I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Analysis

There is one person that is a civil rights activist, memoirist, a poet and above all a woman, this person is none other than Maya Angelou. Angelou has been a famous American poet since the release of her 1969 autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Angelou has inspired many people by telling her life story to the public, but not only did she inspire, she also created a very different and personal point of view of the world we live in. The poem’s she has written transition from pain and suffering or to courage and confidence. Nonetheless, even though Angelou wrote mostly about anguished emotions due to her past relations, her poetry expresses what she cannot demonstrate through actions but by using words. In other words,†¦show more content†¦In Alone Angelou wrote about mankind suffering due to selfishness for example, she writes, â€Å"They’ve got expensive doctors to cure their heart of stone. But nobody no, nobody can make it out here alone.â⠂¬ , Angelou compares our hearts to stone and even though we may have doctors to cure us, we will always be selfish in our own way making it troublesome for us to get out of the habit of thinking about ourselves. This stanza is truthful in its own right, we humans are selfish due to greed and when Angelou uses the phrases along the lines of â€Å"we cant make it out here alone†, it just shows that we have no one to blame but ourselves if certain situations end up atrocious. To prove my point more, in the second to the last stanza she writes, â€Å"The wind is gonna blow, the race of man is suffering†, this shows that Angelou saw the change in people, that we cause chaos, that we drive not only ourselves but others mad causing everyone to be self-absorbed. Alone is a powerful poem that makes people reflect on themselves and their actions. Even though Angelou wrote about anguished poems like Alone and Caged Bird, she did however write about equality and confidence. This poem that is about equality is Human Family. Human Family is a poem that inspired many by showing them that we are, and I quote â€Å"more alike than unalike†, for exampleShow MoreRelatedRhetorical Analysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings 1036 Words   |  5 PagesFily Thiam English 002 Mrs. Vilato 9 April 2015 Rhetorical Analysis on â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou In Graduation, a chapter in her autobiography â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, Maya Angelou talks vividly about her middle school graduation in the segregated South. Graduation is an important milestone in most people’s life, as they get a degree and move on to their next level, something better and more important, with the hope that they can use their new knowledge to achieve their life goals andRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Analysis1126 Words   |  5 PagesThe type of language that an author uses in his or her work can greatly impact the outcome. One such example of this was in Maya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, in which she used certain types of language to characterize herself when she was younger and the society that she grew up in. Her choice of language used in the end of Chapter 16 helps to characterize her desire to quit working for Mrs. Cullinan, her resistance to the discrimination that she puts up with while s he works, and theRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Analysis1661 Words   |  7 PagesAmendment to The United States Constitution prevents congress from making any law that abides from the freedom of speech. Equally, authors like Maya Angelou have the freedom of speech in our country to write, and in Angelous case, the freedom to write about her life. Maya Angelou, one of the most banned authors in The United States, wrote I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Her autobiography depicts rape, explicit language and racism. It has been used in educational settings such as high schools and universitiesRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1575 Words   |  7 Pagesto feel different, and wish they were someone or something â€Å"better†. In Maya Angelou’s autobiography she demonstrates what its like growing up in a racist community and how it feels to be the outcast. Angelou continuously speaks about being someone different he r ideal self, something she is completely different from. She feels this way due to the racist society she lives in. In I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou demonstrates in her autobiography in 1969 that even with love and affectionRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Essay1484 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.† By Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This is the quote my mom has been telling me every day since I was 13 and able to understand it. Maya Angelou wrote this poem in 1969 and it still speaks to millions of people today. Millions of people who have everything to say but never speak. This is just one example, my example on how relatable poems are even if they are hundreds of years old. Being able to relate to a poemRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1219 Words   |  5 PagesLike many African American writers in American h istory, migration is a defining part of Maya Angelou’s life and character. In her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya thoroughly discusses each of the moves that shape the person she becomes. From St. Louis at seven to a Southern California junkyard at fifteen, Maya’s life is filled with both voluntary and involuntary migrations. Some of these moves are intensely emotionally taxing, while others allow her to grow and flourish. Although herRead MoreMaya Angelou655 Words   |  3 PagesMa 2(1565443) Maya Angelou is known as the â€Å"most visible black female autobiographer/poet.