Maya Angelou s I Know The Caged Bird Sings - 1836 Words

In Maya Angelou’s I Know the Caged Bird Sings (1969), the reader is absorbed into a personal account of her life starting from her childhood to young adulthood during the 1930s and 1940s. From a young age, Maya witnessed the first-hand effects of racism in the South for blacks growing up alongside her brother, Bailey. In the novel, Angelou faces racial discrimination and displacement inside and outside her own community that act as metaphorical cages barring her from the freedom to be her true self. In the beginning of the novel, Angelou describes the effect of racial discrimination had on her at a young age. Dissatisfied with her appearance for an upcoming church service, Maya imagines herself with blonde hair and blue eyes, which were†¦show more content†¦Maya’s words mirrored the change of mood, â€Å"Donleavy had exposed us† (180) continuing to say, â€Å"We were maids and farmers, handymen and washer-women, and anything higher that we aspired to was farcical and presumptuous† (180). However, African-Americans used any chance they could to prove their rightful place in white society through resistance. For example, in the black community of Stamps, the church revival was a form of resistance. This revival was called to strengthen the masses of blacks against the racism through scripture and prayer. Angelou states, â€Å"The white folks was going to get their comeuppance. Wasn’t that what the minister said, and wasn’t he quoting from the words of God Himself?† (127). Momma also helped in this effort by raising Maya and Bailey in a strictly religious household to protect them from the outside world. This revival gave the blacks in the Stamps community, the strength and energy to go on with life knowing that white people will meet their Maker on the day of judgement. Angelou writes in support, â€Å"although they might be the lowest of the low they were at least not uncharitable, and in that great Gettin’ Up Morning, Jesus was going to s eparate the sheep (them) from the goats (the white folks)† (128). Another way the black community resisted racism is by the legendary Joe Louis boxing match against a white opponent in the 1930s. Maya describes the atmosphere at the Store during the fight, â€Å"MyShow MoreRelatedMaya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings913 Words   |  4 Pages 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 sheRead MoreMaya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1382 Words   |  6 PagesIn Maya Angelou’s novel I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings the main character Maya Angelou struggles with her identity through out the novel. She first started to question her identity after Mr. Freeman raped her. Another time in the novel she questioned her identity was during the barbeque at the bathroom because she did not know which bathroom to use. The last time that she questioned her identity in the novel was when she questioned her sexual identity because she did not know if she was heterosexualRead MorePrejudice in Maya Angelou ´s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings636 Words   |  3 Pagesin the poem, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the much loved poet Maya Angelou uses poetic devices like rhyme, alliteration, metaphors and imagery, to encourage African-Americans to find their voice and earn the respect that they deserved. Imagine reaching for the sky, and actually being able to touch it. In the first stanza in the poem, the author compares a free bird to the white population during times of discrimination. In the first two lines, the author says, The free bird leaps / on theRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1575 Words   |  7 Pagesto feel different, and wish they were someone or something â€Å"better†. In Maya Angelou’s autobiography she demonstrates what its like growing up in a racist community and how it feels to be the outcast. Angelou continuously speaks about being someone different her ideal self, something she is completely different from. She feels this way due to the racist society she lives in. In I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou demonstrates in her autobiography in 1969 that even with love and affectionRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Essay1484 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.† By Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This is the quote my mom has been telling me every day since I was 13 and able to understand it. Maya Angelou wrote this poem in 1969 and it still speaks to millions of people today. Millions of people who have everything to say but never speak. This is just one example, my example on how relatable poems are even if they are hundreds of years old. Being able to relate to a poemRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1219 Words   |  5 PagesLike many African American writers in American history, migration is a defining part of Maya Angelou’s life and character. In her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya thoroughly discusses each of the moves that shape the person she becomes. From St. Louis at seven to a Southern California junkyard at fifteen, Maya’s life is filled with both voluntary and involuntary migrations. Some of these moves are intensely emotionally taxing, while others allow her to grow and flourish. Although herRead 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 MoreDisplacement, a Theme in Maya Angelou ´s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings1603 Words   |  6 Pagesdisplacement leaves a painful hole in ones 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. M aya Angelou creates a theme of displacement in her novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelous 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 characterizationRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings 1036 Words   |  5 PagesFily Thiam English 002 Mrs. Vilato 9 April 2015 Rhetorical Analysis on â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou In Graduation, a chapter in her autobiography â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, Maya Angelou talks vividly about her middle school graduation in the segregated South. Graduation is an important milestone in most people’s life, as they get a degree and move on to their next level, something better and more important, with the hope that they can use their new knowledge to achieve their life goals and