In the novel “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” Maya Angelou describes her life as a young awkward black girl in the American South during the 1930s and subsequently in California during the 1940s. when Maya is only three her parents divorce and ship Maya and her older brother, Bailey, to live with their paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson, in rural Stamps, Arkansas. Annie, who Maya and Bailey call Momma, runs the only store in the black section of Stamps and becomes the central moral figure in Maya’s childhood. It is actually interesting how much clout she has in the town for a black woman.…
Maya Angelou, the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was a young influential black girl in Stamps, Arkansas. The three most remarkable people in Maya’s life were Bailey, Vivian Baxter, and Grandmother Henderson. Bailey, her brother, was there for her when she needed someone, and Vivian Baxter taught her how to express herself. Grandmother Henderson was the person who always supported Maya Angelou and taught her almost everything she knows.…
While looking at the chapter Champion of the World, written by Maya Angelou, there are some aspects to be related to the trouble women in 1920 faced. This chapter focuses on the witness of a boxing match, through the eyes of Maya Angelou as a child. Growing up in a black community in Arkansas, Angelou recalls the memorable match between Joe Louis and a white contender. Considered to be a minority, the African American’s of Arkansas wanted nothing more than to prove themselves by winning this match. In the end, Joe Louis wins and victory floods the community, giving them confidence and hope.…
Speaker: The voice of the story “I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings” in the chapter “Champion of The World” is a little African American girl named Maya Angelou. From the research I have done it seems that she is around the age of 6 or 7 years old; do to the fact that Joe’s victorious fight against Carnera was in the year 1935 and Maya was born in 1928. The majority of the African American race in these times of history were the lowest group of people in the American society but they were jus a bit higher then apes.…
One of her famous books was “I know why the caged bird sings”. Maya Angelou wrote “I know why the caged bird sings” because she wanted plenty of people to know what she had went through. She wrote this for man of reasons; one was as a reminder to not to give up during the trials of growing up. This book was one of the first of her five volumes of her life. I know why the caged bird sing was recreating a child's voice and what some children go through because growing up with young parents. Many say that young black woman…
Angelou, through this empowering poem, has insightfully discussed and surely raised awareness of the social issue of racial prejudice - which is, in fact, sadly still present in our world. In furtherance to this, Angelou has also been able to convince us that not only is racial prejudice driven by corrupt ideals and beliefs but rather it is rooted deeply in hatred and jealousy. During the era in which Angelou lived in, there were considerably few advocates and activists for people who were treated with such cruelty all due to their race. And as outlined in Angelou’s poem, the social situation during the Jim Crow Era was appalling. In today’s society, the social situation regarding issues of racial prejudice has certainly improved with the increased number of advocates and social rights movements for those treated with inferiority and inhumanity. It has improved so much that a large number of coloured people have taken positions of governance, with the current President of the United States (Barack Obama) being an African-American and Social Rights Activist himself. Similar to critically acclaimed literary authors such as, Alice Walker and Dennis Brutus (‘The Colour Purple’ and ‘Somehow We Survive’) Angelou is a Social Rights Activist who possessed a genuine intent to make a change and difference in society. Perhaps, through this poem, Angelou is trying to…
A fight between Louis and a white rival was a major event for the black community. “The last inch of space was filled, yet people continued to wedge themselves along the walls of the Store.” (Angelou 110) The enthusiasm of the people who wanted to listen to the fight was so great. Angelou focuses on the vulnerability of African Americans during the segregation era. “My race groaned. It was our people falling…one more woman ambushed and raped.” this shows how upset and ashamed Angelou is about the mistreatment of her race. At the end of the match they all were happy because the boxer that won was African American “…Joe’s gonna whip that cracker like its open season.” (Angelou 111) This shows the emotion the patrons at the store felt while listening to one of their kind fight a person who was ‘‘white.’’ Angelou also speaks about the mistreatments her race went through on a daily basis. Angelou, just wants everyone to be treated the same. “It wouldn’t do for a Black man and his family to be caught on a lonely country road on a night when Joe Louis had proved that we were the strongest people in the world.” (Angelou 112) The quote shows the fear and anguish Angelou and the black community experience during this time of segregation in the…
