Nancy Phan

Mrs. Angus
H. English 2
Period 5
25 May, 2013
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Historical Criticism and Feminist Criticism
Maya Angelou stands out amongst the few well-known twentieth century writers to
concentrate on autobiography (Williams, 12). Angelou alerts readers to her intentions of
broadening her focus beyond her life and include numerous examples of historical events she
lived through by stating, when I wrote I Know Why the Caged Birds [Caged Birds], I wasnt
thinking so much about my own life and identity. I was thinking about a particular time in which
I lived and the influences of that time on a number of people...I used the central figure--myself---as a focus to show how one person can make it through those times (Tate, 153)
Throughout I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou writes using the perspective of a
mature adult to convey her process of development in order to portray how she was able to
overcome her personal complications and survived. This autobiography is one of the many
literary masterpieces that transcends its author by portraying one black girl declaring I can to
a color-coded society that in innumerable ways had told her you cant, you wont (Gale).
Clearly in this work of literature, Maya Angelou allow readers to open up a window to view the
struggles faced by African Americans, the quest for self-acceptance, and the celebration of a new
image for Black Women.
Maya Angelou records her early years struggling to find her own way of dealing with
white oppression of blacks during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1930s. Angelou represent

the ten years of her life, from three to thirteen, spent with her grandmother, whom she calls
Momma, and older brother, Bailey, in Stamps, Arkansas, a town where segregation and racism is
active. Although Stamps appears to hold a core of loving security, it resides paranoia. The
people of Stamps would say that whites in our were so prejudiced that a Negro couldnt buy
vanilla ice cream...Other days he had to be satisfied with chocolate (Angelou, 47). On one
occasion in Caged Bird, the black community of Stamps gathers in Mommas store to listen to
the broadcast of Joe Louis, a famous black American boxer, fight Primo Carnera, a former
heavyweight champion of Italy. Listening without breathing, without hoping, suspenseful
minutes later, Louis won the title of the heavyweight champion the world: Champion of the
world. A Black boy. Some Black mothers son. He was the strongest man in the world (132).
However, the community of Stamps take caution, those who loved too far had made
arrangements to stay in town. It wouldnt do for a Black man and his family to be caught on a
lonely country road on a night when Joe Louis had proved that we were the strongest people in
the world (132). Nor would it do for a Black woman to ask a white dentist, who owes her
money during the Depression, to treat her granddaughter of a terrible toothache, my policy is
Id rather stick my hand in a dogs mouth than in a niggers (184). But Momma, determined,
orders Maya to wait outside while she goes after the dentist. Angelou gives readers Mayas
imaginative view of what is taking place in the dental office. Maya pictures Momma ordering the
dentist to leave town and to never practice dentistry and turning the dentists nurse into chicken
feed with a wave of a handkerchief. This fantastical victory shows that imagination and
storytelling can create escapes from prejudice which can be forms of resisting racism (Bloom,
42). Evidently, Maya Angelou does a wonderful job of depicting the struggles of African
Americans, through her own account and experience, to display that racism played a great role

throughout Angelous autobiography and can be seen as the central theme of Caged Bird.
The theme of the quest for self-acceptance is apparent throughout Caged Bird. As
portrayed in the beginning of the autobiography, Angelous younger self is always concerned
about her appearance. Angelou presents Caged Bird by stating, What you looking me for
(Angelou, 3) This statement is significant because it reveals Mayas insecurities that imprisons
her in a cage of ugliness. Additionally, being handed over to her grandmother with the tag To
Whom it May Concern on her wrist, Maya already hold a sense of not belonging, at the age of
four. Angelou states her apprehension by stating, Because I was really white and because a cruel
fairy stepmother, who was understandably jealous of my beauty, had turned me into a too-big
Negro girl, with nappy black hair, broad feet and a space between her teeth that would hold a
number two-pencil (5). Mayas occasional fantasies about being white allowed her to escape a
world that did not grant worth or full humanity to African Americans (Bender, 15). Mayas
imprisonment leads her to the conclusion that growing up is painful for a Southern Black girl
because being aware that she is not socially accepted is like a razor that threatens the throat
(Angelou, 6). This conception of self causes Maya to lack confidence and self-assertion.
Evidently, Maya struggles with searching for her own self-worth in a world full of hatred and
discrimination. Nonetheless, Mayas painful experience with being sexually assaulted and raped
by her mothers boyfriend only worsens Mayas self-hatred. However, Angelou develops a
semblance of self-identity and self-acceptance after meeting Mrs. Flowers, a sophisticated
aristocrat of Stamps. For the first time in her life, Maya is accepted as an individual: I was
liked, and what a difference it made. I was respected not as Mrs. Hendersons grandchild or
Baileys sister but for just being Marguerite Johnson (98). This acceptance foreshadows Mayas
growing acceptance of her own self-worth. Soon after, Maya is employed to a rich white woman,

