I Hear the Song, Too In her heartwarming autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou stresses that those whose lives are confined by the hardships of being “inadequate” in society possess a greater determination and passion in life that are necessary to defy any hindrance in hopes of gaining control over their own life and being unconquerable. Maya Angelou reveals how her determination and passion for life allow her to become the master of her own life by using examples of her hardships battling ignorance, self-esteem, racism, and displacement; as well as figurative language that creates the reoccurrence of the cage in her text. Maya’s “mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style” (Network). She is able to admit that “like most…show more content… In her youth, she was ignorant and thought that one victory meant that she was unconquerable; however, from experience she is now able to concede to her childhood ignorance and understand that an undying determination leads to being unconquerable. At one point, “[her] head was up and [her] eyes were open, but [she] didn’t see anything” (3). As a child, Maya knew that she was different; so, regardless of her surroundings she chose to be blind and ignorant for what is now proven to be her own benefit; she is stronger. Maya constantly dealt with the “little white girls who were everybody’s dream of what was right in the world” (1). She grew up thinking that being black was not right, but now she is aware of the fact that every person is