Maya Angelou Poem, “I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing”

Discussion

A very mysterious way, a striking cover and a very effective presentation by the editor, it was enough to make me less enter this autobiographical novel by Maya Angelou, African American woman who chose to trace his life from his childhood in adulthood, in an America marked by racism and segregation. A novel heavy, hard, saying the facts, feelings, thoughts of a young black girl growing up in a world where she and her family are not welcome: "If growing up is painful for a little black girl from South be aware of its non-membership is rust on the razor that threatens the throat. " We read this story in the daily events of a black community where the slightest change could be a sign of terrifying news to relatives (Angelou, 96).

We read also the humiliation suffered by this child, and especially by his closest: her grandmother humiliated by a group of white girls, his old uncle forced to hide under the potatoes and onions because that a black man hunt, any, was launched by young white against an assault of one of their ... Later, Maya and her older brother Bailey will go to St. Louis, join their mother, then to Baton Rouge, with their father. A journey ever closer toward the South, a journey of initiation where the girl meets different lifestyles black: the submission, the survival of the small business, the black underworld, and art circles ... How to find a place in this community and in American society as a whole? How to pass the naive eyes of the child to action for adults? These are the questions that are posed excellently (Bertolino, 36-38).

The narrative style, by cons, left me puzzled. Beautiful pages from the start, bright, loaded with emotion. Then simply chronological narrative, but where you get lost (of which she speaks? How old is she ...?) And a few lengths of community life which, if it does seem essential to understanding the state of mind of the black child, I was not interested. In sum, the personal journey, this book is not entirely convincing. By cons, it remains a powerful witness to the racism of the 30 United States and on the strength of character and faith which should show the black community to survive with dignity, regardless.

In this story, now considered a classic of American literature, Maya Angelou recounts his extraordinary career, his debut as a writer and activist in America of the 1960s marked by anti-Black racism, struggles, and his loves. His testimony, devoid of any complacency, reveals an exemplary personality, to read, measure - better yet - how far American society in less than half a century. Poet, writer, actress, Maya Angelou is also a figure in the struggle of black Americans against discrimination and to obtain their civil rights. As I know why the caged bird sings, she recounts her life from her childhood with her brother and grandmother in Stamps ...