i know why the caged bird sings essay topics

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112 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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Maya Angelou's autobiography, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," is a powerful and moving account of her childhood and adolescence. It explores themes of race, identity, trauma, and resilience, making it a rich source of essay topics for students. Here are 112 ideas and examples for essays on this iconic work:

• Analyze the significance of the title "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" in relation to the book's themes.
• Discuss the role of race and racism in Maya Angelou's life as depicted in the book.
• Explore the theme of identity and self-discovery in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
• Examine the impact of trauma and abuse on Maya Angelou's childhood and development.
• Investigate the theme of family and community in the book.
• Discuss the importance of education and literacy in Maya Angelou's life.
• Analyze the significance of religion and spirituality in the book.
• Explore the theme of resilience and survival in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
• Discuss the portrayal of gender roles and expectations in the book.
• Examine the role of storytelling and memory in Maya Angelou's narrative.
• Analyze the significance of setting in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
• Discuss the theme of freedom and captivity in the book.
• Explore the motif of birds and cages in the text.
• Analyze the role of language and voice in Maya Angelou's writing.
• Discuss the influence of music and literature in the book.
• Examine the theme of beauty and self-image in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
• Discuss the depiction of motherhood and maternal figures in the book.
• Analyze the significance of the character of Bailey Jr. in Maya Angelou's life.
• Explore the theme of friendship and companionship in the book.
• Discuss the role of mentors and role models in Maya Angelou's life.
• Analyze the portrayal of Southern culture and society in the book.
• Discuss the theme of resilience and resistance in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
• Explore the motif of masks and disguises in the text.
• Analyze the significance of the character of Mrs. Flowers in Maya Angelou's life.
• Discuss the role of literature and storytelling in the book.
• Examine the theme of trauma and healing in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
• Discuss the impact of segregation and racism on Maya Angelou's life.
• Analyze the significance of the character of Daddy Clidell in the book.
• Explore the theme of forgiveness and redemption in the text.
• Discuss the role of humor and wit in Maya Angelou's writing.
• Analyze the portrayal of sexuality and sexual abuse in the book.
• Discuss the theme of power and oppression in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
• Explore the motif of food and nourishment in the text.
• Analyze the significance of the character of Vivian Baxter in Maya Angelou's life.
• Discuss the role of resilience and resistance in the book.
• Examine the theme of loss and grief in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
• Discuss the impact of violence and trauma on Maya Angelou's life.
• Analyze the significance of the character of Uncle Willie in the book.
• Explore the theme of love and acceptance in the text.
• Discuss the role of music and dance in Maya Angelou's writing.
• Analyze the portrayal of race and racism in the book.
• Discuss the theme of education and empowerment in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
• Explore the motif of nature and the environment in the text.
• Analyze the significance of the character of Momma in Maya Angelou's life.
• Examine the theme of family and community in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
• Discuss the impact of trauma and abuse on Maya Angelou's life.
• Analyze the significance of the character of Joyce in the book.

With these essay topics and examples, students can delve deep into the themes and motifs of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and explore the richness of Maya Angelou's writing. Whether analyzing the impact of trauma on the author's life or examining the role of resilience and resistance, there

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

By maya angelou, i know why the caged bird sings essay questions.

What role does the Great Migration play in Maya Angelou’s life and in the events of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings ?

The Great Migration is present in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings from the moment the book begins. Mother and Daddy Bailey send Maya and Bailey back South after their marriage and their hopes for economic prosperity in California fail. This movement of Black bodies from the American South to the North and West (and vice versa) is called the Great Migration. Maya’s family is one of the many Black families fleeing racial violence and oppression in the South, and searching for freedom and economic opportunities in the North and West. Maya and Bailey participate in the Great Migration again when Momma decides that the South is no longer safe for them after Bailey’s brush with white Stamps. The central idea of the Great Migration, the idea that prosperity and freedom from racism can be found if one just escapes the South, fuels many of the choices of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ characters. Thus, the Great Migration plays a critical, influencing role in many of the book’s events.

Discuss the character of Momma. What impact did she have on Maya’s life?

