demonstrates how she feels that without the freedoms others enjoy she is not able to pursue her dreams and goals but instead is ignored. And lastly, in “Caged Bird” the writer says “For the caged bird sings of freedom,” which explains how badly these people want their freedom. It shows that they long for the same rights others don’t appreciate enough.

In her interviews with Oprah she talks about how there is “3 secret words to life” “just do right.” She once said “live your life in a way that you will not regret years of useless virtue and inertia.” Angelou talks about how we should live our life to the fullest and that don’t make any decisions that are going to ruin your life and reputation as a

movement matured her as well as her writing(Maya Angelou DISCovering Authors ). For instance, “The free bird thinks of another breeze../But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams” which compares whites, the free birds, to the blacks, caged birds. As a black female during this time, Maya Angelou learned how to be proud of who she was because the world will always be filled with prejudice.

Angelous friends and family will never forget her and her many awards she was nominated for or even won (Nominations and awards). Through Angelous short and sweet poems, she expresses what she wants to petray to her readers. One of the poems that Angelou wrote caged bird, she wrote it like a song and gets the point across by using an example of two birds. (Caged Bird) Angelou's life best sums up with this quote "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." (13 of Maya Angelou's best

Maya Angelou’s debut autobiography is an article of literature that depicts the life of a young black girl growing up in a world pitted against her, and the resilience she found in herself in order to survive. Angelou is a voice that is not often heard. In a world dominated by a white male narrative, the plights of the minority are often overshadowed. Thus, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an imperative novel as it articulates the life of not only Angelou, but also of the unique experiences that black women in the Jim Crow era faced.

Maya Angelou and the Theme of Racism Poems provide a new insight and portray many meanings. Maya Angelou, born in 1928, was a highly achieved, versatile woman whom is an author, poet, dancer, and actress. In her poems and in life, racism is integrated. This is seen in Angelou’s familial and other life experiences, the literary devices seen in “Still I Rise,” and the extension of the metaphor in “Caged Bird.” Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, MO and soon later moved to a segregated part of AK, known as Stamps.

The memoir written by Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, is a personal and ultimately reflective narrative that presents readers a slew of scenarios fueled by racism and racist people. It brings to light the life and upbringing of an African American girl who is plagued with the knowledge that her people are constant victims of prejudice; all while she struggles within herself over her image and very identity. Many reminders of both ailments are placed throughout the book using a literary device that Angelou excels at, her diction. Utilizing her diction, Maya Angelou is able to portray this society along with herself candidly in Chapter 16 to expose the normalcy of racism and discrimination, the effects it had on her self image

I caged bird, right away I noticed when she portrayed a metaphor in the line "can seldom see through/his bars of rage his wings are clipped and/his feet are tied" (Angelou, 10-13), I personally see the meaning of this as, showing when a person is trapped within themselves not able to see the world in front of them, I also feel that what she is portraying in my point of view is that, you can never get past something if you keep yourself their, I get this idea from the line "can seldom see through/his bars of rage"(Angelou, 10-11) also I feel she's showing what society can do to someone and how they can slow down their progress when she writes "his wings are clipped and/his feet are tied" (Angelou, 12-13)

Maya Angelou is an author and poet who has risen to fame for her emotionally filled novels and her deep, heartfelt poetry. Her novels mainly focus on her life and humanity with special emphasis on her ideas of what it means to live. The way she utilizes many different styles to grab and keep readers’ attention through something as simple as an autobiography is astounding. This command of the English language and the grace with which she writes allows for a pleasant reading experience. Her style is especially prominent in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", where the early events of Angelou’s life are vividly described to the reader in the postmodern literary fashion.

In the poem the free bird lives wistfully and free, but the cage bird lives behind metal bars raging for freedom. Maya gives us details and clues about how the birds feel and live. In stanza three lines twenty through twenty three the poet uses repetition to show us how the dark, depressed bird only longs to be free like the wistful bird. The bird expresses its feelings through singing on a hilltop. It says, “...on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.” It repeats the same lines in stanza six lines thirty-six through thirty-nine. Also in the poem, Maya used symbolism to convey how the dark bird is in oppression, stuck behind closed doors, and unable to free itself. In stanza five lines twenty-seven through thirty it says, “But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.” Overall, Maya Angelou revealed her story and how she felt through the intricate words of this poem. Her emotions are evident and are described through the persecution of the bird in a very intriguing

“Equal rights, fair play, justice, are all like air: we all have it, or none of us has it.” This quote was taken by the poet Maya Angelou, who stressed the idea of equality in many of her works. One of her poems being, “Caged Bird.” In the poem the poet references two birds; one who is trapped in a cage, and the other bird who is free. Growing up as an African American in the 1920’s Angelou faced many hardships. She suffered many racial prejudices, and her writing reflects how cruel her society was. When Angelou was younger, a traumatic event happened that left her mute for many years. However, Angelou was very courageous, and nothing could stop her from doing what she loved—poetry. Angelou was inspired by authors

The two stanzas that focus on the caged bird’s song are repeated, almost like the chorus or refrain of a song. This repetition is important in demonstrating the unending and monotonous nature of the bird’s life, as even in his singing, he finds himself repeated singing the same plea for freedom each day. Despite not knowing of freedom, the caged bird continues to long for it because it's in his nature. Trapped and bound within his cage, he “sings / with a fearful trill,” (31-32) as he worries about both his future, and about what true freedom feels like. He either no longer remembers, or never knew, what it felt like to have this freedom. This is seen in how his singing is for “things unknown / but longed for still” (33-34), as “the caged bird / sings of freedom” (37-38). As such, despite not understanding what freedom is, he longs for it as its so instrumental in a bird’s nature. He does not know what life is like outside of his cage, and while he has only known this imprisonment, he continues to go back to his roots by expressing this need for something that he’s never felt. It's something that is foreign to him, and while this aspect of freedom frightens him, he cannot help but dream of

On the other hand, the caged bird whose “wings are clipped and his feet are tied” represents the people in society who have had everything taken away from them because of prejudice (12-13). The caged bird is a metaphor for the black people in society. They have almost no rights, they are mistreated, and they are very limited with the impact they can have on society because of the color of their skin. The only thing available to the people with a disadvantage is their ability to hope for something better. Angelou writes “the caged bird sings of freedom” (21-22). Although the bird is stuck where he is, in a cage, hope is the only thing he has and hope is what keeps him alive. Without hope, people have nothing. In contrast to the caged bird/black people, the free bird/white people have a different outlook on the barrier that divides the society. The free bird “names the sky as his own” and takes possession of it (26). Taking possession of the sky, which is a metaphor for the leading/successful roles in society, is an act of

However at the poem “But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage, his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing”(10) Actually for me, all my life was a cage - has been about getting an education. My dream was attend a medical university. I graduated high school in Ukraine and after school, I got married and I didn’t have the choice to study. My mom said at that time, “I have money only on one event-wedding or university”, my choice was a wedding because my husband didn’t want me to wait so long because he was almost thirty and I was only seventeen. He was scared to lose