Quotes from I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a famous book by Maya Angelou, is the first in a series of seven autobiographical novels. The book has been popular since it was first published in 1969. Oprah Winfrey, who read the novel when she was 15, said in a forward to the 2015 edition of the book, ... here was a story that finally spoke to the heart of me. These quotes show the searing journey Angelou traveled transforming from a victim of rape and racism into a self-possessed, dignified young woman.   Racism In the book, Angelous character, Maya, confronts the insidious effects of racism and segregation in America at a very young age, according to SparkNotes. Racism and bigotry are major themes in the novel, as the following quotes make clear. If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. - PrefaceI remember never believing that whites were really real. - Chapter 4They dont really hate us. They dont know us. How can they hate us?  - Chapter 25How maddening it was to have been born in a cotton field with aspirations of grandeur.  - Chapter 30 Religion and Morality Angelou—and her protagonist in the novel, Maya—was raised with a strong sense of religion, which serves as her moral guide, according to GradeSaver. And that sense of religion and morality permeate the novel. I knew that if a person truly wanted to avoid hell and brimstone, and being roasted forever in the devils fire, all she had to do was memorize Deuteronomy and follow its teaching, word for word. - Chapter 6See, you dont have to think about doing the right thing. If youre for the right thing, then you do it without thinking.  - Chapter 36 Language and Knowledge The description on the back cover of the 2015 edition of the novel, notes that the book captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make things right. Probably more than anything, it is the power of Angelous words—and her emphasis on understanding—that helped to shine a light on the harsh realities of bigotry and racism. Language is mans way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone that separates him from the lower animals. - Chapter 15All knowledge is spendable currency, depending on the market.​  - Chapter 28 Perseverance The novel covers the years from when Maya is 3 until she turns 15. Much of the book is about Mayas attempt to face bigotry and degradation. Finally, though, near the end of the novel she also sees the honor in surrendering—giving in—when necessary. Like most children, I thought if I could face the worst danger voluntarily, and triumph, I would forever have power over it.  - Chapter 2We are the victims of the worlds most comprehensive robbery. Life demands a balance. Its all right if we do a little robbing now.  - Chapter 29At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.  - Chapter 31 Fitting In In a parable for the novel—and the world around her—Maya wanders around town one night and decides to sleep in a car in a junkyard. The next morning she awakes to find a group of teenagers, composed of many races, living in the junkyard, where they get along well and are all good friends. I was never again to sense myself to solidly outside the pale of the human race. - Chapter 32 Sources Angelou, Maya, and Oprah Winfrey. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Ballantine Books, 2015. GradeSaver, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Study Guide.† SparkNotes, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.