Momma is the matriarch of Maya’s family. A deeply religious woman, she raises Maya and Bailey strictly but fairly. Though Momma is not one to show affection, Maya knows that she is a recipient of Momma’s “deep-brooding love” (94). Without Momma, Maya and Bailey’s lives would have turned out very differently. After all, the kids are first sent to live with Momma because their parents are not fit to raise them. Daddy Bailey is too self-absorbed and vain, whereas Mother flits around like a butterfly and is “too beautiful to have children” (99). Momma provides Maya and Bailey with a stable home, more than enough food, and structure. Furthermore, she gives Maya her first lessons on dealing with and overcoming racism.

Bailey and Maya began the novel as inseparable siblings, but by the end Bailey seems to purposefully push his sister away. Why do you think Bailey alienates his sister?

Bailey’s most important relationships are with Maya and Mother. Bailey and Maya are dependent on one another from the beginning, starting when they were put alone on the train to Stamps. This closeness persists even after Bailey falls “instantly and forever in love” with Mother (99). The change in Bailey and Maya’s relationship begins subtly when they leave St. Louis and return to Stamps. Bailey begins to keep secrets from Maya, such as the one about Kay Francis, the white actress that resembles Mother. Maya gets her first girlfriend, and Bailey begins to explore sex with the girls in his acquaintance.

All of these developments seem like typical occurrences in the transition from child to adult. However, as Bailey’s relationship to Mother begins to fall apart, so does his relationship to Maya. When Mother kicks Bailey out of the house and Maya goes to comfort him, he tells her “leave me the shit alone” (431). And when he leaves for his job with Southern Pacific, the once loquacious and open siblings cannot find the words to verbalize their feelings and thoughts. It is important to note that Bailey’s relationship with Maya suffers around the same time as his relationship to Mother. As he transitions to manhood, Bailey alienates the principal women in his life. Perhaps this is a misguided attempt to be manlier. Or perhaps Bailey thinks he is too close to the women in his life. Both explanations have credence.

Analyze the influence of beauty and appearance on Maya’s life and choices.

From the opening pages of the book we are exposed to Maya’s beliefs about race and beauty. These beliefs do transform over the course of Caged Bird, but at the beginning Maya equates whiteness with beauty. She hopes that the lavender taffeta dress will make her “look like one of the sweet little white girls who were everybody’s dream of what was right in the world” (6). It is only until Maya sees Mother in St. Louis that she consciously acknowledges the beauty of Black women. It takes Maya even longer to realize her own beauty, but she finally does on the day of her lower school graduation. She still grapples with self-esteem issues, but her life in California helps her deal with that as well. She decides to take dance classes after Bailey tells her they would “make [her] legs big and widen [her] hips” (362).

It is also in California that Maya begins to fear her big feet, deep voice, skinny legs, and lack of breasts means she’s not a “real” woman, and a lesbian. Clearly, though she is growing more comfortable in her own body, Maya still harbors very particular ideals of what is beautiful and womanly, and what isn’t. Her desire to be like a woman leads Maya to have unprotected sex and become pregnant. The impact of beauty and appearance on Maya’s decisions and life cannot be overstated.

Compare and contrast the various settings in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Stamps, St. Louis, and San Francisco are extremely different cities. Stamps is heavily segregated, whereas St. Louis is less segregated and San Francisco lesser still. Stamps is located in rural Arkansas and lacks many of the modern conveniences and technologies that St. Louis and San Francisco have. Alternatively, the hustle and bustle of the two big cities can make them overwhelming places to live, unlike quiet and idyllic Stamps. Still, Stamps’ prevalent racial violence and oppression does not recommend it to Black Americans searching for freedom and opportunities. Though St. Louis and San Francisco are not strangers to racism, they aren’t as bad as Stamps. These are some of the reasons why Maya develops more during her years in St. Louis and San Francisco.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Before meeting Mrs flowers marguerite has refused any help why is Mrs flowers able to help her when others could not

The "aristocrat" of black Stamps, Mrs. Flowers is a gracious woman who encourages Maya's love of literature, and also helps Maya to break out of her muteness. Maya regards her as the pinnacle of humankind. Mrs. Flowers refuses to let Maya feel...

When he realizes that Maya is wounded, what does Maya’s father do? Why doesn’t he take Maya to see a doctor?

Maya's father doesn't take her to the doctor because he is afraid that the circumstances.... Maya being cut by his girlfriend.... would ruin his reputation.

