Angelou's Bird Sings

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Listen to the Lyrics

For many years, Maya Angelou was one of those authors that floated peripherally on and off my list of authors that "I really should get around to reading." When I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings became the selection of an online reading group in which I participated, she moved to the top of my list. I am now sorry that I waited so long to read her.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has filled me with awe and respect. The awe comes from Angelou's incredible command of the English language. There are those authors (especially in academia) who believe that the way to impress is to use big words and convoluted sentence structure. They use English the way a socialite uses furs and diamonds. Angelou spurns the use of English as illusion and instead uses straightforward language to create extremely powerful images and to tell her story. Angelou makes the most of every word and not a one is wasted.

I'm also filled with respect both for Angelou and the people of whom she writes. Never again will I assume that my knowledge of someone's geography translates into a knowledge of their history. Angelou writes in such a way that explodes stereotypes even while creating them. While there is often indignation and even a quiet outrage at the treatment of the Black race, there is never self-pity and never any whining. It is never about making others feel guilty, it is about making others open their eyes and see beyond their assumptions. Angelou is strong even in times of confusion and shame and so are her people.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiographical novel that takes the reader from her childhood in the rural South during the 30s to the birth of her child when she was 16. Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 as Marguerite Johnson. The autobiography is rarely easy to read, despite the words themselves being so lyrical and easy to follow. Her life's events, however, are often things we want to struggle against. We want to think we are better that what is portrayed here and the knowledge of our failings can be a painful thing.

Yet, even in our disappointments and in our outrage, there is a song here that is worth listening to. Angelou never mentions the tile in her book, but she took it from a Paul Laurence Dunbar poem that beautifully illustrates why this book is worth reading, even if it can be depressing:

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings,
I know why the caged bird sings!

I am so glad I have read this book and would highly recommend it to others, both for the power of its language and the strength of the story.