I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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| Author | Maya Angelou |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Autobiographical novel |
| Publisher | Bantam (April 1, 1983) |
| Released | 1969 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 304 pp (Mass Market Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 05533279378 |
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a 1969 autobiographical novel about the early years of author Maya Angelou's life. The autobiography explores the isolation and loneliness faced by Angelou, and the attributes of her character that helped her cope with the prejudices of society. Quite graphic in nature, the text deals with issues including childhood, rape, racism, and sexism, which has generated controversy.
The novel is the first in a six-volume autobiographical series, covering her childhood and young adult experiences. Later books in the series include Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, and A Song Flung Up to Heaven.
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[edit] Explanation of the novel's title
The title of the book comes from the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar:
- "I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
- When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,
- When he beats his bars and would be free;
- It is not a carol of joy or glee,
- But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
- But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings -
- I know why the caged bird sings. (Stanza 3)"
[edit] Plot summary
The novel follows Marguerite's (later called My, or Maya, by her brother) young life and the struggles she undergoes in the racist South. Abandoned by their parents at an early age, she and her older brother, Bailey, live with their grandmother "Momma", and her crippled uncle in Stamps, Arkansas, where her grandmother operates a general store.
Many of the problems Marguerite encounters in her childhood stem from the prejudices of her white neighbors who treat her family at the best with cool respect and, at the worst, blatant contempt. Furthermore, despite the fact that Momma is wealthier than most of the white neighbors, the white neighbors children hassle them insolently, one girl even revealing her pubic hair to Momma. These events, along with Marguerite's feelings of inferiority to other white and black children, despite her above-average intelligence, cause her to initially start out as a self-conscious and short-tempered girl.
A turning point in the novel occurs when Marguerite and Bailey's father unexpectedly appears at their home to send them to live with their mother in St. Louis. While there, Marguerite, only nine years old at that time, is raped by her mother's boyfriend, Mr. Freeman, which traumatizes her. Mr. Freeman is later murdered after escaping jail time, which further burdens her with guilt and causes her to withdraw from all other people except for her brother. Even after moving back to Stamps, Marguerite remains reclusive until she meets the amiable Bertha Flowers who supplies her with books to encourage her love of reading, and coaxes her out of her shell.
As Marguerite grows up, she experiences many other instances of racism, including an old white woman who shortens her name to "Mary," hence reducing her name to a more common one; when white speakers at a graduation ceremony's subtle disparagement of the black audience by implying their limited job opportunities; and the white town dentist's refusal to operate on Marguerite's rotting tooth, even when Momma reminds him of a loan he owed her.
Finally, when even her brother Bailey is disturbed by the discovery of the corpse of a black man whom some white men took pleasure in seeing, Momma decides to move the family to permanently live with their mother in San Francisco, California for their mental well-being.
Marguerite, now more frequently called "Maya," enters adolescence, but not without awkwardness. She becomes worried that she might be a lesbian (which she equates with being a hermaphrodite), and initiates sexual intercourse with a teenage boy she knows only vaguely to dispel this fear. The encounter causes her to become pregnant which she hides from her family until in her eighth month of pregnancy to be able to graduate from high school. Maya gives birth to a beautiful baby boy and begins her trek to adulthood by accepting her role as a mother to her newborn son.
[edit] Literary significance & criticism
The book has fallen under the criticism of many parents, mostly because it is required reading in many school districts such as Poway Unified School District in California. The book contains graphic explicit descriptions of Maya being raped at the age of eight. It also includes descriptions of her older brother inviting girls into a tent to play "Mama and Papa" (have sex - although at the time she doesn't really know what it is and thinks they are just pretending). Near the end of the book, Maya asks a random man to have sex with her to prove she is not a lesbian.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Because of the novel's content it has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 at number three.[6]