In the car he explained that the couple were his friends and he had asked the wife to...

i know why the caged bird sings

Ms. Flowers is the "aristocrat" of black Stamps, she is a gracious woman who encourages Maya's love of literature, and also helps Maya to break out of her muteness. Maya regards her as the pinnacle of humankind. Maya finds Ms. Flowers a unique...

Study Guide for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings study guide contains a biography of Maya Angelou, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Summary
• Character List

Essays for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

• Maya Angelou and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
• The Struggle for Self: Oppression's Effect on Identity
• Overcoming Black Oppression Through Empowerment

Lesson Plan for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

• Introduction
• Plot summary
• Style and genre

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

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A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction-Chapter 3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-15

Chapters 16-18

Chapters 19-21

Chapters 22-24

Chapters 25-27

Chapters 28-30

Chapters 31-33

Chapters 34-36

Key Figures

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Religious fundamentalism, central to Maya’s life in Stamps, is an invisible yet constant presence in Momma Henderson’s home. How does it shape Maya’s worldview in her formative years, and to which extent it is reflected in her personality?

The structure of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is thematic, rather than chronological, which makes it stand out among other coming-of-age autobiographies. Using specific examples from the text, explain how and for what purpose Angelou utilizes the non-chronological narrative .

What techniques, common to fiction, but less characteristic of autobiography, does Angelou use in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ? List specific examples and explain what purpose they serve in the text. 

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Most Interesting I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Topics to Write About

• The Importance of Motherhood in Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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• The Secret Mission for Individuality in the Novels The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• Racial Relations in Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Good Research Topics About I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

• The Three Lectures About the Manner of Living in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Essay Questions

• How Maya Angelou Provides Private Account of Her Life in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
• What Is the Subtext of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”?
• How Does “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” Show Death, Regeneration, and Rejuvenation?
• What Is the Death Metaphor in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings All About?
• What Beneficial Effects Do Mother Figures Have in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
• How Is Trauma Healing Imagined in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
• How Victory Over Hardships Is Observed in, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings .
• How Maya Angelou Demonstrates and Not Tells in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
• How Americanism Is Demonstrated in, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
• What Is the Subordination and Opposition in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”?
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• What Are the Three Components of the Manner of Living in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
• What Are the Maternal Issues in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
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• What Feminist Ideas Are Expressed in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
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• How Did Maya Angelou Demonstrate Her Ideological Voice in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
• What Are the Conceptual and Structural Issues Addressed in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
• What Are the Components of Brilliance and Humorous in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
• How Slavery and Prejudice Are Modelled in, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?
• What Dialect Is Used in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and How Is It Used?
• What Are the Interactions of Marginalized Women in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ?

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Maya Angelou: Racism and Segregation in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” Essay

Introduction, racism and segregation, works cited.

In the book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings , the author, Maya Angelou, describes how she grew up as an intelligent Afro-American girl in South America and later in California in 1940’s. She gives an account of the various characteristics of her society that made her to mature. Having worked with Martin Luther in combating racism before her book, she had to incorporate the theme of racism in her work. Thus racism and segregation is highly depicted as a theme in her book (Angelou 1).

In this book, Maya comes across many instances of blatant racism. She is forced to face racism and segregation in her country at a very young age.

While living in Stamps, Arkansas, she experiences the region’s characteristic segregation to the extent that she believes that white people do not exist. At this tender age, she is made to believe that every good thing belongs to the whites. This is evidenced in many incidences. An example is that, as she fails to recite her poem in church, she notes that her dress is probably a handout from a white woman.

She associates blond hair with beauty and believes that she is trapped in a “black ugly dream” (Angelou 7) with an unattractive African-American body. She also believes that she will soon wake from her nightmare and become as beautiful as the whites. The segregation that is characteristic of Stamps is evidenced by the statement that Mrs. Henderson owns a store in the black segment of Stamps (Angelou 1 – 11).

As she grows older, Maya encounters racist incidences that are more open and personal. Some of these incidences include the demeaning address that is directed towards her by a white speaker during her eighth-grade graduation, she also faces racist problems while applying for a streetcar job but she overcomes the problems to get the job.

Her white boss is also depicted as a racist. He calls her Mary despite her disapproval. When she visits a white dentist, he declines to treat her. There is evidence that black people were prone to acts of violence perpetrated to them by their white counterparts. This is from the incidence in which Maya and Willie help a black man escaping a white lynch mob.

