...I know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiographical account of Maya Angelou that demonstrates how love for literature and having a strong character can play a significant role in overcoming racism and distress. In the course of the story, it is evident that Maya changes from being a casualty of racism to become a young woman with self-dignity and identity that helps her to overcome prejudice. The context of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings focuses on the problems associated with racism that was prevalent in the southern states. Racist oppression is a common theme in the book that is portrayed by all the major characters; in fact, all the other themes in the book are closely related to racism, identity and segregation. In addition, the style and genre, and the structure of this literary work make significant contributions towards its thematic development, which focus on resistance to racism, the significance of the family, self-identity and definition and independence. Walker (95) argues that I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings is characterized by thematic unity, which is achieved using the structure adopted in the text that takes more of a thematic form rather than a chronological form. In addition, Angelou managed to emphasize on the universal ideas in her literary work irrespective of its periodic quality. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou used the major characters of the book to facilitate its thematic development identity, racism and literacy throughout the text...
Words: 2539 - Pages: 11
...Elisabeth Schauer Mary F. Lyons LCS 360 A March 4th 2014 The Importance of Religion throughout African Americans in the 1900’s Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing” and Solomon Northrup, “Twelve Years a Slave” are two memoirs with similar themes that encompassed their societies. These literally works depicts many life stories in which thematic concerns of religion, racism, chauvinism, education, poverty and seclusion carry an American dream. One quickly notices that they both relate in the way they pass out their different themes especially the theme of religion in this case. Religion is the main concern in this article considered for literary analysis. Therefore, the two authors used religion as part of their larger story to bring out a more or less the same thematic concept. Maya Angelou composed a stunning and energizing personal history titled “I know why the caged birds sing” of her hardship in her growth as a dark young woman in the southern states of America. Set in the 1930's the place the legacy of subjection remained. One thing, which made this literature work so fascinating to peruse, was the way that this book had such a variety of topics, which are both relative and imperative to us today like the absence of equivalent chances, prejudice, bias, training, neediness, seclusion, religion and The American Dream. On the other hand, in his work Solomon Northrup’s, “Twelve Years a Slave” shows the pain and ill-use encountered by Solomon Northrup in...
Words: 1402 - Pages: 6
...Freeing the Caged Bird: Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings as a Call for Revolutionary Action Maya Angelou’s memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, exhibits the connection between cultural structures, such as language, religion and art, and the modern capitalist hierarchy of modern American society. Her portrayal demonstrates the need for revolutionary action over silent or reformative protest by explaining the failures of the latter. Overall, she argues that in order to end injustice, the oppressed must freely develop individual identities and perspectives, each subjective, but in total encompass an objective truth. Caged Bird explores the intrinsic connection of language and class, defining power as the ability to force another to conform to one’s own dogmata. For instance, Marguerite disdainfully observes that “Momma persistently [uses] the wrong verb” (94) while in the presence of the comparatively upper-class Mrs. Flowers, such criticism, one...
Words: 1279 - Pages: 6
...Throughout "I know why the caged bird sings", Maya Angelou portrays her experiences with adversity, as well as the experiences of many others, how she copes with them and how she rises above them. Maya exposes the reality of adversity in all its forms and by the end of the novel we are able to learn what overcoming adversity truly means. One of the social issues seen is that Maya is not getting the attention she needs from her caregivers. The author uses literary devices to explore the issue when she says "she was like a pretty kite that floated just above my head. If I liked I could pull her to me by saying I had to go to the toilet or by starting a fight with Bailey." This simile helps to show that Maya's mother takes care of her basic needs but fails to give her the actual care and attention a child needs. The issue contributes to the text as a whole by demonstrating how Maya might act in certain situations. An example of this is when she liked the attention she was getting from Mr. Freeman at first, although she knew it wasn't right. Overcoming this adversity helped Maya to grow as a person and become more independent. As Maya goes through life she often encounters racism such as when she gets a toothache and Momma takes her to the white dentist. During this time we are able to see discrimination against blacks come to life in front of Maya. The quote "Annie, my policy is that I'd rather stick my hand in a dog's mouth than in a nigger's." is used to portray the discrimination...