Being a writer and a mother, Francine Prose is disappointed by the quality of books American high school students are required to read. Prose reveals that high school students are not learning much from reading the books assigned by their teachers, neither are they enjoying those books. She shares her thoughts to educators, students, and parents about high school’s reading and why most teenagers disdain reading, in her essay “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read”.…
David Remnick’s King of the World, a national bestseller, describes the trials and tribulations politically, racially, and morally throughout the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s. Echoing the issues, that plagued the United States and fueled the turmoil that spread through not only the all American homes but the African American homes as well. By fusing Cassius clay, known better as Muhammad Ali, one of the most influential boxers in history into the book, we understand the historical significance that Ali played for not only the African Americans but also the civil rights movement. During the 50’s and 60’s the civil rights movement was a time where hope and change was needed, and never before have African Americans stood up for themselves as they did during this time. Rather than being looked at as objects of possession to do work and pushed aside, African Americans wanted a voice, and in many ways Muhammad Ali was that voice.…
|Quote #15: "If you ask a Negro where he's been, he'll tell you |My Opinion:…
Growing up in Stamps, she comes head to head with an entrenched southern racism that patents itself in formidable daily indignities and affronts, as well as petrifying lynch mobs: "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. It is an unnecessary insult" (4). This vivid assertion ends the opening section of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Although this portion, which acts as a prologue, mostly emphasizes Maya's point of view at five or six years old, this statement clearly comes from Angelou's adult voice. Looking back on her childhood experiences, Angelou notes that she not only fell victim to a hostile, racist, and sexist society, but to other social forces as well, including the displacement she felt from her family and her peers. Maya feels displaced primarily because when she was three years old, her parents sent her away to live with her grandmother. This early separation, as well as subsequent ones, leave her feeling rootless for most of her childhood. Angelou's autobiography likens the experience of growing up as a black girl in the segregated American South to having a razor at one's throat. Her constant awareness of her own displacementthe fact that she differed from other children in appearance and that she did not have a sense of belonging associated with anyone or anyplacebecomes the "unnecessary insult" that she must deal with at such a young age. Over the course of the work, Maya details numerous negative effects of such displacement, including her susceptibility to Mr. Freeman's sexual molestation. Maya often imaginatively envisions herself as a beautiful, blonde white female with blue eyes ensnared in, in her own view, a distasteful African-American human being. Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the callous struggles of being…
The story of Mrs. Flowers by Maya Angelou is about a nice, intelligent, and elegant lady who shows a special interest on a young girl that had never been appreciated by anyone before. Marguerite is a young girl who feels lonely and sad; one example is where she states at the beginning “for nearly a year I sopped around the house, the store, the school, and the church like an old biscuit, dirty and inedible”. (Maya Angelou, pg. 390 of grassroots). Then she met Mrs. Flowers, the women that would change her life completely. Mrs. Flower’s personality and attitude made Marguerite feel very happy and important for who she was. Definitely even though she was Mrs. Henderson’s granddaughter and Bailey’s sister she was appreciated by Mrs. Flowers for being Marguerite Johnson.…
Three primary problems "cage" Maya Angelou in her autobiographical book I Know why the Caged Bird Sings. The most pressing of these issues was probably the fact that Maya lived in the highly segregated south. Another factor of her imprisonment was because Maya, also known as Marguerite, was a social outcast, with very few friends other then relatives. Finally, the main character was entrapped because of her unusual sexual exposure. Over all, the highly segregated life she led, her exclusion socially, and her sexual experience caught Ms. Angelou.…
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Specifically it will discuss the themes of racism and segregation, and how these strong themes are woven throughout this moving autobiography. Maya Angelou recounts the story of her early life, including the racism and segregation she experiences throughout her formative years. With wit, sincerity, and remarkable talent, Angelou portrays racism as a product of ignorance and prejudice. However, she finds the strength to rise above this crippling condition.…
Your name plays a major role in your life. In some cases your name defines the person you are or who you become. What does your name mean to you? In the story, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings the author proves a point that our name matters, we are our name, our name makes us. Maya Angelou discusses the power of names. She doesn’t tell us exactly what she was referring to when she stated “the power of names” meant, but Maya proved an important point.…