Leaving Home By Maya Angelou Dialectical Journal

Approaching the end of the book, chapter thirty-three is about Bailey leaving the house. Angelou notices that she and Bailey have both grown up since she left the house, but Bailey seems to have grown more than her. I could not relate to Angelou’s experience with watching her brother leave the house because my family life has been mostly uneventful. I did find it odd that Bailey thought it was his time to leave the house at sixteen years old. I am seventeen years old now and I would not dream of leaving the house to go out on my own in the world. It surprises me to see that Bailey was so confident in his decision to go out on his own. It shows me how different things were when these two were growing up. It must have been more normal for teenagers

I liked this chapter a lot because it demonstrated a very persistent problem for the black community following the end of slavery. I enjoyed seeing how Angelou fights to get the job and the willpower she shows in doing so. I also found Angelou’s perspective on the situation to be interesting. She describes this when she says, “The incident was a recurring dream, concocted years before by stupid whites and it eternally came back to haunt us all.” (Ch. 34, pg. 267). She then compares her and the secretary to actors in a play. I think this is an effective metaphor because neither of them truly understand how the situation came to be, but they both feel they must act their part. The situation for Angelou still is not great once she gets the job though. Angelou explains this to the reader by saying, “My work shifts were split so haphazardly that it was easy to believe that my superiors had chosen them maliciously.” (Ch. 34, pg. 270). I do not find it hard to believe that Angelou was probably given unfair work shifts due to her skin color by her white bosses. The whole chapter was sad as well because it should not have been as difficult as it is for Angelou to get the

This chapter does expose a larger problem in Angelou’s society though. This chapter shows a clear need for a better education for sexual concepts to the youth. I would say this is still a major problem in 2017. Many kids do not understand the facts surrounding sex and sexualities which can lead to spread of diseases and discrimination. The other funny part about the chapter is how Angelou engages her sexual experience with her neighbor. The conversation beforehand seems so forced and awkward, which is by Angelou’s plan. I find it very funny to read about, but at the same time it is worrying to see that Angelou did something this reckless as a teenager. It makes me wonder how often teenagers did things like this when Angelou was a kid. I think it is a good thing that this is not a common occurrence these days. Then Angelou finishes the chapter by telling the reader that she is pregnant. Chapter thirty-six, the final chapter of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, is when Angelou accepts her pregnancy and tell her mother about it after advice from