I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right.
Oprah Winfrey, who read the novel when she was 15, said in a forward to the 2015 edition of the book, "... here was a story that finally spoke to the heart of me."
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"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," a famous book by Maya Angelou, is the first in a series of seven autobiographical novels.
CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. Log in Sign up. She wrote a coming-of-age story that has become a modern classic".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 male prejudice, white illogical hate and Black lack of power.It should be clear, however, that this portrayal of rape is hardly titillating or "pornographic." Get Quizlet Plus. Log in Sign up "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" STUDY.
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The explosive comedy of "Mary's" departure from her white mistress' service is a welcome comic relief from the tension of earlier chapters.The obvious difference in point of view between Maya and Miss Glory presages the coming civil rights struggle, when black workers rebelled against Uncle Tom stereotypes and refused to act the part of the compliant, well-schooled darky.
It raises issues of trust, truth and lie, love, the naturalness of a child's craving for human contact, language and understanding, and the confusion engendered by the power disparities that necessarily exist between children and adults.Angelou returned to Dunbar's poem for the title of her sixth autobiography, There are over 100 references to literary characters in Angelou's first six autobiographies.Boyatzis, Chris J. He takes the two children with him when he departs, but leaves them with their mother in Later, Momma decides to send her grandchildren to their mother in During Maya's final year of high school, she worries that she might be a Angelou's prose works, while presenting a unique interpretation of the At first, Angelou intended to return to poetry and play-writing after completing Angelou has recognized that there are fictional aspects to her books, and that she tends to "diverge from the conventional notion of autobiography as truth".Angelou uses two distinct voices, the adult writer and the child who is the focus of the book, whom Angelou calls "the Maya character".
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Angelou reports that maintaining the distinction between herself and the Maya character is "damned difficult", but "very necessary".For example, the incident with the "powhitetrash" girls takes place in chapter 5, when Maya was ten years old, well before Angelou's recounting of her rape in chapter 12, which occurred when Maya was 8. Start studying I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (test). Gravity. Literature Notes In instances where the author is sharing her beliefs and philosophy, she is referred to as Maya Angelou. PLAY. Ends Cyber Monday: Get your study survival kit for 50% off! Home; Literature Notes; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; Chapter 16; Table of Contents . Chapters 1-6 1. In a more pronounced example of poetic justice, as though assaulting her predecessors for their weak-kneed toadying, the speaker describes young Maya as walking out on the melee and leaving the door open to broadcast the plaintive dismay of her employer. My Preferences; My Reading List; Literature Notes Test Prep Study Guides I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou.