In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou uses the “caged bird” as an allegory for the situation that she finds herself in. The novel is an autobiography of Maya Angelou’s early life. She is one of the first black women to put herself into her own stories. In her novel, she wants to be able to have access to all of the opportunities and choices in the world for her. She isn’t able to attain this because of the white supremacy and racism surrounding her. They act as the “bars” that keep her caged, but she eventually ends up breaking out of the bars, and she becomes a free bird. Throughout her story, she breaks out of her cage in many ways, and she shows this to her readers by using symbolism. One of those ways is through transformation. …show more content…
She encountered racism when she went to the dentist for a toothache. Her grandmother knocked on the door of the dentist office, and a young white women opened the door and then firmly closed it. Maya felt as though her being black was a burden to the world.“It seemed terribly unfair to have a toothache and a headache and have to bear at the same time the heavy burden of Blackness.” (Angelou 187). The dentist further explained to them that he could not do anything for her because everyone had a policy in the world, and he stuck to his policy. “Annie, everybody has a policy. In this world you have to have a policy. Now, my policy is I don’t treat colored people.” (Angelou 188). Maya not only faced racism, but she also faced sexism. She wondered if her life would be easier if she was a black male or even a white woman. “The Black female is assaulted in her tender years by all those common forces of nature at the same time that she is caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice, white illogical hate and Black lack of power. The fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste and even belligerence.” (Angelou
Which was written to demand equal education for women and to emphasize the sexualizing race. The central theme of this book was that women were a crucial element to uplift the black community. I strongly agree with this theme because women make the black community. Women have the power to create a new generation, and with a new generation comes new change. Thus, with an equal education, women can pass on their knowledge to their children which can influence a positive effect on the black community. Cooper also acknowledges how black women are inferior victims to racism and sexism. She argues that black women are unacknowledged by other races, including blacks. In addition, she argues that black women are the one’s that have a true perspective on what oppression really is. As a Latina minority, I also agree with her statement because as women we are always overlooked. Our struggles being a women are never recognized, even within our own community. The men of our community oppress us while they are being oppressed themselves. As minorities we are struggling to survive because we’re at the bottom of society’s hierarchy, but as a woman, we are even more degraded. Cooper also notes the importance of contribution that a black woman can make to correct the oppressive system. I believe in this statement because since women have the true experience of what oppression really is, they know what needs to be done in order to eliminate it. Another important central theme in this book incorporates the emphasis of respect within the contributions of each race. With this theme, I feel that respect among one another is an important factor to civilization because without it, there will always be conflict. I feel that the majority of the population should respect the hard labor that minorities face trying to survive. I believe we
The tile of the poem “Bird” is simple and leads the reader smoothly into the body of the poem, which is contained in a single stanza of twenty lines. Laux immediately begins to describe a red-breasted bird trying to break into her home. She writes, “She tests a low branch, violet blossoms/swaying beside her” and it is interesting to note that Laux refers to the bird as being female (Laux 212). This is the first clue that the bird is a symbol for someone, or a group of people (women). The use of a bird in poetry often signifies freedom, and Laux’s use of the female bird implies female freedom and independence. She follows with an interesting image of the bird’s “beak and breast/held back, claws raking at the pan” and this conjures a mental picture of a bird who is flying not head first into a window, but almost holding herself back even as she flies forward (Laux 212). This makes the bird seem stubborn, and follows with the theme of the independent female.
The novel, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", by Maya Angelou is the first series of five autobiographical novels. This novel tells about her life in rural Stamps, Arkansas with her religious grandmother and St. Louis, Missouri, where her worldly and glamorous mother resides. At the age of three Maya and her four-year old brother, Bailey, are turned over to the care of their paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Southern life in Stamps, Arkansas was filled with humiliation, violation, and displacement. These actions were exemplified for blacks by the fear of the Ku Klux Klan, racial separation of the town, and the many incidents in belittling blacks.
Maya Angelou lived through a time where she was discriminated against for not only her race but also her gender. In her poem “Still I Rise” Angelou sarcastically talks about how no matter what is thrown at her she will rise above it and she will do it with resilience and confidence. Her poem discusses racism and sexism and gives minorities and women a sense of hope to overcome and endure both of those things. Angelou’s self-assurance in the poem makes you believe that you too can overcome whatever obstacle. Although this poem was intended for blacks, and women, and specifically black women, the poem helps build up strong and courageous people no matter what race or gender you are. Maya Angelou in “Still I Rise” uses both pathos and ethos to
Throughout life graduation, or the advancement to the next distinct level of growth, is sometimes acknowledged with the pomp and circumstance of the grand commencement ceremony, but many times the graduation is as whisper soft and natural as taking a breath. In the moving autobiographical essay, "The Graduation," Maya Angelou effectively applies three rhetorical strategies - an expressive voice, illustrative comparison and contrast, and flowing sentences bursting with vivid simile and delightful imagery - to examine the personal growth of humans caught in the adversity of racial discrimination.
There are many obstacles in which Maya Angelou had to overcome throughout her life. However, she was not the only person affected throughout the story, but as well as her family. Among all the challenges in their lives the author still manages to tell the rough and dramatic story of the life of African Americans during a racism period in the town of Stamps. In Maya Angelou's book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings she uses various types of language to illustrate the conflicts that arise in the novel. Among the different types of languages used throughout the book, she uses literary devices and various types of figurative language. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou the author uses literary devices and figurative language to illustrate to the reader how racism creates obstacles for her family and herself along with how they overcome them.
