Growing Up Maya

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. The paper states that, in her book, Maya Angelou captures the essence of the difficulties faced by growing children in their passage from childhood, to adolescence and then on to adulthood. The author examines and discusses the early life of Maya Angelou following her experiences with racism and white culture, her experience as a single mother and how these experiences influenced her development.

From the Paper:

"For the first part of her and Bailey's life, they live in ignorance about their real parents who abandoned them, with only the wild fantasies that they make up about their mother and father sustaining them. They blindly come to the conclusion that they had done something wrong for their parents to abandon them; the first blow to their self-esteem. This ignorance influences Bailey's choices in growing up, as Angelou explains that his maintaining of a tough, gangster-like exterior is a subconscious effort to win Mother's approval. The ignorance caused by this abandonment also plants a seed of insecurity in Maya in her childhood, bringing her to constantly question where her place of belonging is and who to trust as a parent figure. The role of the parent is compromised in her early life and so that seed of insecurity continues to grow inside of Maya. As a vine needs a pillar to grow on, so a youth needs a reliable caregiver to provide love, and stability, as well as an example to follow."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York, NY: Bantam, 1983.

More papers on Growing Up Maya:

• Research Paper # 52619 : "Perspectives of Growing Up Black in America"
• Essay # 71320 : "Growing Up Female"
• Analytical Essay # 29277 : "Maya Angelou"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: