For my AP Composition book, I read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. The book was actually recommended to me by my mom, who pushed for Angelou's unique style of writing and fascinating life story, as my mom has listened to Angelou speak at a women's conference. Any story that discusses the struggle of a women and a fight to be accepted is one that I cannot resist. When I first opened the frayed pages of my copy of Angelou's famous memoir, I was slightly skeptical. Angelou was regarded as a famous poet before she published her autobiography, and I am not much of a poetry fan. I soon realized that poetry only strengthened her style of writing and added even more to the spectacular book.
The book opens in the small negro town of Stamps, Arkansas. Marguerite, Angelou's birth name, lives in an average house with her brother, Bailey, grandmother, and crippled Uncle Willie. She and Bailey, only one year apart, were sent to live with their grandmother at ages three and four, and they have grown up helping her run her store for the local workers and frequent travelers. Angelou was always the ugly duckling of the family and constantly feels neglected and ugly. She also attended church every Sunday. Her grandmother is a very religious women and always made Maya and Bailey sit in the first row. The first chapters of the book center the reader on a typical day in the life of her five-year-old self.
As Angelou ages, her parents believe it is time for her and Bailey to visit them in their homes. When she goes to visit her mother, she is raped repeatedly by her mother's boyfriend. After the tragic assault, Maya is never the same person. The book continues to show her struggle in life as her childhood was abruptly ended and she tries to survive in the "big" world.
I praise Angelou's writing because of the way she shapes simple sentences with complex thoughts. Multiple times I found myself rereading sections of the book and thinking on the different meanings of statements. "See you don't have to think about doing the right thing. If you're for the right thing, then you do it without thinking." This quote was recited to Angelou by her mother in the end of the book and shows Angelou's interesting style of writing. It also symbolizes a strong moral; do what you believe is right always and live with no regrets. This is a very powerful message. Another thing I loved about Angelou, was the number of worldly problems she seemed to work into her book. Examples were women's rights, African-American's rights, World War 2, and sexual assault. Though she was raised in the 1940's, it is crazy to see that the world is still fighting for the same rights and freedoms.
The ending of the book provides a crazy twist that leaves the reader pleasantly confused. When I finished the book, I was satisfied with the ending, but I didn't want it to end. The grand finale seemed to tie in all of the issues Maya had encountered on her journey through life and brought them together into one lesson, which I believe is the biggest thing to take away from reading this book--life for yourself. The entire book, Angelou is struggling to live for things that never satisfied her and left her crushed. Once she was able to find peace with God, she realized that He wants us to live for who we are and not what anyone else wants us to be. That is a great lesson for me especially, because I personally relate very well. I find it easy to live for the typical high school problems or sports, when I really should be focusing on myself and my relationship with God. That was an amazing experience.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is a phenomenal read and I absolutely recommend it to anyone. The lessons learned and the extremely unique style of writing makes the book impossible to put down. This book has changed the way I view life itself, and I cannot wait to see how it effects others as well.
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