Parenting In Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

What is good parenting? Many think good parenting consists of keeping a close eye on their child but this in many ways can be detrimental to the child. Personally, my mother was not present for most of my childhood. However, it in no way hindered my growth as a child, instead it brought me up and made me very independent at a young age. Similar to reality, literature depicts the complexity of the relationships between a mother and daughter as well. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Maya’s mother abandons her as a young child and is an inconsistent presence in her life. In Emergence: Labeled Autistic by Temple Grandin, Temple’s mother is constantly devoted to her and gives her the best opportunities possible. While both Maya

At the beginning of the novel, when Temple hits a girl in the eye with her textbook and is expelled, she says, “As usual, she stood up for me… I finally ended up going to a school with which mother had had considerable contact the previous year.” (Grandin 69). Temple’s mother constantly stands up for her, even when Temple inflicted harm onto another girl. Eustacia argued with the principal for expelling Temple when Temple did actually physically harm the other girl. She also in a way rewarded Temple by taking her to a new school with many privileges. At the middle of the novel, when Temple is failing many of her classes, she says, “Then Mr. Brooks, the psychology teacher, challenged me with the Distorted Room puzzle, which in turn, interested me in learning… Mr. Carlock, was my salvation…. He didn’t try to draw me into his world but came into my world.” (Grandin 90). Temple relies on others in order to raise her grades. She does not take initiative and help herself but she waits until others help her. This is because Eustacia does not let Temple help herself but she constantly helps Temple. Eustacia constantly is there for Temple which makes her successful but dependent on others to reach her