Maya Angelou’s 1969 novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, is an autobiography that revolves entirely around Maya Angelou, a black African American girl in the 1930’s-50’s, and her difficult journey through life. The novel circles the themes of racism, sexism, and the outcome of being raped. Angelou explains to the reader the different remonstrance’s she goes through every day and how she struggles to grow up without a mother or a father. The book begins with her explaining how her mother sent her and her brother Bailey off to live with their grandmother and uncle in Stamps and how her parents are divorced. Angelou questions to herself many times throughout the book how a mother could send off her children and never watch them grow and teach …show more content…
The theme of racism is mentioned many times throughout this reading because of the time period this book was written. “I wanted to throw a handful of black pepper in their faces …to scream that they were dirty …but I knew I was as clearly imprisoned behind the scene as actors outside were confined to their roles.” (Angelou 31) Angelou watches furiously as 3 girls mock her grandmother and comment mean things to her. Unable to speak her mind Angelou questions why blacks are treated differently than whites and why blacks couldn’t speak their minds about the topic of it. In the poem Racism (Fatema) it is mentioned that racism is an inhumane action that we take upon our nation. “You give people sorrow and hate…look what you’ve done and look at their state…why judge by color... You are horrendously disgraceful but hate to admit you've got the power…” Fatema explains her hate towards racism and the negative affects it has on a society and nation. Racism was a very powerful thing back when it was used in the 1900’s and is still used to this day. It is a very bitter and biased way to express the feelings of one’s self to another through unfair treatment. Both Angelou and Fatema feel hate towards racism and feel that there is no need to discriminate someone based on their skin color. They are all people no matter what the condition is. Both Angelou and Fatema believe that everyone should be treated fair and
People talk behind the speaker’s back and spread whatever rumors they can conjure, even to the point of ramming her face in the mud and really making a picture of her as a dirty, good-for-nothing person. Yet despite that, she still walks with her head high, knowing they're not true. And when people can't seem to understand why she’s not upset, they'll continue putting her down. And she'll just laugh it off, not really caring about what they say or do. The last stanza shows that even if she had a checkered past and no matter what she may have done before, she can still rise, she can still stand up, she can still look the world in the eye and tell them, “I will rise.” In lines 21-24, Angelou states, “You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise.” This shows that no matter what came Angelou’s way, she still rose to the occasion and made a difference. Thus, the racism that Angelou went through left its footprints in the making of her poetic
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings was first published in 1969 during a time when autobiographies of women because heavily significant by their exclamation of the significance of women. As a result, Angelou's piece gathered attention from various types of women who could relate to Angelou's journey of sexuality, colour, and the coloured
The inequality of women is also vital in the novel written by Maya Angelou, “I know why the caged bird sings” a powerful and truly moving autobiography “written at the end of the civil right struggles in the 1960’s” (8). The reception of the novel was incredible, it is the most highly acclaimed of her autobiographies, making Angelou “one of the most renowned black women in America” (9). Maya Angelou describes her “caged life as a black girl growing up in the south” (10), her lost youth, the dangers of innocence and need for emotional and physical affection, “I had given up some youth for knowledge, but my gain was more valuable than the loss” (5). In the 1920’s and 1940’s, America was separated by discrimination and prejudice not only between
Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist, author, and poet. She wrote many books and poems that conveyed the vivid experiences in her life. Maya Angelou’s works are well known and she is an eminent writer. One poem in particular that is well known is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” written in 1969. In this work she described racial inequality, and the lack of freedom African Americans experienced in the 1930’s and 40’s. Maya Angelou uses many Rhetorical strategies and literary devices to describe the lack of racial freedom in the world at this time.
The importance of education and knowledge is at the root of Angelou's flight from the South, and she realizes it. Critic Harold Bloom writes, "Marguerite is showered with
Angelou poem is addressed to white oppressors of black people responding the times they’ve been discriminated and mistreated. Angelou is speaking up for everyone including blacks, ancestors, and herself. Nothing can tear her down, she will rise to any occasion and nothing will hold her back, not even the color of her skin. Shakur poem presents us with all the trials and tribulation her ancestors went through, yet they still carry on the tradition. Experiencing strong forms of racism and hatred they still carry on the tradition of their ancestors with
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiographical novel written by Maya Angelou, was published in the year 1969. The novel follows Maya as a young girl facing challenges such as racism and sexism following the civil rights movement. While reading the book, the reader is introduced to events in history such as the Great Depression and World War II.
