In I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing by Maya Angelou - Essay Example

Thesis of the caged bird Introduction This is a book written back in 1969, it’s an autobiography of the childhood life of theAfrican American poet and writer; Maya Angeluo. In the introduction of the book, it’s a coming-to-age narration that that clearly shows how love and good character can facilitate the process of overcoming trauma and racism. The plot begins where the Maya is sent by the parents to live with the grandmother and ends up becoming a mother a 17. In the book, Maya is transformed and she is able to overcome racism and turns to be dignified and self-possessed.

This autobiography reveals subjects like rape, identity, literacy, and racism. She also emphasizes on the techniques women used to survive in the male dominated environment. Rape has been used in the book as a metaphor to represent the suffering experienced as a result of racism. The other metaphor used in the book is the ‘struggling bird trying to escape from the cage,’ which has been used as the central image all through the book to illustrate the tactics used in evading racist oppression.

Thesis Maya’s real was born back in 1928, in Missouri city. Her original name is Anne Marguerite Johnson but her elder brother, Johnson, could not pronounce the name and referred her as Mya Sister, which ultimately ended as Maya. At the age of three, the parents to Maya divorced and she was forced to go and the grandmother, Annie Henderson, who lived with other children in the country side, far from the main town of Arkansas. At a very young age, Maya faces the challenges of segregation and racism in America.

The idea that she is black and fat makes her experience deep thought and depression as well. As she grows up, life gets harder and the effects of racism tortures her greatly, a good example of where she was totally let down by her race is during the graduation when the speaker insisted on calling her Mary as well as the instance when the dentist refused to attend to her. All these antisocial realities suppressed the spirit of Maya. She hides her pregnancy from her mother and the rest of the family for eight months but later comes to be happy with her new born son.

After the rape incidence, shame and guilt engulfs Maya, the death of Mr. Freeman also haunts him because she thinks that she was responsible in one way or the other yet he had abused her previously before the sexual abuse. She finds herself like an outcast and decides to go silent except when they are with Bailey. In the beginning, her mum’s family understands her current behavior and assumes that it’s as a result of sexual abuse trauma but later gets scared and becomes angry and frustrated as the behavior persisted.

As time goes, she learns how racism pressures affect the behavior of her peers and family as well, and aims to be the exceptional and adjusts for the better. Bailey comes for Maya’s rescue and uses Momma to bring happiness back to Maya. The attempt works and Momma penetrates Maya’s silent and he is in a position to bring followers to her through the introduction he made Maya to madam Bertha. Bertha uses techniques such as requesting her to read aloud the poems and other interesting books.

In this period, Maya understands the strengths and fragility of her society, she goes to an extent of attending sermons and this helps her grow spiritually. She endures are the happenings in her environment and she starts taking everything positively. Regardless of the disappointments and insecurities in Maya’s early life, she has become remarkable as far as black women are concerned. In fact, she acts as a role model in her community and family as well. Among other females in the book; Vivian, Momma, Bertha flowers, and Grandmother have completely different views and personalities in life, and therefore manage and make paths on their own to maintain their self respect and dignity.

Maya as well fights racism in her own ways; one of the most emphasized ways is by vying to become the first black female streetcar conductor at Francisco (Morrison 27). It is made more real and interesting because the fellow female predecessors. In chapter 34, Maya notices that that the role of the black women ids to struggle for the best outcome, it turns to be a challenge as it is hard for women to become successful but she arm herself to face the challenges. The love for William Shakesphere’s boosts Maya’s confidence and also provided a world escape and fancy.

She always took refuge in the library after a long day in St. Louis. She also describes Mrs. Flowers as the women she found in the novels and she really admired her. As time goes on she finds her love for literature growing, and she asks for guidance from her mentor Mrs. Flowers. The world starts going smooth for the previous confused girl. She starts appreciating people as well as the challenges she met on her way as they played part in modeling her behavior, dream, vision, as well as the well being of the family and the community at large.

She helps other females in earning the knowledge she had learnt in schools as well as giving them encouragement. From the plot, the set of characters, and the themes developed by in Maya’s autobiography we can fully understand the meaning of the title of the book. Conclusion This is a book that inspires every reader who comes along it. The theme and the objective of the book as well as the message are clearly outlined in the book. It is a book that is an inspiration to other individuals experiencing the same sorrows Maya passed through.

This thesis has summarized the book in reference to the caged bird where Maya the main character as well as the author tries to fight for success in life in a nonconductive environment. The thesis also outlines the parties that were playing part in both the oppression and excel of Maya. Work cited Lombardi, E. ‘Maya Angelou’s Controversial autobiographical books Retrieved on November 17, 2011 from http://classiclit.about.com/od/iknowwhythecagedbird/a/aa_iknowbirdqu.htm Maya Angelou ‘I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing’ (1983) Bantam Morrison, T.

‘Tar baby’ Vintage publishers (2004) ‘One more woman ambushed and raped. A Black boy whipped and maimed. a white woman slapping her maid for being forgetful." Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Chapter 19 Rigney, B. H. ‘The voices of Toni Morrison’ Ohio: Ohio State University (1994)