The Cages Of Maya Angelou Essay, Research Paper
The Cages Of Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou wrote an astonishing and entertaining autobiography titled I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, about her difficult life turning up as a black miss from the South. Among the adversities are metaphores known as & # 8220 ; coops & # 8221 ; . & # 8220 ; Cages & # 8221 ; are things that keep people from wining in life and being everything they want to be. Some of Maya Angelou & # 8217 ; s coops include being black in the 1940 & # 8217 ; s, and her overbearing grandma. For myself a major & # 8220 ; coop & # 8221 ; is being immature.
A major & # 8220 ; coop & # 8221 ; from Maya Angelou & # 8217 ; s young person was that she was black in a bias southern town. Maya has recounted in her book the times when she was discriminated against. When she was working for a white adult female named Mrs. Viola Cullinan, she started naming Margaret, Mary. & # 8220 ; That & # 8217 ; s [ Margaret ] excessively long. She & # 8217 ; s Mary from now on. & # 8221 ; ( pp.91 ) One of the most of import facets of a individual is their name. It is a great abuse for person to alter your name, without your consent, merely because person wanted excessively. If Maya was white Mrs. Cullinan would non hold changed her name. She did it merely because of her racialist friends, and attitudes. Even some of the white s, who purportedly supported her, had hidden their racialist feelings in apparently nice comments. Maya conveys the words of Mr. Edward Donleavy, one of the people in the mask, & # 8220 ; The white childs were traveling to hold a opportunity to go Galileos and Madame Curies and Edisons and Gauguins, and our male childs ( the misss weren & # 8217 ; t included ) would seek to be Jesse Owens and Joe Louises. & # 8221 ; ( pp.151 ) Maya was forced to listen to Mr. Donleavy & # 8217 ; s stereotypes of how white kids could be minds, and black kids can merely be jocks. What was supposed to be an encouraging address, which Mr. Donleavy likely thought was sincere, turned out to be merely another racialist and stereotyped message. Possibly it was non so much Mr. Donleavy & # 8217 ; s mistake, because he was seeking to be nice, but more of his background. Racism was the most outstanding of Maya & # 8217 ; s & # 8220 ; coops & # 8221 ; and it is likely due to the society and nescient ideals.
The 2nd major coop for Maya Angelou was that she has a really rigorous, spiritual, and overbearing grandma. A kid & # 8217 ; s guardian be caring and rigorous but that guardian should non be overbearing. After coming back from Mrs. Flowers & # 8217 ; house conveying Bailey some cookies, Maya is disciplined by mama ; & # 8220 ; I repeated, & # 8216 ; I said, Bailey by the manner, Mrs. Flowers sent you- & # 8217 ; [ Momma responds ] & # 8216 ; That & # 8217 ; s what I thought you said
. Travel on and take off your frock. I’m traveling to acquire a switch.” ( pp.85 ) Maya’s grandma penalizing Maya merely for utilizing a common mundane phrase seems to be a small harsh. Maya’s grandma was seeking to raise her well, but the manner she did it could hold the opposite consequence. Just when she was doing advancement, acquiring out of her depression and taking a measure frontward with Mrs. Flowers, the penalty may hold really made Maya take a measure back. Another thing that Momma does, to seek to assist Maya is when Maya relates this, “If they [ pess ] weren’t clean plenty for her, she took the switch and woke up the wrongdoer with a few competently place firing reminders.” ( pp.21 ) A shift for soiled pess seems to be a small extreme. Again she was seeking to make good but in bend may be making the antonym by being excessively terrible in penalizing for a little discourtesy. It is of import to be clean, and Maya knew that, but a shift because of non being spotless is a small harsh. The penalty must suit the discourtesy and this punishing could make more injury than good. Though, it has to be considered that because of the clip period it may non be momma’s mistake. Maya’s grandma being excessively rigorous, even though she meant good, was a factor that keeps Maya from accomplishing what she knows she’s capable of.
Maya Angelou is non the lone individual who has coops, everyone has them. My & # 8220 ; coop & # 8221 ; is something no 1 can acquire off from at some point in their life ; my immature age. Age is a barrier that stops me from making many things that s can make. Many times I suggest things to my parents, but sometimes they do non esteem my sentiments. I feel that if I were an my suggestions and sentiments would be handled with more regard and have more cogency. Many people do non listen to thoughts of a immature individual, believing that he or she does non understand, or have the adulthood to believe things through. Many people equate young person with immatureness, which is sometimes, but non ever true. This is slightly similar, but non as terrible, as the experience that Maya had with Mr. Donleavy, being caught in a stereotype. Another clip that I was held back because of my age is with a certain wireless talk show that does non allow kids name. I had tried to name in but I still could non acquire on the air with all of my debating with him. This talk show host is segregating kids because of a stereotype of kids being immature. He is merely another that thinks immature people are all the same. Age is a job with its stereotypes and could be a & # 8220 ; coop & # 8221 ; either being excessively old or excessively immature.