In her novel, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings';, Maya states “The black female is assaulted in her tender years by all those common forces of nature at the same time that she is caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice, white illogical hate and the lack of black power';. Fortunately Maya was able to move beyond the crossfire, proving that she overcomes opposition that her status throws her way.
In the text "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" a young black girl is growing up with racism surrounding her. It is very interesting how the author Maya Angelou was there and the way she described every detail with great passion. In the book Maya and Bailey move to a lot of places, which are, Stamps, Arkansas; St. Louis, Missouri; and San Francisco, California. Maya comes threw these places with many thing happening to her and people she knows. She tries to hold onto all the good memories and get rid of the bad but new ones just keep coming. That is why this book is very interesting. It keeps readers on the edge of their seats.
Humans consistently make comparisons between themselves and the next person, over fashion, cars, jobs, the nation they belong to, religion, and the land they own. All of these are material things, yet their egos divide them into groups who feel superior to the other in order to pride themselves. Pride can be beneficial, but it has more detrimental effects than positive ones, as pride and ego make people feel more important to others, spark rivalries between groups such as how nationalism influences war and hatred, and caused white people to treat the black community as an inferior people such as in Maya Angelou’s memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this deeply frustrating yet inspiring text we follow Maya Angelou’s emotional roller coaster as she gains more confidence and pride in both herself and her race despite extensive setbacks such as being raped at eight years old, and she explains her
The receptionist sold short Angelou’s capabilities, but she wasn’t going to let that dissuade her, “Why did I insist on that particular job? Openings were going begging that paid nearly twice the money. The minor officials with whom I was able to win an audience thought me mad. Possibly I was”(268). Angelou’s emphasis focuses on the word “mad”, which the minor officials used to describe her. Angelou’s decision to go for a job, that no other black man, let alone women would ever dare to do justifies this as mad. The streetcar job not only paid less, but gave uneven hours to discourage her from getting the job. Not any benefits or salary increases would ever constitute this as a rational act. But it was Angelou’s will that allowed her to accept this, her awareness to all the consequences proves that she is willing to fight back against racism. Her discontent with not being a conductorette forces her to wake up every morning, tirelessly to trudge into the office; by which at the end, Angelou got the job. By getting that job, it proves that fighting with persistence makes a huge impact on combating racism. Angelou uses different methods to strive against racism, sometimes, all you need is a bit of help. Angelou’s recital, along with the other black children, gave back hope to the black race: “We were on top again. As always, again. We survived. The depths had been icy and dark, but now a bright sun spoke to our souls. I
Born to a decaying marriage and unstable household, Maya Angelou thrills her poetic intentions through her dominant and eloquent words. Maya Angelou, center of the mysterious and descendants of the broken, like a champion, rose out of the ashes and into the lights of the stage. An American author and artist who has been called “America’s most visible black female autobiographer” by dozens of people, has made remarkable recognition all around the world. She is best known for her sequence of six autobiographical stories, focusing on her childhood and early adulthood. Her writing, through the eyes and experiences of a black woman, can lend a structure to the study of racial relations and culture in the 20th century America.
Bailey only a year older than her too faced similar challenges Maya faced. Being an African American in the early 1930’s you got no respect. Identified by racial slurs was the norm, and running for life either by your masters or the KKK was not an easy or fair way of life. “ 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.”
The book thus explores a lot of important issues, such as: sexuality and race relations, and shows us how society violated her as a young African American female. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou clearly expresses the physical pain of sexual assault, the mental anguish of not daring to tell, and her guilt and shame for having been raped. Her timidity and fear of telling magnify the brutality of the rape. For more than a year after the rape she lives in self-imposed silence, speaking only very rarely. This childhood rape reveals the pain that African American women suffered as victims not only of racism but also sexism.
In the excerpt “Mary”, Angelou recalls her poverty-stricken childhood and the struggles she went through while growing up in the racist south, post-slavery. Angelou remembers how she thought that white people were strange and had developed a negative attitude towards them. Though only ten years old, Angelou worked as a kitchen servant to a woman by the name of Mrs. Cullinan (Angelou 4). She remembers how her identity was taken away when Mrs. Cullinan and the white women that would visit Mrs. Cullinan. These women changed Angelou’s first name from Margaret to “Mary” without her consent because they felt that her name was too long to say (Angelou 5). Margaret and many other African Americans of her time felt that being called “called out of his or her name” in the south was considered to be as insulting as if they were being called “niggers, spooks, blackbirds, crows, or dinges”(Angelou 6). Maya had also encountered being calle...
Throughout I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, racism is a frequent obstacle that non-whites had to overcome. When Maya is young, she doesn’t recognize the racism and discrimination as well as her grandmother does. As Maya gets older, she begins to recognize and take notice to the racism and discrimination towards her and African Americans everywhere. Maya may not recognize the racism and discrimination very well at her young age, but it still affects her outlook on life the same way it would if she had recognized it. The racism and discrimination Maya faced throughout I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, affected her attitude, personality, and overall outlook on life in a positive way.