I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
(Maya Angelou)

Racism

Racism is central to the story because much of who Maya Angelou grew to be as an adult is because of the adversity she faced and saw around her while she was growing up.

Angelou saw the fear of black men when lynch mobs came through town, the pain and astonishment in Bailey’s face when he saw the rotting corpse and the embarrassment in her classmate’s faces when the white man who spoke at their graduation talked of the black students as if their academics did not matter. She also experienced the racism for herself when she worked for the Cullinan family who could not even be bothered to remember her name.

Identity

Maya is in a constant struggle to learn who she is. She never feels as though she belongs anywhere or that she fits in with classmates, regardless of race. Angelou feels awkward in her own body throughout her younger years, much of which stems from her feelings about being raped, and especially in her adolescence when she begins going through puberty. When she learns about lesbians she wonders if she is one because she feels like an outsider, which leads her to have sex with a neighbor and get pregnant. It is not until Maya has her own child that she finally begins to feel comfortable with herself.

Rape

Angelou’s rape becomes a significant factor in her younger years. Despite the fact that she was molested a few times before she was actually raped, she never reports it, feeling that it will bring the death of Bailey as Mr. Freeman has promised and the disappointment of her family.

After Mr. Freeman is killed, Maya feels an intense guilt as though she caused his death by speaking. Because of Mr. Freeman’s death and Maya’s guilty feelings, she does not speak to anyone other than Bailey for a very long time, fearing that the words that come out of her mouth cause death to happen.

Education

Angelou does receive an education though her intelligence does not come from her schooling but rather from her environment. Momma brings Maya and Bailey up to be very respectful and decent people with a sense of class, which helps to define Maya as she grows.

Mrs. Flowers makes Maya’s interest in literature and the dramatic world much more real and passionate than it was before and truly impresses upon her the importance of words and expression. Maya becomes educated by the things she experiences and those are what help her grow as a person.

Ignorance

In this story, ignorance often stems from racism. People often make assumptions or decisions about people based on their race. For example, Willie has to hide when the lynch mob comes through because he will be a target because of his race, and the assumption that because he is black he is a rapist, if the man who actually violated the white woman is not caught.

Momma shows ignorance too because Maya and Bailey know that although she does not know who Shakespeare is she would not approve of Maya reading him because he is white.

Self-Esteem

Maya has a serious problem with self-esteem when she is younger, and this stems from her identity issues and the fact that she has no idea who she is. Maya has always felt ugly because she is big for her age, her skin is very dark, and her hair is kinky. She feels uglier than ever when she finds out that, like Bailey, her parents Vivian and Big Bailey are very attractive.

Maya is even told by her uncles that it is okay that she is not attractive because she is smart, which affirms her suspicion that she is ugly. Also, when Maya is looking for a boy to have sex with to be sure she is not a lesbian she knows that most of the boys are chasing after girls with straight hair and light skin.

Strength

Strength is very important because the strength of the people around Maya is what makes her such a strong woman when she gets older. The women in Maya’s life are positive figures, despite the fact that her mother abandoned her when she was young.

Momma teaches Maya and Bailey respect, morals, and class, Vivian shows strength and power, and Mrs. Flowers shows intelligence and kindness. Bailey is a constant, supportive force in Maya’s life, and Daddy Clidell is a positive father figure that provides support and tenderness. The existence of these strong influences is undoubtedly what helped Maya overcome so many horrible realities.

Influence of Childhood

Maya Angelou’s documentation of her experience in her younger life proves that where we have been influences where we will go in life. Every negative experience that Angelou had in her life became the grounds for her work in civil rights, women’s rights, literature, film, and stage work.

Every bit of success and influence that she has had in her adult life has stemmed from the culmination of her younger experiences with racism, sexism, abuse, and prejudice. She is proof that what we go through as children greatly influences who we become as adults.

Segregation

The town of Stamps is separated and segregated into a black area, and a white area, as are the schools. The black part of time is equal to a lack of education, poverty, and lower social status.  The black community is unable to get jobs that pay enough to support a family, have no political say whatsoever, are considered inferior in every aspect of life, and forbidden from socializing with the white population.

The black people are expected to refer to whites by proper titles, and, in many cases, the jobs the blacks can get are in white homes as servants or laborers. As is illustrated at Maya’s eighth grade graduation, the white school is known for its academics and the black school is known for its athletics as education is not seen as important for them.

Religion

Religion is imperative for the black community in stamps because it gives them something to have faith in, something to hope for, and a promise for the future. Momma believes in the power of religion, especially, and impresses its importance upon Maya and Bailey.

The town has annual religious revivals to remind the people how important it is to put their faith in the Lord during times of oppression and in the face of adversity. Maya especially enjoys church because she finds the writings of the Bible to be both educational and beautiful.