Caged Bird Sings

710 Words3 Pages
The book I know why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou takes readers through significant events in the life of Marguerite. Readers experience her life from age eight to sixteen years old. Maya Angelou expresses her experiences with racism and sexism in a time where there was segregation. The book shows readers the obstacle of being an African American female in a country of racism and sexism. Despite racial and gender issues, Marguerite has accomplished many things in the sixteen years recorded in the book. The importance of education to Marguerite was shown throughout the book. She was always a good student and to get a good education as an African American in that time was difficult. When she lived in St. Louis, Marguerite had a different…show more content…
When Marguerite found out she was pregnant she was able to keep it a secret and continue going to school until she graduated. Her brother Bailey was the first to know and they came up with a plan about the pregnancy. Their plan was “We both knew her to be violently opposed to abortions, and she would very likely order me to quit school. Bailey suggested that if I quit school before getting my high school diploma I’d find it nearly impossible to return” (Angelou, 285). After thinking it through, she made the wise decision to keep going to school because she values her education. Marguerite was able to go through her pregnancy and give birth to a baby boy. It was a difficult transformation for a 16 year old to become a mother. Marguerite says “Totally my possession, and I was afraid to touch him” (Angelou, 288). She was aware that the baby was her child, but being unexperienced made her cautious with the baby. Over time she became comfortable with the baby and was able to let the baby sleep in her…show more content…
Marguerite has gained work experience from working at her grandmother’s store. At age ten, she gets first actual job was working at Mrs. Cullinan. At this job her name was shorten to Mary which irritated her. As an African American, she wasn’t seen as worthy enough to be called her correct name.(quote)…Marguerite moved on to a better job when she was hired as the first African American Streetcar conductor. “I would have the job. I would be a conductorette and sling a full money changer from my belt. I would” (Angelou, 268). Her determination and help from Negro organizations led her to win the fight for the
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