Maya Angelou’s memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, parallels the experiences and emotions Shakespeare describes in Sonnet 29, as both narrators feel like lonely, outsiders who wish they could change their position in society. Maya experiences a “painful” development as the “Southern Black girl” so different from the Whites in her community; and, at her young age, she is “aware of her displacement” in society, “an unnecessary insult” that hurts her deeply (Angelou 6). Maya, unhappy with her situation, wishes she was white and imagines herself as a beautiful child with light hair and skin; unfortunately, her self-esteem is incredibly low, and the huge barrier race creates in Stamps makes her feel even more isolated. Similar to Maya, the
Angelou’s exposition of the roles her ethnicity contributes to society reveal the limitations negative words inflict. Angelou affirms this claim, “We were maids and farmers, handymen and washerwomen, and anything higher that we aspired to was farcical and presumptuous” (Angelou, 2015, p. 186). The expected classification of Angelou’s race exhibits a lack of significance for receiving an education. Consequently, an individual’s sense of importance diminishes resulting in an ideology of desperation. Angelou proclaims, “It was awful to be a Negro and have no control over my life” (Angelou, 2015, p. 186).
I don’t always sit at the round table but when I do I like to discuss Literature, so pull up a chair and join me for the Literature round table. Good morning/ afternoon welcome, my name is Isabelle and “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou written in June 1978 is the poem for today. When I lost someone dear to me, I thought that I will never be able to get back back up again. This is how African American people felt in the 1950s – 1960s, due to the Civil Rights Movement disputes between the oppressed people of America and the oppressors that made the people that were being oppressed lives miserable and awful to live life itself. Even though Maya Angelou wrote the poem “Still I Rise” 10 years after the movement.
Rising Above Oppression Being different and having fear of rejection is something we all experience at some point. “Still I Rise,” a poem written by Maya Angelou in 1978, expounds the indomitable spirit of African Americans, who have risen from slavery and every kind of humiliation. In it, the writer uses the motif of the image pattern “I Rise” to illustrate the way people have overcome great obstacles and oppression with enduring pride and grace, retaliating against discrimination of races and gender, and offering hope to the readers suffering from the same ordeal. In “Still I Rise,” Angelou speaks not only for herself; in fact, the poem 's scope is not limited to one person but to all the downtrodden individuals.
Maya Angelou’s autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, illustrates the pain and rejection of being a young black girl in the segregated world of 1930s Arkansas. As a result of racial segregation, African Americans quickly fell victim to poverty and hardship. Particularly in Stamps, where Maya lives during her childhood, the black community attempts to make do with their paltry jobs, accompanied by the pressures of the white society. Faced with threats of general torment, lynching, and even death, the lives of the black residents remain in an almost unbearable state. Although living in unbelievably challenging circumstances, the black citizens are able to continue in life with the hope that their faith gives them.
In “Momma, the Dentist, and Me,” Maya Angelou describes Mommas’ struggle during racial segregation in a childhood memory and in a rare but glorious case is overcome. Angelou recalls when she and Momma, her grandmother, go to the dentist for a toothache severe enough that young Angelou contemplates death to feel relief from the excruciating pain. Angelou imagines her Momma’s actions in the dentist's office after being turned down heroically. Angelou demonstrates a small victory over racism with Momma’s actions as she stands valiantly against racial injustice. In order to strengthen her narrative, Angelou employs imagery, hyperbole, and tone effectively.
(Angelou, 219) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography of Maya, perfectly describes how Maya feels trapped and caged throughout her childhood and life. Maya also wrote a poem named “Caged Bird”, which clearly speaks to the racism of her time. Maya felt caged throughout her life, and as the poem states, she longed for freedom- freedom from the horrible memory of rape and freedom from the racism surrounding her. The setting of this autobiography is in Stamps, Arkansas, an extremely racist small town. Trapped and caged in a small town, Maya realizes the racism of her time, a reality that no one should have to deal with.
Maya Angelou once said, “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” Throughout her life, Maya grew through multiple hardships as a young black woman including racism and being raped. According to the Encyclopedia of World Biography, her uncles killed the rapist, resulting in Maya blaming herself for it and not speaking for five years because she believed “her words brought death” (par 1). Once she started speaking again, Maya broke out of her shell and got involved with dance and theater. These forms of expression led to her self-discovery and the development of her strong will and determination.
An Unjust System Freedom does not feel ‘free’ to all people, as many have struggled throughout the centuries to reach the treasured outcome of freedom that Americans so often speak pridefully of. An excerpt from Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing?, “Caged Bird” is a stand-alone poem written by Maya Angelou in 1983. In the poem “Caged Bird,” Maya Angelou displays the drastic differences between the “free” whites and the “caged” blacks by emphasizing the endless freedom that Caucasians historically have had, while African Americans have had to live in the midst of fear. The African American voice is evident in this poem through the “caged bird” as the speaker powerfully demonstrates her thoughts being opposed to a “free” bird, which is presumably Caucasian Americans.
Maya Angelou’s poem is a reminder of the people who did not have a chance at a free life. Maya Angelou, a North American author, poet, and civil right activist, has become a voice for those who had failed to speak up for themselves. She is recognized for being a spokesperson for black people, woman, and for her commitment of raising the moral standards of black and white people living in the United States. Angelou has written several poems and stories to interpret the horrifying events African Americans experienced in the 1960’s. In the poem, “Caged Bird”, Maya Angelou, utilizes the literary devices of personification, metaphor, and juxtaposition to demonstrate through the metaphor of a caged bird the plight and oppressed life black people had to live.
“I 've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” (Angelou). Such wise words said by the only and only Maya Angelou an American poet. Maya Angelou 's life was not always as luxurious. She went through traumatic experiences including rape, the death of her mother, and an oppression of gender and race growing up. For the purposes of analyzing her works, the focus will be on three of her poems including The Week of Diana, Touched by an Angel, and Life Doesn’t Frighten Me.
At a young age, Angelou struggled with racial prejudice and discrimination. In her poem, she speaks from her own perspective and addresses a third person, who is neither the speaker nor reader. Angelou challenges this third person to answer her rhetorical questions, which showcase her pride and self confidence. In addition, the elements of society that challenge her potential is the antagonist; therefore, Angelou is the protagonist. Although Angelou’s past was atrocious, she manages to put that behind her and pursue her passion of getting African Americans the same rights as whites.
This poem tackles the idea of equal rights and respect of those different than one. A theme in this poem is the ability to overcome in confidence. Maya Angelou, a confident African American, uses poetry to overcome oppression that she faces. She starts the poem saying, “you may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies” (Angelou). This implies that Angelou has a name worth writing down in history, she has a well known place in history.
The beauty of the literary criticism is that as a reader, you a free to choose from a variety of approaches to analyzing the literary work, consequently, the reader can expand, go beyond and understand many details about the work and the author. It also permits the reader to enhance his or her critical thinking besides giving special skills to consider the different approaches. As Casano, (n.d.) mentions: “literary criticism provides some general guidelines to help us analyze, deconstruct, interpret and evaluate”. The biographical approach focuses on the events that round the author’s life, the author childhood, studies, life experiences, family facts and any type of information related to his or her lifetime.
Another quote that shows the general denial of the once racist