Mrs. Viola Cullinan. However, Maya only works for a short period of time, for Mrs. Cullinan,
begins to call her Mary, rather than Maya. Failing to call Maya by her name, a symbol of identity
and uniqueness, Mrs. Cullinan disrespects Mayas humanity. (Bender, 125) Because of this
experience, Maya moves several steps closer to breaking the rusty bars of a social cage.
Angelous quest for identity, recognition of black beauty and self-acceptance of black
womanhood amplified her strong voice which hold as the ultimate product of her personality.
(Sahidher) She begins to gain confidence as a Black woman and proves that any determined soul
can overcome any kind of obstacle.
Maya Angelou expresses a new image for Black Women throughout Caged Bird. During
the 1930s, women held a lower status in society than men, not only for Blacks but, also for
Whites. Therefore, being a Black woman was the lowest class as one could be. However,
Angelous use of first-person-narration as a role model, portrays that the oppression does not
have to control ones life. Angelou uses different dramatic styles of writing to strengthen the
Black identity to avoid the use of a imitative black vernacular (Bender, 66). Maya gives readers
insight about Black Women by stating, The Black female is assaulted in her tender years by all
those common forces of nature at the same time that she is caught in the tripartite crossfire of
masculine prejudice, white illogical hate and Black lack of power. The fact that the adult
American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste
and even belligerence. It is seldom accepted as an inevitable outcome of the struggle won by
survivors and deserves respect if not enthusiastic acceptance (Angelou, 265). Some of these
formidable characters that Angelou might have wanted to mention were Momma, Vivian
Baxter, and Mrs. Flowers, different female role models that Maya was fortunate to have during
her formative years of life. Each of these women helped shaped Maya into the strong, educated,

black women that she has become now. (Hilbrandt) Momma, Mayas grandmother, was the first
major role model in her life. Momma was a positive role model that held a motherly figure that
can be seen as the embodiment of great strength. Momma was determine to rear the children
properly and intended to teach Bailey and me [Maya] to use the paths that she and her
generation and all the Negroes gone before had found, and found to be safe ones (Angelou, 47).
Momma was an intelligent black woman for she owned the only black store in Stamps, Arkansas
and owned land to rent rent out to the Whites. Vivian Baxter, Mayas birth mother, was the
second major role rodel in Mayas life. Vivian was described by Maya as a hurricane in its
perfect power (59). Vivian had a secular lifestyle, opposite of Momma. She taught Maya that
joy, freedom, independence, and determination are important in life...She reinforced these
lessons by supporting Maya in everything that she was determined to do (Hilbrandt) Therefore,
Mayas persistence was inspired by Vivians advice, Cant Do is like Dont Care. Neither of
them have a home (Angelou, 265). Lastly, Mrs. Flowers was the third role model in Mayas life.
Even though Mrs. Flowers was not part of Mayas daily life, like Momma and Vivian, she
remained throughout my [Maya] life the measure of what a human being can be (94) Mrs.
Flowers welcomed Maya into her home to encourage Maya to speak again when she became
mute after her experience with rape. She reinforced Mayas love for literature and knowledge
and encourage her to speak out her mind and love the sound of her voice. All three role models
taught Maya Angelou the important lessons in life through their fine examples and advice. All
three were intelligent, ideal black women who created their own paths in life. Being exposed to
these women shaped Maya Angelou into a well-rounded woman that is able to conquer the
struggles and obstacles of a Black Woman.
Maya Angelous autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, accounts her struggle

and triumph over barriers such as prejudiceness and racism, personal desolation, and selfidentity. In the course of her experiences, Maya was able to construct a distinguished personality.
Caged Bird reveals Angelous quest for human individuality, identifying her personal struggle as
a Black individual, and the celebration of the Southern Black life of the 1930s. Angelou achieves
her objective of conveying the influence of the historical events in her life and the lives of others
on two levels: as a personal memoir of an individual who was able to survive through hardships
and second, as a representative narrative that exemplifies the struggle of many African American
women against racial and sexual oppression (Hilbrandt). Maya Angelou closes her autobiography
with Momma's words: If youre for the right thing, then you do it without thinking (Angelou,
246). These words suggest that Mayas life has been a process of learning how to value herself,
trusting her own strength, and her own moral integrity. Therefore, it is these qualities that
enabled her to survive the pain oppression that will sustain her through future trials (Hilbrandt).
Maya Angelou represents the powerful significance of African American life and the struggles of
African Americans for their liberation, survival, and triumph. Maya Angelou ends her
autobiography with the knowledge to understand why the Caged Bird Sings.

Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Random House, 1969. Print.
Assefie, Birhan. Experiences of a Marginalized Woman: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Ethiopia: Addis Ababa University, 2012. Print.
Bender, David, Bruno Leone, Scott Barbour, Bonnie Szumski, and Mary E. Williams. Readings
On Maya Angelou. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1997. Print.
Bloom, Harold. Blooms Guides: Maya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2004. Print.
Critical Insights: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Salem Press. Salem Press. n.d. Web. 12
May 2013.
Hilbrandt, Donna. Female Role Models in Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings. HubPages. 3 April 2013. Web. 25 May 2013.
Moore, Opal. "Learning to Live: When the Bird Breaks from the Cage." EXPLORING Novels.
Gale. 2003. Student Resources In Context. n.d. Web. 14 May 2013.
Tate, Claudia. Black Women Writers at Work. New York: Continuum, 1983. Print.
"The Journey to Maturity and Self-Esteem: A Literary Analysis of Maya Angelous I Know Why
the Caged Bird Sings ." Understanding I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings : A Student
Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Greenwood Press. 1998. The
African American Experience. n.d. Web. 14 May 2013.
Sahidher. K. Quest for Identity-A Thematic Study on Select Novels of Maya Angelou. TJells.
Web. 23 May 2013.