I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, written by Maya Angelou, is an autobiography about the early stages of Angelou's life. Maya Angelou is a well-known American author and poet. She has written a total of 36 books, in addition to screenplays and poetry. Angelou also is an all around entertainer, including talents in dance, singing, and acting. In 2000, she received the national Medal of Arts. The essay included in The Best American Essays of the Century was adapted from the beginning of the Maya’s most famous book. The essay takes place in the 1930s, in Stamps, Arkansas where segregation and persecution of blacks was very apparent. The essay describes the struggles of what it was like to be growing up as a black child in the south. Young Maya Angelou, who went by Marguerite, grew up in a religious household, with her grandmother, crippled uncle, and her older brother Bailey. Throughout the beginning years of her life she struggled with accepting who she was in a society where blacks were not equal. The book reads, "Wouldn't they be surprised when one day I woke out of my black ugly dream, and my real hair, which was long and blond, would take the place of the kinky mass that Momma wouldn't let me straighten" (Angelou 343). This related to her purpose, which is to inform readers of her struggle with persecution as well as her struggle to find who she was. She argued that it is always hard for a teenager to find themselves, but growing up a black girl in the south made it even harder. Her writing was genuine, interesting, and reencountered a true struggle creating a large audience for young adults and older. The people that will find the most enjoyment out of the book are ones with an interest in the struggle with equality or ones with an interest in Maya Angelou. Angelou includes many rhetorical devices throughout her essay, however the most evident one is the use of metaphors and similes to enhance her imagery, as well as connect the audience with her characters. In the opening paragraphs of the essay she writes, "The truth of the statement was like a wadded-up handkerchief sopping in my wet fists, and the sooner they accepted it the quicker I could let my hands open and the air would cool my palms," (Angelou 342). This allowed readers to understand how desperately she wanted someone to understand what she was saying. Angelou’s succeeded in getting her purpose across to the audience, for she makes it very easy for the audience to understand the thoughts, emotions, and frustrations her character felt. It was easy to comprehend the struggle young Maya Angelou was facing.

A young, yet happy Maya Angelou, after moving away from Stamps, Arkansas and completing her education.  Source: mayaangelou.com