The importance that the black attach to the world championship boxing match of Joe Louis shows how the black people thirst for recognition and also proves inequality in the community. Maya is also portrayed as a racist in some ways. For instance, she feels guilty of loving the works of William Shakespeare due to the mere fact that he was white (Angelou 11 – 23). In summary, the book has a notable thematic bias on racism.

From the discussion above, it is clear that the community Maya is living in is faced with serious segregation and racism. Maya uses this community to describe how life was during her time. She creates events that depict how racism was deeply rooted in the American community in the 1940’s. As described, these events include her belief that black people are ugly, the derogatory address by a white speaker during her graduation, the refusal by a white dentist to treat her, etc (Angelou 10 – 24).

Through these experiences, she learns how racism and segregation has affected her family members’ characters and strives to overcome the pressure mounted on her by these social problems.

Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings . U.S. Bantam Books, 1983. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2022, April 1). Maya Angelou: Racism and Segregation in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings". https://ivypanda.com/essays/racism-and-segregation/

"Maya Angelou: Racism and Segregation in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"." IvyPanda , 1 Apr. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/racism-and-segregation/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Maya Angelou: Racism and Segregation in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"'. 1 April.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Maya Angelou: Racism and Segregation in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"." April 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/racism-and-segregation/.

1. IvyPanda . "Maya Angelou: Racism and Segregation in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"." April 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/racism-and-segregation/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Maya Angelou: Racism and Segregation in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"." April 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/racism-and-segregation/.

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• Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Angelou's Term Paper

Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Angelou's Term Paper

Taken away to live with her mother in St. Louis, the lonely little girl responds to Mr. Freeman's embrace hoping that she has, at last, found a loving father figure. The embrace, however, turns into rape the second time he holds her and the child becomes even more displaced. Besides the trauma of the rape, Maya harbors misplaced guilt over Mr. Freeman's death: "Just my breath, carrying my words out, might poison people.... I had to stop talking." (85) The seven-year-old child proves to be as good as her words and retreats into total silence. Indeed, it is not hard to imagine the trauma of a seven-year-old child who had already lived almost a lifetime given the painful consequences of a low self-image, racism, and child abuse. At this point, the reader is left wondering if this particular life is headed for a tragic ending. Instead, Maya's silence turns out to be turning point in her life. Sent back to Momma in Stamps, Angelou recalls the year she spent in her own silent world until Mrs. Flowers took an interest in her and introduced her to the world of literature. It is obvious that literature, though initially an avenue of escape, opens up a whole new world of possibilities for the young Maya. As she observes, "language is man's way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone that separates him from the lower animals." (95) It can also perhaps be inferred that literature, along with her own desire to escape a life caged by society and feelings of inadequacy, laid the foundation for Maya ultimately following a path of resistance. Of course, she repeatedly acknowledges the fact that she had strong role models in Momma, Vivian, and Mrs. Flowers. The fact, however, remains that unlike the generations of black people before her, Maya chooses to actively resist her rhetorical imprisonment: "It was awful to be Negro and have no control over my life. It was brutal to be young and already trained to sit quietly and listen to charges brought against my color with no chance of defense. We should all be dead." (176) A move to San Francisco and her experiences there finally lead to Maya's breaking free of her cage. But the foundation for that final break had been laid by years of frustration and a longing for freedom, dignity, and justice. In wartime San Francisco, Maya, for the first time, begins to feel a sense of belonging: "The air of collective displacement, the impermanence of life...the gauche personalities of the more recent arrivals tended to dissipate my own sense of not belonging." (205) It is also at this time that she realizes, through her observations of the treatment of the Japanese, that discrimination is not something practiced only by the Southern whites. These observations, coupled with her experiences of driving a drunk father home from a Mexican town and a month spent among the homeless, finally teach Maya that she can, indeed, stand on her own feet: "After hunting down unbroken bottles and selling them with a white girl from Missouri, a Mexican girl from Los Angeles and a black girl from Oklahoma, I was never again to sense myself so solidly outside the pale of the human race." (216) Thus, the confidence she gains enhances her self-worth and strengthens her determination to lead a life of her choosing. This is evident in the determination with which she persists till she is hired as a conductor on the San Francisco cable cars, even though she discovers that the street car office does not hire African-Americans. The only thing now left for the young Maya to ascertain is her own sexuality. Suspicious that she may be a lesbian, Maya sets out to determine her sexual identity and ends up pregnant. A mother at sixteen, Angelou describes her fear and uncertainty over motherhood, refusing to even touch her new-born infant for fear of hurting him. Till her mother, Vivian, intervenes and demonstrates to Maya that she has nothing to fear. Vivian achieves this by insisting that the baby sleep with Maya. That same night, Vivian wakes her daughter and shows her how she has instinctively protected her child while sleeping. In…

