I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings: A Literary Analysis

“If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat.” (Angelou *). This powerful quote comes from
Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a heart wrenching autobiography that still captivates America with its truths about the pre civil rights era. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has accomplished so many achievements including the Literarian Award in 2013. As Maya and her brother bounce from home to home in the South, they encounter several problems that rip them apart, including abandonment, segregation, rape, and family. The book’s characters are brought to life by Maya’s amazing gift with literature, using vivid imagery, and the mesmerizing relationships between them. As it follows Bailey, Momma, and Maya itself, these characters are truly what brings this story together and seals its title as a classic. Bailey, Maya’s older brother is one of the only consistent people in her life. Bailey exerts strong characteristics, loyalty and trust. Maya and Bailey make a dynamic duo of sorts. Together they overcome obstacles, some small, like how to steal candy from Momma’s shop, others big, like Maya’s witness statement against Mr. Freeman. Together they work through the emotional blocks like abandonment from their parents, and growing up in the cruel south. Bailey hinmself goes through many hardships of his own, like finding a dead man of his race by the
These specific characters, Bailey, Momma, and Maya are who brings this novel to life. One could not ask for a better insight of a black female teen in the pre civil war area. Maya’s exquisite detail and descriptions open doors for those unaware of an early life so horrid. These real people and real events teach so many to never give up on hope, and with a little prayer and trust, things can turn out