Tolog Review: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou
reviewed by Katrina Manaloto 

A novel that captures the gritty reality of being an African-American girl during a time of segregation, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is an autobiography that follows her journey of coping with discrimination and finding her path in life despite her troubled circumstances. Originally named Marguerite Anne Johnson, Angelou experiences repercussions early in her life due to the divorce of her parents and sexual abuse. She goes through life feeling like she is worth less than her female counterparts both black and white because of these events. Marguerite’s main obstacle becomes getting over the negative perspective she sees herself in and accepting who she is, even if society may not.

Angelou uses figurative language to describe the occurrences throughout her life up to the end of her adolescence. When questioned about rape, Marguerite expresses her fear when she thinks, “Just my breath, carrying my words out, might poison people and they'd curl up and die like the black fat slugs that only pretended. I had to stop talking” (Angelou 87). Marguerite is frightened by sharing details about the incident because the rapist threatens to kill her brother if she tells. A simile compares a confession of the incident to poison, highlighting the toxicity of this event in her life to the reader. Angelou also uses strong people of color as role models to symbolize empowerment and fortitude. One of Marguerite’s first mentors is Mrs. Bertha Flowers because she leads Marguerite out of her silence from rape and introduces her to literature, saying, “ ‘Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning’ ” (Angelou 98). The presence of another strong, black woman fortifies female and race empowerment and also represents the admirable trait of making the best out of bad situations.

Maya Angelou’s autobiography is a page-turner for anyone who loves a story of self-discovery. I also recommend this novel to anyone who has ever felt excluded or forgotten because it is easy to sympathize with a character who faces these obstacles constantly. Personally, I loved hearing the story from Angelou’s point of view because her ardent and almost musical tone stood out to me. This novel deserves 5 out of 5 stars because of the hard-hitting words of Maya Angelou and the inspiring story of how she came to be.