I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Vs Night Analysis

I Know why the Caged Bird Sings vs. Night

These two novels spoke about real powerful momentous events that occur in the authors’ lives. The authors emerged from the shadows and transformed their mishaps into motivation of overcoming life’s hardships. These two stories exemplify ways of overcoming Life’s hardships and finding sense of oneself. These authors break their vows of silence to prove the beauty of a broken person. They both converse on racial discrimination, relationships with God, & coming into themselves.

These stories began by describing the author’s childhood. As children, Elie and Maya are set aside by society because of their skin tone and religion. Maya was an African American in America during the Jim Crow era (1930s-1950s) and Elie was a Jew in Europe during the World War II era (1935s – 1945s). They both were terrorized with constant fear of will they would live to see another day. The authors faced all types of racial discrimination and indifference. Other than they were different to be dreaded, and in that dread was included the hostility of the powerless against the

powerful, the poor against the rich, the worker against the worked for and the ragged against the well-dressed (Angelou 25). It created a major diversion between every race and ethnicity. They don't really hate us. They don't know us. How can they hate us? They
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mostly scared (Angelou 19).

Both Elie and Maya were both sent to places that caused them the most pain and dreaded misery. Elie was sent many concentration camps where he witnessed his mother and sisters go into a line that was leading up to certain death, deaths of other Jews, and the most agonizing death of all: his father. Maya is sent to live with her grandmother because her parents are getting a divorce, raped by her mother’s boyfriend, abused by father’s girlfriend, ran away and becomes homeless, and finally impregnated by the neighborhood slum. Was there a single place here where you were not in danger of death? (Wiesel, 3:37)." Maya believed that she was an unwanted and not a beautiful child who eventually found beauty in her child and writing. Elie felt completely isolated and abandoned even by God but, he was a man who reserved his pain to unveiled beauty in

literature.
These events led to different relationships with God. Elie was a devoted Jewish boy who read the Torrah and practiced Jewish concepts every day. As he encountered different situations in the death and prison camps, he slowly began to lose faith in God. While it's neurotic rather than Christian to welcome suffering, and no intelligent and comprehending Christian would welcome suffering for its own sake, the Bible actually makes it quite clear that faith in Jesus Christ does not guarantee a good life, but a perfect eternity. (Coren). While on the other hand, Maya became closer to God because of her interactions with Mrs. Bertha Flowers. She began to inflict Christianity into her daily life. Both authors incorporate their perspectives of religion into their literary works.
Over the periods of time both Maya and Elie came into themselves. Maya struggled with her physical beauty since she was a little girl. Elie struggled with his identity. They ventured and expanded their horizon. They were both held captive by oppression & being different from
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everyone else and trying to dim and fit in based on what others think is perfect. They created a whole new way of being in the worst possible conditions. They endured the worst and survived it. They both took vows of silence after the misfortunes occurred. Maya did hers out fear of abandonment and Elie did his because he was in awe and shock that humanity would allow that happen to the Jews. I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep. But I had no more tears. And, in the depths of my being, in the recesses of my weakened conscience, could I have searched it, I might perhaps have found something like- free at last. (Wiesel 106). Their iconic stories will forever be remembered as a part of the legacy they will forever continue in the hearts and minds of readers and future writers that perseverance and patience is key to the ultimate survival.