Maya Angelou was told many messages throughout her life. She was told she wasn’t good enough, she was told she couldn’t become anything she wanted to become, and she was told she didn’t belong. The reason behind most negative things she was told in her life had nothing to do with who she was as a person on the inside. They had nothing to do with what she had previously done, previously accomplished, where she lived, or her age. The only thing holding her back, according to most of society when she was growing up, was the fact that she was black and because of that, she didn’t deserve everything white people did. Maya was determined to not be beaten down by any of these things that others said against her. Maya Angelou chose to be a warrior …show more content…
After first getting on the train Maya said in her head, “I WOULD HAVE THE JOB. I WOULD BE A CONDUTORETTE AND SLING A FULL MONEY CHANGER FROM MY BELT. I WOULD.” (Angelou 268). Through this quote, Maya showed her determination to overcome discrimination. Throughout the story, Maya and people in her community struggled against racism to overcome it and Maya chasing after the clerk and demanding the job is one example. The struggle against racism is also seen when Maya cut classes after realizing that she has different priorities than the rest of her classmates and that she will never be able to learn all she needed to at George Washington High School. In her struggles against racism Maya showed a tone of …show more content…
For Maya’s entire life, she had faced racism and had to deal with it. When Maya decided to get a job, she was determined to overcome anything in her way, even if it meant lying about her age on her resume. She used the oppression as fuel to the fire to encourage her to continue on and fight for what she desired. During a conversation with Mother, Maya said that Mother knew, “That I was no glory seeker was obvious to her, and that I had to exhaust every possibility before giving in was also clear.”(Angelou 268). Throughout the chapter Maya talked about times when Mother dished out aphorisms any time Maya needed to be encouraged or uplifted. Mother once said “God helps those who help themselves.” (Angelou 269). Her own words also prove that Maya was committed to reaching her goals and she pursued the job for the next three weeks with “a honeycomb of determination.” (Angelou 268). Maya Angelou’s tone of determination comes through in her words, her actions, and her ability to separate who she is from the labels that society puts on her. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings powerfully tells the story of racism and the struggle against it with a tone of determination. Maya Angelou daily faced a world that wanted to define who she was based on exterior qualities. She made a daily decision to be who she saw herself to be and to struggle against the racism that surrounded her. With a tone of determination, she overcame
Ms. Angelou left her birth place as a young child after her parents had broken up. Ms. Angelou and her brother were sent to live with her fathers’ Mother in Stamps, Arkansas. Some may call Ms. Angelou’s 1969 autobiography ”I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing” her claim to fame, some may call her poetry her occupation, and more over there are still some that would like to call her Freelance writings Maya Angelou’s life’s work. Ms. Angelou was so much more. Ms. Angelou has been known for being a Civil Rights activist, a poet, a philosopher, a teacher, an Award-winning Author, an actress, a screenwriter and the
"Angelou, Maya (née Marguerite Annie Johnson)." Encyclopedia of African-american Writing. Amenia: Grey House Publishing, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 12 March 2014.
Maya Angelou’s essay “Champion of the world” highlighted the cold fact that stereotypes and prejudice of race is existent for both white and black. Have you ever encountered a time where you felt biased to a person because of race? Well, if not you must live in a perfect world because Stereotypes and prejudice are just as relevant today as they were in the past. We as a people need to recognize this problem regardless of color; it is wrong. When I read “Champion of the world” that’s what I believe Angelou was trying to imply that Stereotypes and prejudice are even so more relevant today as they were in the time of her childhood especially to the so called “minority”. Stereotypes occur every day on a consistent basis but we tend to overlook
Maya Angelou's writing career began during the late 1950's, around the same period when the Civil Rights Movement began to take place. Maya's known for one f her most famous poems, I Know Why The Cage Birds Sing. This poem is basically talking about how the birds in the cage are the African Americans/Blacks, where they have no freedom. "The free bird leaps on the back of the wind/and floats downstream till the current ends/And dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky."(Angelou, 1-3) In the beginning , of this poem Maya Angelou is using the free bird to refer to the white people because they have all the rights and the blacks are stuck in "the cage" with no rights or freedom. Also, she could have a more positive aspect meaning that the free bird is the Black American dream coming to reality. After, being in ...
Longing for the freedom that the beautiful blue-eyed white bird holds, the ugly black bird violently throws herself against the bars that ensnare her. After countless failed attempts, the black bird eventually understands that her cage is her identity. Believing her femininity and African American race are the cages that capture her, Maya Angelou relives the unfortunate incidents of her life in her 1969 autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. At age three, Marguerite (Maya) and her brother Bailey are abandoned by their divorced parents and sent to live with their paternal grandmother and crippled uncle in the strongly racist and rural town of Stamps, Arkansas. From refusal to receive dental treatment, to being told Blacks only amount to maids and handymen at her eighth grade graduation, racism sinks its way into Maya’s spirit. A turning point occurs when their father unexpectedly arrives in Stamps and leaves them in St. Louis, Missouri with their mother. At just eight years old, Marguerite is sexually abused and raped by her mother’s boyfriend, who is ironically named Mr. Freeman. Although found guilty, Mr. Freeman is killed one night. Maya is overwhelmed with guilt for his death, and withdraws from everyone but her brother Bailey. She is allowed to spend a summer her teen years with her father, and after verbal abuse, becomes homeless for a short period. At the end of the summer, she goes back to live with her mother and just before graduating high school becomes pregnant. The book ends with the acceptance of her child and the realization that the love she yearned for from her parents is one that she can now give. By boldly sharing her intimate experiences, Maya Angelou uses imagery, characterization, and symbolism to ce...