† She was born, Marguerite Ann Johnson, on April fourth, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents divorced when she was three, and she and her brother were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Seeing all the racial discrimination in the American south strengthened her passion for poetry, music, dance and performance. Maya writes about the struggles people face, racism and freedom. At ageRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1482 Words   |  6 Pages Maya Angelou tells of her life experiences and struggles in her book â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings† that gives us insight about Maya’s life as a young black girl growing up in a time of racism. The novel discusses various forms of oppression that she had to face as well cope with them. Robert A. Gross wrote an analysis for Newsweek about the book and claimed that Angelou’s book is not only an interesting story of her own experience, but also a portrayal of a Southern black communityRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s Caged Bird 1835 Words   |  8 PagesApril 4, 2016 Women’s Power Because I live in a community with a majority black population, it is very easy to know all of the famous African American people. Growing up with my grandparents, I always heard a lot about the loving Dr. Maya Angelou. She was a tremendous figure in their lives and a phenomenal woman. One day my family was sitting outside, and my mom was reading a book with a lot of famous poems. The one she read aloud was Maya Angelou’s poem â€Å"Caged Bird.† She was so emotional reading thisRead MoreMaya Angelou : An Influential Voices Of Modern Society Essay1386 Words   |  6 PagesMaya Angelou, born Marguerite Ann Johnson on the 4th of April 1928, was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Stamps, Arkansas. Maya Angelou is regarded as one of the most noteworthy, influential voices of modern society with over 50 doctorate degrees. She became a distinguished poet, educator, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, memoirist, and civil rights activist throughout her life. In t he 1930’s and 1940’s, Stamps, Arkansas was the embodiment of brutality and racial discrimination I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Analysis The type of language that an author uses in his or her work can greatly impact the outcome. One such example of this was in Maya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, in which she used certain types of language to characterize herself when she was younger and the society that she grew up in. Her choice of language used in the end of Chapter 16 helps to characterize her desire to quit working for Mrs. Cullinan, her resistance to the discrimination that she puts up with while she works, and the fact that Mrs. Cullinan changed the names of her servants and workers for her convenience. So, the language used by Angelou in Chapter 16 in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings clearly characterizes Angelou’s younger self, and the society that she†¦show more content†¦Cullinan did not ever insult Angelou by using any of the derogatory names or use her actual name until she broke her china dishes. When Mrs. Cullinan uses Angelou’s real name, she was trying to reaffirm her h old and influence on her, like when parents call their kids by their middle names. And because of being called out of name and getting her real name back, Angelou stops working for Mrs. Cullinan. Another example of the language characterizing society is that the language shows that the blacks weren’t helpless against racism. Between the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, blacks were being stripped from their rights, since it was illegal for them to be slaves. But the blacks did fight this, and so did Angelou. When she was mistreated by Mrs. Cullinan when she worked for her, she showed her feelings of aggression, with the following events that describe the china breaking: Then Bailey solved my dilemma†¦I kept his instructions in mind, so on the next day when Miss Glory was hanging out clothes and I had again been told to serve the old biddies on the porch, I dropped the empty serving tray. When I heard Mrs. Cullinan scream â€Å"Mary!