I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide
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This engaging summary presents an analysis of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, the first part of the author’s seven-volume autobiography, which recounts her life up to the age of 17, shortly after the birth of her son. Her early life was marked by adversity: her parents were largely absent, racism and discrimination were rife across America, and she endured a traumatic sexual assault at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend. However, in spite of these hardships, Angelou found joy in literature and in her relationship with her beloved brother Bailey, resulting in an undercurrent of optimism throughout her memoir. Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, actress, singer and activist. She is remembered in particular for her autobiographical writings and her poems, including “Still I Rise” and “On the Pulse of Morning”, which she recited at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993.
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (Book Analysis) - Bright Summaries
AMERICAN POET AND MEMOIRIST
Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1928.
Died in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 2014.
Notable works:
Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie (1971), poetry collection
Gather Together in My Name (1974), memoir
And Still I Rise (1978), poetry collection
Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson, spent most of her childhood with her paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Although the town was very rural and racial discrimination was at the forefront of American politics, her grandmother was a well-respected member of the community. Angelou also stayed intermittently with her mother in St. Louis. However, on one of these visits, she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. After being prosecuted, the man was murdered. The trauma stemming from this event led Maya to be almost completely mute for several years.
As a teenager, Maya moved to San Francisco with her mother, where she took on a series of odd jobs, including cocktail waitress, prostitute and dancer. During this time she also became pregnant with her only child, a son. In