Maya Angelou, a black woman, clearly shows her knowledge of the black community. Within her book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” she speaks about the troubles of blacks oppression. Before ever writing she has ethos from living within the black society. This furthers her perspective as well as reinstates her theme of blacks being the stronger race for everything they have to deal with. Altogether Angelou displays in chapter nineteen that because of a fight with both discrimination and oppression blacks have became the stronger race.
Maya Angelou describes the situation, feelings and descriptions of a person (probably herself) who does not need people to try and lift her up. Maya shows us within the poem that all those oppressed in general are strong. Within the poem we are shown some of the feelings and thoughts people have displayed against her, but in reality she won’t let them get her down. Maya’s moral opulence allows her to rise above where her ancestors fell to slavery; carrying herself as a strong woman. Her ancestors dream was to have a life in society without the fear of what might happen to them (slavery). The author herself is portrayed in the...
Every child searches for individuality; what makes everyone unique? As a child, surroundings will shape who a person becomes. So a child raised in secure suburbs might be more trusting than a child who lives in a large city. Different environments will without a doubt put people in uncomfortable and sometimes unfortunate circumstances. Environment as a whole is what affects how a child behaves, thinks, and reacts to certain situations. In the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou exposes her own struggle to find identity as she endured racial hardships and sexual abuse.
Her mom attempted to have an association with her yet she was not generally extremely fruitful. Not having a mother around was one and only of the hardships she confronted. Her grandma owned a shop; however she was a dark lady in a bigot zone. Angelou saw monetary hardship, despises, and instilled denigration. Maya Angelou's initial years were not extremely glad, but rather they set the stage for whatever is left of her life.
Melba just wanted to have an education and pursue this education by going to high school, even if that meant going with white kids. She was bullied and harassed, from having paper wads on fire thrown at her to almost being blinded. On page 168 of Warriors Don’t Cry it states, “In a heartbeat, without even thinking about it, I leaped up and picked up my books as a shield to fend him off.” Melba had never stood up for herself before, but she was determined to not let anyone get in the way of her education and self protection. The white people especially made this hard for Melba, but her instincts never let her down, as she stood up for herself. The quote on page 164 of Warriors Don’t Cry says, “I picked up my books and tossed one upward as hard as I could, in a blind aim to hit my attackers.” Melba was determined to win every challenge that came her way, her instincts kicked in and she threw her heavy books at the attackers. Melba was outnumbered all the time but this didn’t stop her ambitious attitude, and determination to succeed and get past every obstacle thrown her way. Maya Angelou is like Melba, they both had hardships that they had to get past, and
In her autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou presents her personal story of self discovery in the early to mid 1900’s in spite of oppression with an underlying metaphor of caged, black birds.
In her autobiography I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Angelou encounters many struggles, whether it pertained to others or herself. Throughout her life, Angelou experiences conflicts relating to self love, her weaknesses, and gender roles. Despite these conflicts, numerous female characters influenced Angelou and shaped her into the woman she was. All of these tie in with the gender/feminist literary lense.
A poem can capture the mind, soul, and the bare heart, but, how can one’s interpretation of a poem alter the true value of the poem itself? The answer to this question may vary, depending on one’s interpretation. Then again, that response can be used to answer every question this world holds. Dr. Maya Angelou is one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time. Hailed as a global renaissance woman, Dr. Angelou is a celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. As a strong African-American woman, she has experienced the brutality of racial discrimination, yet also absorbed the unshakable faith and values of traditional African-American family, community, and culture. Dr. Maya Angelou’s notorious aspects in her personality have formally made recognizable and has affected her true style of poetry in a positive manner, along with the literary era her poetry is from and her past life experiences and influences.
The novel I Know why the Caged Bird Sings written by Maya Angelou is an autobiographical story about her life and the struggles she faced up to age 16. Angelou’s struggles with trying to find her true identity, coming to terms with being raped, and dealing with racism growing up in the south, which influences in her novel by forcing her to open to the audience and share her struggles with the world.
Throughout all works of literature, the daily events affecting the lives of the authors can be found in many different pieces of their work. Although it may not be a direct relation to what these authors experience, they often relate the themselves to their narrators through many different literary devices. However, these processes really stand out through the works of Maya Angelou. Through the use of metaphors and similes, Angelou relates her writings back to the harsh conditions of the socially unjustified period of the 1930’s onward; explaining the restraints placed upon both herself and her race by those who considered themselves to be her superiors.