Some are blatant and open, but others are more insidious. There were many ways that racism represented itself in the result of Negroes not equally treated, the black people being called offensive names which was apparently accepted normal in the society and also the trial of Tom Robinson. Racism is an ideology is not something which is inherited. It is a is something that you have grown up hearing that kind of ignorance daily, of course you will become a product of your environment/upbringing. The points which were made throughout this essay are really meaningful and useful because it tells you how the different races lived in those days and how difficult the life was of the black people in that time. The fading generations of racists that still dwell within small areas and proportion, but as a majority, people have grown and evolved beyond the racist conventions that polluted our society in the past. People are no longer based on the colour of their skin or their ethnic background. But racism is still evident in the society as we still have suburbs like Inala, which to the most people of society consider a suburb which is dangerous and inferior to the other suburbs of the
A strong and influential memoirist is able to grasp the reader’s attention and dive into topics bigger than themselves. Maya Angelou, the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, describes herself as neither a hero nor a victim as she recollects her past. Growing up, Maya Angelou not only suffered from white prejudice and gender inequality, she was presented with situations that made her feel powerless. According to Angelou, “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, whites illogical hate and Black lack of power,” (Angelou, 272). However, she found herself persevering through all of the adversity she faced and accepted her reality: “the fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement” (Angelou, 272). Angelou did an exceptional job of describing herself as neither a hero nor a victim in her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
In Maya Angelou’s narrative essay, titled “Champion of the World” (1970), she describes the fight Africa-Americans were fighting to be seen as equals by the white people in America. Angelou has a constant uses of emotional sentences to allow her readers to understand why this fight is so important to the African-American community. Angelou then points out the cultural differences between the white and African community with the use of imagery and diction. Angelou’s purpose throughout this essay is to show her audience the struggle African-Americans have went through to be seen as an equal and to understand that their victory didn’t happen overnight. Maya Angelou seems to have an African-American audience in mind as she uses cultural diction and references she expects her readers to be familiar with.
When I first read this poem, I was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. Maya Angelou depicts herself as a fighter that will never give up, no matter the circumstances. She has obviously faced some difficult situations in her life that should have stopped her but she continues to triumph in the face of adversity. In this way, I am inspired to continue pursuing my goals. I also felt discouraged and disgusted, mostly because of the types of obstacles that are described in this poem. It is symbolizes the obstacles that many African Americans faced in the past as a result of the abolition of slavery, racism and inequality. The discouraging part of this poem is that some of these very inequalities and injustices still go on today. So, while this poem illustrates strength,
As an acclaimed poet, storyteller, and activist, Maya Angelou has contributed outstanding works to American literature. With over 50 honorary doctorate degrees, Dr. Maya Angelou has become one of the most influential voices of our time. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Angelou was born on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri and raised in Stamps, Arkansas. During the 1930’s and 1940’s in Stamps, Angelou witnessed and experienced racial discrimination in the South.
Through an examination of the female experience, Maya Angelou's Still I Rise (1978) and Anne Sexton's Her Kind (1960) utilise the authors' individual styles to inspire and shape our understanding of oppression and empowerment. In the difference in presentation of their common themes, the implications of different styles are shaped. Though there are similarities between the poets, it is the way they choose to utilise literary devices that creates a text that resonates with the audience in different ways.
Throughout the novel , Maya Angelou is forced to hide the rage that grows inside her as blacks citizens live in a constant fear of the KKK , work hard for incomprehensibly low wages , and are treated like second -class citizens at best. You've probably heard of segregated water fountains , but thats really just the tip of the iceberg” ( Study Academy.com) “ 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 throughout her formative years” ( Bartleby.com )
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is a novel by Maya Angelou, where she writes about her childhood and her experiences while growing up. This non-fiction novel illustrates Maya Angelou’s childhood, being tossed around by her parents, and having to experience different cultures. Maya struggles particularly in finding friends, she is reserved, and will only open up to Bailey, her brother. Maya moves a couple of times to different places, which may contribute to her not having friends. The novel revolves around Maya Angelou, Bailey, and her grandmother, evolving through life from being a child to a teenager. This novel is set in the “South”, in America.