† I picked up the casserole and two of the green glass cups in readiness. As she rounded the kitchen door, I let them fall on the tiled floor. (Angelou 110) Angelou breaking Mrs. Cullinan’s china dished show us that she didn’t careShow MoreRelatedI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Analysis840 Words   |  4 Pagesperson is none other than Maya Angelou. Angelou has been a famous American poet since the release of her 1969 autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Angelou has inspired many people by telling her life story to the public, but not only did she inspire, she also created a very different and personal point of view of the world we live in. The poem’s she has written transition from pain and suffering or to courage and confidence. Nonetheless, even though Angelou wrote mostly about anguishedRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings 1036 Words   |  5 PagesFily Thiam English 002 Mrs. Vilato 9 April 2015 Rhetorical Analysis on â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou In Graduation, a chapter in her autobiography â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, Maya Angelou talks vividly about her middle school graduation in the segregated South. Graduation is an important milestone in most people’s life, as they get a degree and move on to their next level, something better and more important, with the hope that they can use their new knowledge to achieve their life goals andRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Analysis1661 Words   |  7 PagesAmendment to The United States Constitution prevents congress from making any law that abides from the freedom of speech. Equally, authors like Maya Angelou have the freedom of speech in our country to write, and in Angelous case, the freedom to write about her life. Maya Angelou, one of the most banned authors in The United States, wrote I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Her autobiography depicts rape, explicit language and racism. It has been used in educational settings such as high schools and universitiesRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1575 Words   |  7 Pagesto feel different, and wish they were someone or something â€Å"better†. In Maya Angelou’s autobiography she demonstrates what its like growing up in a racist community and how it feels to be the outcast. Angelou continuously speaks about being someone different her ideal self, something she is completely different from. She feels this way due to the racist society she lives in. In I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou demonstrates in her autobiography in 1969 that even with love and affectionRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Essay1484 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.† By Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This is the quote my mom has been telling me every day since I was 13 and able to understand it. Maya Angelou wrote th is poem in 1969 and it still speaks to millions of people today. Millions of people who have everything to say but never speak. This is just one example, my example on how relatable poems are even if they are hundreds of years old. Being able to relate to a poemRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1219 Words   |  5 PagesLike many African American writers in American history, migration is a defining part of Maya Angelou’s life and character. In her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya thoroughly discusses each of the moves that shape the person she becomes. From St. Louis at seven to a Southern California junkyard at fifteen, Maya’s life is filled with both voluntary and involuntary migrations. Some of these moves are intensely emotionally taxing, while others allow her to grow and flourish. Although herRead MoreMaya Angelou655 Words   |  3 PagesMa 2(1565443) Maya Angelou is known as the â€Å"most visible black female autobiographer/poet.† She was born, Marguerite Ann Johnson, on April fourth, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents divorced when she was three, and she and her brother were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Seeing all the racial discrimination in the American south strengthened her passion for poetry, music, dance and performance. Maya writes about the struggles people face, racism and freedom. At ageRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1482 Words   |  6 Pages Maya Angelou tells of her life experiences and struggles in her book â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings† that gives us insight about Maya’s life as a young black girl growing up in a time of racism. The novel discusses various forms of oppression that she had to face as well cope with them. Robert A. Gross wrote an analysis for Newsweek about the book and claimed that Angelou’s book is not only an interesting story of her own experience, but also a portrayal of a Southern black communityRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s Caged Bird 1835 Words   |  8 PagesApril 4, 2016 Women’s Power Because I live in a community with a majority black population, it is very easy to know all of the famous African American people. Growing up with my grandparents, I always heard a lot about the loving Dr. Maya Angelou. She was a tremendous figure in their lives and a phenomenal woman. One day my family was sitting outside, and my mom was reading a book with a lot of famous poems. The one she read aloud was Maya Angelou’s poem â€Å"Caged Bird.† She was so emotional reading thisRead MoreMaya Angelou : An Influential Voices Of Modern Society Essay1386 Words   |  6 PagesMaya Angelou, born Marguerite Ann Johnson on the 4th of April 1928, was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Stamps, Arkansas. Maya Angelou is regarded as one of the most noteworthy, influential voices of modern society with over 50 doctorate degrees. She became a distinguished poet, educator, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, memoirist, and civil rights activist throughout her life. In t he 1930’s and 1940’s, Stamps, Arkansas was the embodiment of brutality and racial discrimination