I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou - 6502 Words

Analysis: Chapters 1–5 The lines from the poem Maya cannot finish, â€Å"What are you looking at me for? I didn’t come to stay . . .† capture two of the most significant issues she struggles with in her childhood and young adulthood: feeling ugly and awkward and never feeling attached to one place. First, Maya imagines that though people judge her unfairly by her awkward looks, they will be surprised one day when her true self emerges. At the time, she hopes that she will emerge as if in a fairy-tale as a beautiful, blond white girl. By the age of five or six, Maya has already begun to equate beauty with whiteness, a sign that the racism rampant in the society in which she grows up has infiltrated her mind. Second, uprooted and sent away from†¦show more content†¦Even Willie, whom he deems â€Å"innocent,† has to hide in a potato bin all night while the white men scour the black section of Stamps for a scapegoat. Against the backdrop of such terrifying events, Momma keeps her faith and self-respect, providing an influential example for Maya and Bailey. Her confrontation with the three white girls—another example of the overt insidiousness of racism—becomes a victory for Momma because she refuses to be displaced. While Maya feels apprehension, Momma’s refusal to retreat inside the Store at their approach diffuses any threat the children pose to her authority or her identity. Under her silent, impassive gaze, their antics become an embarrassment to them, not to Momma. Momma addresses the girls with respect, demonstrating her maturity and poise. She shows that, though these girls may be above her on the social ladder, she is better and stronger than they are. In the context of the girls’ ridiculous and terrible behavior, a level to which Momma never stoops herself, Momma’s respectful address becomes ironic. From the beginning, Maya shows that Momma and Baileyâ €”her hero who sticks up for her time and time again—provide her with a loving, respectful foundation that will support her in the future. Analysis: Chapters 6–10 Momma’s philosophy regarding the safest way to deal with whites typifies the attitudes prevalent during the Jim Crow era—the period between 1877 and the mid-1960’s during which a strictShow MoreRelatedI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou1391 Words   |  6 PagesMaya 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 thatRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Essay2303 Words   |  10 PagesOne of the quotes that Maya Angelou spoke about goes â€Å"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.† In two of the poems written by Maya Angelou ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings,’ which inspired millions of readers helped tackle difficulties related to themes such as racism, sexual abuse, equality. â€Å"Still I Rise† explores the idea of racial discrimination along with Abel Meeropol â€Å"Strange Fruit† and ‘Caged Bird’ which was sang by AliciaRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou886 Words   |  4 PagesChampion of the World is a chapter in Maya Angelou s book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings where the focal point describes a very significant event to the African American people during her adolescence. 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Since they were evidently treated differently, many despised the fact that they were black. As a result of their helpless circumstances, it was understandable that many blacks during that time lacked confidence and self-acceptance. Maya Angelou was an African American girl who grew up during this challenging time. During her childhood, she witnessed and experienced racial prejudice first hand. She had difficultly understanding and accepting the consequences that accompanied belongingRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Analysis840 Words   |  4 Pagesperson is none other than Maya Angelou. Angelou has been a famous American poet since the release of her 1969 autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Angelou has inspired many people by telling her life story to the public, but not only did she inspire, she also created a very different and personal point of view of the world we live in. The poem’s she has written transition from pain and suffering or to courage and confidence. Nonetheless, even though Angelou wrote mostly about anguishedRead MoreMaya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings913 Words   |  4 Pages Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sin gs 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 sheRead MoreMaya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings701 Words   |  3 PagesMaya Angelou: â€Å" I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings† In this poem Maya Angelou talks about the civil rights movement. She also express her personal life of what she went through such as being raped at the age of 6 by her mother’s boyfriend and also becoming mute for 5 years. She also states how she got pregnant and had to raise a child at 16. All these events led up to writing this poem from a caged bird that sings point of view. â€Å"Remembrance† In this poem Maya Angelou express how she was being rapedRead MoreMaya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1888 Words   |  8 Pages Maya Angelou once said â€Å"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated† and this phrase speaks volume in comparison to Angelou’s life story. She was born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. The name Maya was given to her by her older brother, Bailey Jr. Maya Angelou is not only a sister, but also an inspirational role model, a mother, an author, a poet, a civil rights activist, and an actor. In 1969 Angelou’s world renowned book â€Å"I Know Why the Caged BirdRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou2313 Words   |  10 Pagesknown as â€Å"Maya† sees beauty as being a blond white girl instead of an African American girl. Becoming a white girl is the only way she feels that she can escape the black hole that she feels she’s so constantly sucked int o. In the book, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, written by Maya Angelou, Marguerite states â€Å"I was going to look like one of the sweet little white girls who were everybody s dream of what was right with the world†(Introduction). Also, Marguerite states â€Å"Because I was really