Words: 433 - Pages: 2
...Experiences shape everybody, causing them to have different views on what is best to be done for their loved ones. People who grow up in rural areas will have different opinions than city dwellers simply by virtue of their upbringings. In I Know Wlhy the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Maya spends the first portion of her life with her paternal grandmother (called Momma) and then moves to live with her mother, Vivian, in New Orleans. Later, she moves back to Momma in Arkansas. Due to their respective experiences, Maya’s two maternal figures impress different values upon her and treat her in different ways. First, Momma and Vivian raise Maya to value different things based on what they have been taught to believe. Momma, who lives in a sleepy,...
Words: 692 - Pages: 3
...Both Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou explores the topic of discrimination. Of Mice and Men tells the tale of the unlikely bond that forms between protagonist and antagonist, George and Lennie. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is a poem that used different types of birds to symbolize opposites in society. This poem can be interpreted as the black race being restricted from the privileges that white people acquire. Of Mice and Men and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" illustrates the theme that people should not be hindered from any form of success because of who they are. In Of Mice and Men, the theme is conveyed through the most obvious form of discrimination depicted in the novella,...
Words: 638 - Pages: 3
...“She doesn’t talk much. Her name’s Margaret.” […] “Well, that may be, but the name’s too long. I’d never bother myself. I’d call her Mary if I was you.” This is a scene where we see Maya’s core identity, her name, being wiped out and tempered with. Throughout ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’, we realize the protagonist, Maya, faces several identity crisis in her life and is thus left to write a biography of the culmination of incidents that have occurred throughout her life and hence that have shaped her identity today. Those around her mold Maya’s identity. Her relationships are what define her. There are no two ways about it; Maya’s rape calls her identity into question. Suddenly, she is portrayed as both a woman and child but she feels like neither. Thus, she is left with spending the rest of the book trying on different identities...
Words: 929 - Pages: 4
...State and Federal Prisons Systems The Auburn prison system has also been referred to the congregate system. The State of New York was the first to use this system in 1819 (The Auburn System (n.d.). By combining traits from the Philadelphia system with traits such as uniform silence, hard labor , and togetherness; side by side during meals, work, and prayer. The tier system of housing is used. Each level is offense specific and uniform coded by color. Prison growth has been on the rise with our current economical troubles. As times get rough, the amount of crime rises. The acts of society toward past inmates can often dictate if they are going to possibly become a repeat offender. Stress, financial troubles, employment issues, and drugs are among the top reasons a person reoffends. To help reduce the number of repeat offenders, correction personnel need to start the rehabilitation process within the prison walls. Preparing inmates for the real world can play a large role in their success. Having community resources available when times get rough can make or break a person. Just knowing they are not on their own is a huge stress reliever. With hands-on programs and true support, anything is possible. Each state has their own system for security levels. In Missouri, our levels are numbered and categorized. They are numbered from one to five; one being minimum and five being maximum. Minimum prisons have inmates with a custody level ranging from one to three...
Words: 404 - Pages: 2
...Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon Design Two models A penitentiary had purposes to be both secular and spiritual. Instead of a penitentiary being all about physical punishment, it was supposed to be a place of humane punishment for wrong doers. Instead of prisoners being bunched together, the true penitentiary was meant to have them separated from each other to avoid contamination of the body and spirit. I personally think that a penitentiary should be more like a place to make an inmate know that they did wrong by breaking the law. The first model was called the Pennsylvania system. It was based on the idea of "separate and silent." The state of Pennsylvania built two big prisons, one in Philadelphia and another in Pittsburgh. These were known as Eastern Penitentiary and Western Penitentiary, respectively. Eastern Penitentiary was operational from 1829 to 1971, and there are some good photos and videos of it at http://www.easternstate.org/explore/flickr, and the Wikipedia article on it is pretty good. Western was a poor imitation of Jeremy Bentham's panopticon design (explained shortly), and Eastern better characterized the model as consisting of large cells that faced outside so each inmate would have a small amount of outdoor space or footage. Inmates could exercise in their own cells, have their meals delivered, and never come in contact with another inmate. If they wanted to plant a garden in their outdoor patio, they could. If they wanted to engage in handicraft...