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Essay

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Americans have not been treated the way that they should have been. The cause of this mistreatment is due to the white population’s actions in the past. Maya Angelou’s book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a good representation of the treatment that African Americans were given in the past. In the poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, there are many themes that become common between the poem and book. One big theme is that Maya’s dreams were restricted because of her lack of freedom. The quote from

Maya Angelou tells of her life experiences and struggles in her book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” that gives us insight about Maya’s life as a young black girl growing up in a time of racism. The novel discusses various forms of oppression that she had to face as well cope with them. Robert A. Gross wrote an analysis for Newsweek about the book and claimed that Angelou’s book is not only an interesting story of her own experience, but also a portrayal of a Southern black community, thus

Presentation I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a self-portraying record of Maya Angelou that shows how cherish for writing and having a solid character can assume a huge part in conquering bigotry and misery. Throughout the story, it is clear that Maya changes from being a setback of bigotry to end up distinctly a young lady with self-nobility and character that helps her to conquer partiality. The setting of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings concentrates on the issues connected with bigotry that

In the memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou presents the theme: coming of age. This theme is shown throughout the book many times, especially when something big happens to her, changing the way that she reacts to things and the way that she sees things. Another way that this theme is shown throughout the book is the way that she words things in the beginning, vs the way that she words things in the end. The change in her writing style and her language shows this. Not only was she

The book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is a very moving story, and a big perspective changer. This story is an autobiography of Marguerite "Maya" Johnson also known as Maya Angelou. She wrote the story in elaborate detail, gave her view on how it really was back then, and showed how prejudice people really were. Maya Angelou's story took place in the 1930's - 1950'si Southern California. She told her story in a child’s point of view an later as an adult’s perspective. The style in which she

28th of May 2014, she was an Activist, acclaimed American poet, storyteller and autobiographer. However, all her accomplishments were born out of abuse, violence, neglect and pain, that she wrote about in her autobiographical novel, "I know why the caged bird sings" which was published in 1969. In the book, she wrote not only about the conflicts that plagued her for much of her life but also how the role they played in her life. Particular problem areas discussed include, the difficulties she experienced

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiographical novel written by Maya Angelou, was published in the year 1969. The novel follows Maya as a young girl facing challenges such as racism and sexism following the civil rights movement. While reading the book, the reader is introduced to events in history such as the Great Depression and World War II. The novel is described as a coming of age story starring a young, insecure black girl. Living in the south and in California during the 1930’s

novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a tale of an African American family facing racism, oppression and prejudice acts in the deep south of Stamps, Arkansas in the 1930’s and 1950’s. Throughout Maya’s early childhood she suffers from traumatizing events, that leads to her powerful voice of inspiration that challenges the dominant ideology of racism. Throughout Maya’s novel her tone can be summarized as personal, scorn, and serious. Her purpose of writing I know Why the Caged Bird Sings was to

tragic topics is important if you want to change the way the world perceives difficult topics. For me, this is something I have often done in my life, and it makes that much more sense that I would employ it in my art. Following this idea, I was able to create my piece “Caged Bird Sings”. First, Maya Angelou’s, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, inspired my piece “Caged Bird Sings”. The Idea for this piece was to show the tragedy that is racism and do Mrs. Angelou justice with her recent passing.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings According to Willard Scott, “Positive Feelings come from being honest about yourself and accepting your personality, and physical characteristics, warts and all; and, from belonging to a family that accepts you without question.” Maya Angelou illustrates this in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography on herself. It illustrates Maya Angelou’s struggles of accepting herself because of some cruel experiences in her life. Maya was an African American girl

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