“I know why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou

I know why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Introduction

This paper presents a critical analysis of a selected novel titled, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, an autobiographical novel written by Maya Angelou, who is one of the most revered African American novelists. In “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, Maya Angelou, recounts her experiences as an African-American youth in the United States during the 1930's and 1940's. She candidly explores the complexities of racism, family life, and growing up. The thirty-six chapters of Angelou's 250-page autobiography are arranged chronologically and geographically, following Angelou and her brother, Bailey, from home to home.

Analysis of the Novel

Angelou's eloquent autobiography is a testimony to the human spirit, to her personal resilience, and to the power of African-American people. These affirmations are woven through the chapters but are sharply visible in her account of her eighth-grade graduation in Stamps, Arkansas, in 1940. In this narrative, Angelou sets the scene with a description of the excitement surrounding eighth-grade graduation: Momma made her a butter-yellow piqué dress, with crocheted cuffs and a pointy crocheted collar; Uncle Willie and Momma closed the Store; the school band played; and the school principal spoke. Not until the heart of the graduation ceremony did the festive mood change. Then, the white speaker, Edward Donleavy, came on stage with another white man trailing after him. The uninvited guest displaced the Baptist minister, who had to leave the stage.

Donleavy's speech disheartened the audience. They saw themselves through his eyes: “We were maids and farmers, handymen and washerwomen, and anything higher that we aspired to was farcical and presumptuous.” Angelou concludes that the “ugliness they left was palpable,” and she thinks about colors she hates: “ecru, puce, lavender, beige and black.” As ...