Words: 431 - Pages: 2
...to write about. That is music. Music can be used to express yourself. In religion are they also using songs to pray. I am not the greatest singer actually I can not sing. I love to listen to music. I love to listen to almost every genre of music but I do not like to listen to classic music because that makes me fall asleep. The reason I love to listen to music is because music can describe what you feel. Just for example if you just broke up with your boyfriend or girlfriend then there are many songs that can describe what you feel and sometimes it just touches your heart. Music can also be a lifesaver in an awkward situation. It can example be if you are driving a car and there is a awkward silence between you and your partner then music can save the awkward silence. Songs can describe what you feel. When you are sad and tired then you can listen to music so it can brighten up your day. You can deliver a message with a song. A song can be as beautiful as a poem. It can tell you a life story just in 3-4 minutes. For every song there is a certain place where you were when you listened to the song and it can bring memories back. Not all of the songs are great today. Some of the songs are so catchy but the lyrics do not make any sense just like ‘’Gangnam Style’’. Not many people know what he sings but they still sing along. Music is universal and that is also one of the reasons why I love music. Some of the reasons why I love music so much are because it can make you happy, sad,...
Words: 439 - Pages: 2
...A name is something personal, that give someone, his or hers identity. The way you are addressed starts all the way from the beginning, from the first day you open your eyes till the last day you close them. Names have the power of giving you a personality, it can tell you where you came from and about your heritage. In the book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, as her autobiography names have had a sirtuin affect and meaning. Throughout life we all have a person in which we can trust and look up to. Someone that we end up having a great relationship. And people have the costume of giving them nicknames. In the book Maya Angelou speaks about Bailey referring to her mother as Mother Dear (68). With that name that she gives...
Words: 390 - Pages: 2
...1. The bird symbolizes Minnie herself. At one time she would wear pretty clothes, be happy and sing in the choir much like the pretty songbird. The fact that the bird is dead (probably by John) indicates the death of who she was before her marriage, her happier self. The birdcage symbolizes entrapment, as Minnie is trapped in her marriage. The quilt symbolizes Minnie’s mental state. At first, like the stitching, she is doing quite well. Then the stitching becomes messier and seems like she did them while very nervous. This signifies how Minnie becomes increasingly distressed. Ultimately the conclusion is knot the quilt, as Minnie decides to knot the rope for her husband. The house represents Minnie’s home life and relationship with her husband....
Words: 292 - Pages: 2
... Introduction There are many forms of life that live on the Earth, which means the Earth is diverse. Most forms of life can be put into groups. Some groups would be the kingdom and the order. To be classified in a certain group, the species must consist of some of the same characteristics. All animals can be classified under the Animalia kingdom, which could also be called the Metazoa kingdom. In order to be classified in this kingdom the species must be multi-celled, eukaryotic, rely on other organisms for nourishment, some type of skeletal support, show levels of some type of organization, cells made for particular functions, ingest and digest food, and reproduce sexually. Research will be done on two mammals, two insects, two birds and two fish. This research will show just how diverse the Earth is. Mammals: Zebras and Rabbits Zebras and rabbits belong to the Animal Kingdom; however, they belong to different orders. The zebra belongs to the Perissodactyla order because they have hooves. Horses and donkeys belong to the same order as the zebra. The rabbit belongs to the lagomorpha order because they have long ears and they have four teeth on the upper jaw. Hares and pikas also belong to the same order as the rabbit. There are some similarities and differences in characteristics when it comes to the zebra and the rabbit. The two things they have in common would be that they both graze on grass for food and they both reproduce sexually. One difference...
Words: 813 - Pages: 4
...Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. There are six to seven species of swan called the Black-necked Swan, Black Swan, Mute Swan, Trumpeter Swan, Tundra swan which includes the Bewick's Swan and Whistling Swan, and the Whooper Swan. In addition there is another species known as the coscoroba swan, although this species is no longer considered one of the true swans. The swans are close relatives with geese and ducks. Often seen gliding across lakes, the swan has long represented elegance and refinement. 2 The swans are the largest members of the waterfowl family Anatidae, and are among the largest flying birds. The largest species, including the mute swan, trumpeter swan, and whooper swan, can reach a length...
Words: 931 - Pages: 4
...Listen to the tunes the birds do sing Chirping to you, hoping joy they bring Maybe a song of love is in the air Or maybe just loud noises because they don't care Spread your wings and take flight Don't be afraid to go out at night Even the nights can be warm during spring Go out for a walk, have a fling Spread some seeds, share the love Just don't get too rough, if you see a dove Pure in beauty and full of life Reminding you to don't think twice Heckle a tree, ask it why it barks Beware if it begins to arc The wind will come and will blow Letting you know, fly a kite, must be yellow Do not run into the rains It could hurt and bring owwy pains One last reason to enjoy Spring Time to break out the old bling bling Can you hear that?...
Words: 1705 - Pages: 7
