Caged Bird Sing, By Maya Angelou

In the autobiographical novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing, Maya Angelou recounts her struggles of living in Stamps, Arkansas as an young African American girl along with her brother, Bailey. Maya and Bailey together had to learn how to survive with their grandmother and crippled uncle as they both had a difficult childhood as a result of racism and having a an unstable family. In the poem, “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou, Angelou uses a caged bird as a metaphor for an African American living in the United States. The caged bird has the ability to live in a world that has beauty and opportunities in it, but has limitations against it. The caged bird attempts to fly, sing, and be free, but its voice is not heard and cannot fly away. However,

Maya Angelou and the caged bird connect on the level that they both have fallen into captivity as a result of injustice and cruelty, but they still fight to be free and live a fulfilling life despite the harsh realities that encompass them. From the beginning, Maya has lived a life that wasn't fair due to her skin color and was caged in as a result of racism. “…his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied” (Angelou, 28-29). At the trial of Mr. Freeman, Maya feels hopeless and tied down when asked about prior sexual incidents to her rape. She doesn’t want to lie, but at the same time fears death of family members as Mr. Freeman threatened or disapproval from the family. In the end, Maya lies to the court, but Mr. Freeman is later murdered after being released shortly after the trial. Mr. Freeman’s death hits Maya hard and she comes to the conclusion that he died as a result of her deceit. “He was gone, and a man was dead because I lied. Where was the balance in that? One lie surely wouldn't be worth a man’s life” (86). In order to protect her family members from any harm that she may cause, Maya decides that it would be safer for her not to speak so

“…and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom” (Angelou, 33-34). When Maya works for Mrs. Cullinan, Maya is subject to unfair treatment by Miss Glory and Mrs. Cullinan. Maya’s name becomes “Mary” and is asked if she is dumb. Maya becomes tired of the mistreatment, which leads her to dropping a casserole dish so that she’d be let go. Mrs. Cullinan ends up using racial slurs against Maya and throws broken glass at her. However, when Miss Glory refers to Maya again as Mary, Mrs. Cullinan yells, “ Her name’s Margaret…” and continues to be in hysterics (110). Maya leaves Mrs. Cullinan’s residency and thinks to herself, “Mrs. Cullinan was right about one thing. My name wasn't Mary” (111). Tired of mistreatment, Maya went to an extreme in order to be free from this injustice. Maya didn’t need to say a single word, but her action was just as powerful in getting back to the women for the way they treated Maya. After Maya moved to San Francisco, she came to the conclusion that she would become a conductorette on a streetcar. After weeks of no support from African American associations and then multiple tests, Maya finally achieved her goal. “…then on a blissful day I was hired as the first Negro on the San Francisco streetcars” (269). Maya beat down the racial barrier and that in