Thomas Lim December 9‚ 2010 English 2 Professor Padilla Themes of Racism and Segregation in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou The purpose of this paper is to introduce‚ discuss‚ and analyze the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Specifically it will discuss the themes of racism and segregation‚ and how these strong themes are woven throughout this moving autobiography. Maya Angelou recounts the story of her early life‚ including the racism and segregation
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Southern Black girl‚ being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat.” (Angelou *). This powerful quote comes from Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings‚ a heart wrenching autobiography that still captivates America with its truths about the pre civil rights era. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has accomplished so many achievements including the Literarian Award in 2013. As Maya and her brother bounce from home to home in the South‚ they encounter several
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you? In the story‚ I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings the author proves a point that our name matters‚ we are our name‚ our name makes us. Maya Angelou discusses the power of names. She doesn’t tell us exactly what she was referring to when she stated “the power of names” meant‚ but Maya proved an important point. In the book‚ I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings‚ everyone reacted differently with their names. I personally‚ had a problem when people with could not pronounce my name when I was younger. Which
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Literary Response By Ashley McKoy I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an inspiring story by well-known author Dr. Maya Angelou. Angelou is known for her many outstanding literary works. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings‚ Angelou tells the story of her life struggles and how she was able to overcome many obstacles in her life to become the famous author she is today. Angelou’s life story is inspiring and she tells it in a way that really makes you understand
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In the first six chapters of “I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing”‚ many events happen. One event in particular was the poor white children‚ also known as the “powhitetrash” children‚ disrespected Momma. When Marguerite was ten-years-old‚ three “powhitetrash” children approached the Store. As they walked closer‚ Momma told her to head inside. The children mocked Momma by imitating all her body gestures and stance. They also referred to Momma by her first name‚ which was very disrespectful considering
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In the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings by Mary Angelou‚ the chapter “Graduation” includes symbols and literary devices that portray segregation and prosperity throughout the story. Furthermore‚ the vigorous symbols and literary devices expose the emotions and limitations of segregation. Moreover‚ these devices reveals the feelings of contentment. During the 1940’s‚ segregation depresses the African American people and composes them to feel dispirited. Particularly‚ the white schools
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I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings In the autobiography‚ I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings‚ Maya Angelou shares the story of her life living from Stamps‚ Arkansas‚ through San Francisco‚ California in the time of the 1930s. She shows how she overcomes a great burden that prevented her from a better life. We focus on Angelou with her family and life that displays how one thing in our lives forms everything leading afterwards. In the book‚ we see the young Angelou as a curious‚ smart girl who is just
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The Caged Bird Children endeavor clashes when finding their personal place in society. When a child is grinded down by their family‚ or the dominant culture‚ the road to achieving self-identity is accompanied with enormous obstacles to overcome. Maya Angelou’s amazing and enthralling experiences in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” show her hard life growing up as a black girl from the South during the 1930s. Among the hardships are things known as "cages". "Cages" are things that keep people from
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“I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such moving wonder‚ such a luminous dignity”. With these words‚ James Baldwin‚ who mentored and motivated Maya Angelou to write her autobiographical novel‚ I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings‚ describes the hope that Maya Angelou harboured for a better world‚ strongly supported by her love of literature and frequent retreats into the depths of literary worlds. The ever-religious Angelou
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Maya Angelou’s occupation Conductorrette from I know Why the Caged Bird Sings is written in the first-person point of view. The narrator is a fifteen-year-old black girl. She wants to find a job that will suit her age but that will also be one the really has an interest for. The narrator decides she wants to be the first Negro on the San Francisco streetcars. Getting the job‚ however‚ wasn’t an easy task‚ and neither was having to deal with the discrimination of her co-workers. In the beginning
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