monthly review: i know why the cage bird sings

Find out about the author. How did they end up writing this particular book? Is the author's true life reflected in the book in any way(s)?
If you've read other books by this same author, how does this one compare? (You don't need to decide which one is better, although you can.)
　
The novel, I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings, is about experiences in Maya Angelou’s own life that made her the person she is now. Maya Angelou grows up in Stamps, Arkansas, a town that is racist and was raised by her grandmother. She was a very intelligent girl who read a lot of book’s as a child. Maya tries hard to figure out about the adult world, and why people treat blacks so poorly. Her grandmother was very strict and religious. One experience and possible one that could have changed her life the most is when her father picks up Maya and her brother, bailey, to live with her mother in St. Louis. While she is there her mothers boyfriend, Mr. Freeman rapes Maya. Later on her mother finds out about it and mysteriously Mr. freeman dies. Maya thinks that it is her fault that Mr. freeman dies and becomes depressed. Maya and Bailey are sent back to Stamps, and that is when she meets Mrs. Flowers, who teaches her about writing. Writing started to be an escape for her later in her life because she was show the power of language and writing. The rest of the book she talks about more incidents both good and bad about her life.
　
Maya Angelou, is a racial right’s activist. She believes in equality, and in this book she writes about many different experiences that her and her family go through due to her being African American. I think the reason Maya wrote this book is because, her story is very inspiring. Since she is against racism this book is to help stop racism by showing what people went through, and how hard it was to be African American. Maya also mentions and refers back to her religious beliefs. Religion is one way Maya was able to keep her dignity through out these experiences. At sixteen Maya was faced with a new challenge, she had a child. This adds to the themes of this book. The themes to me are, self-discovery, motherhood, and family. The main reason of this book is to give hope to people, which sounds like something Maya would want her work to do for people. The book reflects her life in everyway. Her child hood and life is open to the public; having multiple books about her life. For Maya to write about her life in so much detail can be emotional, she writes in detail about when she was raped as a young child. That for some people is a very deep secret and hard to talk about. Her writing about this though, is like a message saying that it is okay to talk about these problems and that you cannot have it take over your life. I think that, that is a great message to send people because it can change your life for the better. In this quote said by Mrs. Flowers, she explains to Maya about how important language and writing is. "language is man's way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone that separates him from the lower animals." (pg. 95) This quote show why Maya might have wrote this book. Because of Mrs. Flowers empowering Maya to express emotions through her writing, she found a way to tell the world about these problems and that it is alright to actually tell people, so that you can help people so that they know that they are not the only ones going through all these problems. I think with out Mrs. Flowers teaching Maya about writing she might not have been a writer, but I don’t know her whole story. Maya did read a lot as a child so that could have been an influence to be a writer.

I have also read a letter to my daughter in 8th grade for my English class. That book is like a bunch of short scripts and poems put together. Maya in this book’s style is different then I know why the cage bird sings. Her style is very warming and loving. Its like she your mother, which is kind of the point of the title. Even though it is aimed towards women in a way, it is still a good book to read. It makes you feel like the book it’s self loves you, I don’t really know how to explain the feeling but it effects you like no other book has. If I had to choose one or the other I would have to say to read a letter to my daughter only because of the thoughts it leaves you with. But I’m not saying that I know why the cage bird sings is bad, I think if you had the time you should read both because it gives more of the full effect of her writing. In I know why the cage bird sings, Maya makes the book seem more like a memoir in a disguised as a story and letter to my daughter more like shared experiences. Both I feel like give the message of hope but a letter to my daughter give a bunch of messages all to feel an uplifting feeling. To be able to write an entire book and give the feeling that it gives you is incredible. I will say that she is one of my top authors, she has gone through so much and has so much to write about and does it in a way that effects you mentally unlike any other book. I most likely will not read anymore of her book, because they do not really catch my attention but I do think they are good books, it is just I prefer to read informational types of readings. Ill most likely end up reading another Maya Angelou book though.