I know why the caged bird sing
In Maya Angelou's autobiographical novel, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", tenderhearted Marguerite Johnson discovers all of the splendors and agonies of growing up in a prejudiced, early twentieth century America. Rotating between the slow country life of Stamps, Arkansas and the fast-pace societies in St. Louis, Missouri and San Francisco, California taught Maya several random aspects of life while showing her segregated America from coast to coast. When Maya was three years old, her mother sent her and Bailey from California to Stamps to stay in the care of their grandmother, Mrs. Annie Henderson. Soon thought of as their real mother, "Momma" raised her grandchildren with the strict Southern principles such as, "wash your feet before you go to bed; always pray to the savior and you shall be forgiven; chores and school come before play; and help those in need and you shall be helped yourself." Bearing those basic principles, Maya and Bailey grew older and wiser in Stamps. However, one day their father rode extravagantly into Stamps and called for his children to return home with him to St. Louis. Bailey, eager to leave the simple family life in Arkansas, agreed immediately, but "te
In court, Maya lied, saying that he only touched her once, and the guilt of lying to her closest friend, her brother Bailey, cause Maya to mute herself. They stayed together with Mother Dear, both attending a non-segregated high school. Stamps represents the "cage" of the novel, a secure place where Maya could flutter and sing like a bird and not worry about being hurt by the disturbances of the cities. Exasperated by a gloomy and morbid girl, Maya and Bailey were shipped back to Momma in Stamps, a great relief for Maya, but a horribly upsetting act for her brother. Louis, where their mother only went to church once a year, but in Stamps the religious believers found it sinful, and Maya was beaten. During the Great Depression, her well-off Momma lent out money to both struggling Negro and white folks even though, "the whites in [their] town were so prejudiced that a Negro couldn't buy vanilla ice cream. After a physical fight with Dolores, Maya decided to run away from her father's home and try to live on her own with freedom. nder-hearted" Maya was frightened by the idea of big cities and strange people. In Stamps, Maya learns to survive in a white-domineering society by praying and helping others. " "By the way" was a common expression in St. After they made love, and still uncertain of her sexual preference, she found herself pregnant three weeks later at the age of sixteen. After her adventures in the junkyard, Maya wished for an alternate lifestyle to the boring school-to-home schedule she was acquainted with.
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Acceptance Essays
