I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Essay
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings follows the journey of a young girl as she transitions into adulthood. Maya Johnson is a young African American girl who isn't like the rest of the people in her town. Maya and her brother were abandoned by their parents at a young age and were raised by their Grandma. Maya struggles through her early years of life because she feels as if no one loves her. Throughout the book Maya shows courage and strength by standing up for herself and others, Maya is an inspiration for many girls who have gone through abuse, rape, or who have just had a hard life. Although, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a praised book, there are many critical statements about the author and her writing style.
I Know Why the Caged Bird …show more content…
Momma (Maya’s Grandma) saves up money and they move out to california with Maya’s mom, Vivian. Vivian marries a man whom Maya calls Daddy Clidell and they move to San Francisco. One summer Maya stays with her father and his girlfriend, Dolores. Dolores and Maya get into many fights and never agree. Big Bailey takes Maya to Mexico with him and teaches her some spanish and shows her how to have fun. Sadly the trip to Mexico was short and Maya had to go back home with Dolores. One afternoon Dolores and Maya get into a fight and Maya runs away. After living with homeless people in a junkyard she returns to San Francisco stronger than ever. She defies all odds and become the first black streetcar conductor. Maya soon finds out that she is pregnant and hides it from her family. Maya finishes high school and has a newborn son whom which she feels confident about raising. One of the themes of I know why the caged bird sings is coming of age, Maya is growing up through the whole entire book and it shows the struggle of growing up. Another theme is racism and trauma and how to overcome them, Maya has several incidents where she is discriminated against while just doing normal human activities. Throughout the whole book Maya is accepting herself and is growing in more ways than physically. Since this an autobiography, Maya goes into great detail of her personal accounts throughout this
I Know Why the Caged Bird …show more content…
Momma (Maya’s Grandma) saves up money and they move out to california with Maya’s mom, Vivian. Vivian marries a man whom Maya calls Daddy Clidell and they move to San Francisco. One summer Maya stays with her father and his girlfriend, Dolores. Dolores and Maya get into many fights and never agree. Big Bailey takes Maya to Mexico with him and teaches her some spanish and shows her how to have fun. Sadly the trip to Mexico was short and Maya had to go back home with Dolores. One afternoon Dolores and Maya get into a fight and Maya runs away. After living with homeless people in a junkyard she returns to San Francisco stronger than ever. She defies all odds and become the first black streetcar conductor. Maya soon finds out that she is pregnant and hides it from her family. Maya finishes high school and has a newborn son whom which she feels confident about raising. One of the themes of I know why the caged bird sings is coming of age, Maya is growing up through the whole entire book and it shows the struggle of growing up. Another theme is racism and trauma and how to overcome them, Maya has several incidents where she is discriminated against while just doing normal human activities. Throughout the whole book Maya is accepting herself and is growing in more ways than physically. Since this an autobiography, Maya goes into great detail of her personal accounts throughout this