The Theme of Violence in Cage Bird, Giving Blood, Sand Creek, and An Episode of War

Maya Angelou’s use of symbolism in the book is used to describe her displacement in society and how difficult it is to find self-identity, revealing the form of being a “Caged bird.” Maya is a caged bird because she is aware of the displacement of blacks in America and the entitlement and freedom of whites. “if growing up is as painful for the southern girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat” (Angelou 4). Angelou is aware because of the color of her skin, she is living in a society that does not want her or anyone who looks like her. With her awareness Angelou, “...escapes stasis to become a subject in the perpetual process of forming and emerging. It is a dynamic subjectivity that emerges out

The authors message in this poem is that never ever give up in whatever situation we are in and to express ourselves even though the stronger wants to suppress the weaker. This poem can be considered as the poet’s personal expression. Maya Angelou can be symbolised as the caged bird in the poem. The poet feels like a caged bird because she had no freedom when the African Americans were fighting for equality during the civil rights movement. Maya Angelou is said to have a strong personality as she overcame many adversities and became the famous figure she is

The title for this selection of poems, “Old News”, reflects the theme of racism in this section of Miranda’s memoir. This title is ironic because the problems in these newspaper clips show “new” acts of discrimination against Native Americans. However, the violence depicted in these poems has been recurring for hundreds of years. Since the founding of the American colonies in the 1600s, Native Americans have had their land, families, and sense of safety stolen from them. These European settlers did not understand the culture and behaviors of Native Americans, and, as a

In How to Read Literature Like a Professor it notifies that violence is not just an act to beat one another but it can be interpreted as an intimate act between humans or a cultural/societal act. When there is violence that is brought up into the text it was put there for a reason, for a much deeper meaning that is written. There are two types of violence: a specific injury that causes the characters to visit one another, and when the narrative violence is general harm to the character. Reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor helped with understanding that Faulkner has a lot of tragedy and symbolic deaths that could maybe tie along with some biblical allusions that a reader can draw from.

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

I was also dismayed at the ruthless massacre in 1864 of over one hundred Indian men, women, and children, particularly when these people “talked of peace with the white men” (LaDuke 1999, 78). Looking back, it is indeed very easy to understand the sense of hopelessness and powerlessness the native Indians feel when they wake up every day with the knowledge that the fight is not yet

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.

The main objective of this chapter is to describe violence and its purpose in a literary work.

Two types of violence—Character violence and Narrative violence—Character violence is injury the author causes the character to have but narrative violence is used to enhance the plot

Present examples of the two kinds of violence found in literature. Show how the effects are different.

“Violence- look, we live in a violent world, man. This country was founded on violence. Who’s kidding who?”, complains Bruce Willis. The world is a very violent place. In the media, they only really depict the physical violence. In literature, violence takes on a whole new role with two different forms. Thomas C Foster explains these two forms in How to Read Literature like a Professor. Coincidentally, these two types of violences are shown in Steinbeck’s novella. In Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, both types of literal violence are shown through Crooks and Lennie’s life experiences.

Lucy Terry was an enslaved African American during the colonial period in America. While she was enslaved, there was an Indian attack on two white families that Terry was close to. Her poem “Bars Fight” paints a brutal scene that demonizes the Native Americans while glorifying the colonists. The details Terry gives in her poem give the impression that the colonists were defenseless during the attack. She states that the Indians ambushed them and that “Eleazer Hawks had no time to fight.” The use of this syntax implies that Terry does not think highly of the Native Americans and views them as barbaric. Terry’s opinion of the Indians is further shown by describing them as “awful creatures.” The wording of this shows that Terry sees the Native Americans as monsters rather than humans. It is interesting to note that Terry seems to glorify the colonists. Even though she was thought of as

Violence can be described as a behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. Violence has been around from the beginning and can be seen through history in writing and events that occurred. In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, violence’s jarring effects on societal members are evidenced through various relationships and partnerships, portraying society’s corrupt ideologies and ethics.

The poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou tells the story of two birds: one bird has the luxury of freedom and the second bird lives its life caged and maltreated by an unknown tyrant. Maya Angelou wrote this poem during the Civil Rights Era, the period when black activists in the 1950’s and 1960’s fought for desegregation of African Americans. This poem parallels the oppression that African Americans were fighting during this time period. In “Caged Bird”, Angelou builds a strong contrast that shows the historical context of discrimination and segregation through the use of mood, symbolism, and theme.

The feeling of displacement leaves a painful hole in one's heart. Whether a person is a male or female, white or black, lives in the North or South, or young or old, displacement takes a toll on their character and personality. Maya Angelou creates a theme of displacement in her novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou's novel has been critiqued by many notable scholars for being a classic autobiography. The critics note the importance of the setting to show universal displacement and the use of characterization to display the influences in Angelou's life. The critics also note that Angelou's diction and tone allow her pain and suffering to be evident throughout her novel and into her life. Angelou's use of setting shows how she was personally affected by displacement. She also uses characterization and tone to personalize her childhood experiences. Maya Angelou’s autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is critiqued to have a theme of displacement based on the setting, characterization, and tone.