I No Y the Caged bird sings
I know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a fascinating eye opener to the Jim Crow period in the New South. It has a greater impact than textbooks on what it was like to be African American at that time in history because it is a story of real experiences that appeals to the readers' emotions like no history textbook ever can. While Maya Angelou's story is unique in that her experiences are hers alone, it is also a universal story that shows how black people were treated during that period and likewise how that affected their views of the world and, consequently, of themselves. The Jim Crow period can be defined as "the systematic practice of promoting the segregation of the Negro peoples: favoring or promoting the segregation of the Negroes." Jim Crow Laws were laws created for the ultimate purpose of keeping blacks and whites segregated. At the time they used the phrase "separate but equal," however that wasn't really the case: African Americans were not viewed by most whites to be truly equal citizens; they were instead looked down upon. In Maya Angelou's autobiographical novel, she illustrates for her readers the experiences she went through as a black girl growing up in the United States during
Freeman would kill Bailey she did not understand at all. The closest dentist was one that only treated white folks, but since he owed a favor to Momma she thought he would at least consider taking a look at Maya. It sang for freedom and equality, for truth and justice, for love and forgiveness. The doctor's office incident is even greater evidence of what it meant to be African American in the New South during the Jim Crow period because what happened is more directly related to racism and power by color of skin. She thought she must have done something wrong for him to hurt her like that, and that it was so shameful of her that she must tell no one or her brother, Bailey, would be killed. The two characters that stand out most for me in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" are Marguerite, naturally, because she is the main character, and Momma because she was the main caregiver who Maya spent years with and who had a great influence on Maya's life. There are some places where the book is banned because of pornographic content, premarital sex, and the questioning of homosexuality, but these are all real issues and need to be discussed. She figured, not only could he get away with it because he was a grown man, but also because he was better than she because he was lighter skinned. It sang because it would not give in under the pressures of being caged. If he let one Negro be treated and word got out then all the other Negroes would be after him to be treated as well. She is a strong person who believes in obedience and good will. Freeman raped Maya she was only eight years old and she didn't even realize that what he did to her was bad-all she knew for sure at the time was that he hurt her. There were certain incidents in the novel that honestly grossed me out, such as the rape, but the truth of the matter is these things happened, and not just to Maya. The lighter a person was, the more respected he was because he was less black than others.
Common topics in this essay:
African Americans,
Jim Crow,
Maya Angelou's,
Crow South,
Freeman Maya's,
Annie Momma,
Stamps Arkansas,
Sings Marguerite,
Crow Laws,
African American,
jim crow,
crow period,
jim crow period,
caged bird,
caged bird sings,
bird sings,
maya angelou's,
crow period south,
1/8th black,
african american,
life momma,
promoting segregation,
african americans,
|
Acceptance Essays
