Why should I read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?
In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the first autobiographical book by Maya Angelou, the acclaimed author gives readers a profound education about the lives of black people in the American South during the 1930s. Flowers, uses her love of literature to help Maya overcome a trauma and rediscover her own voice.
What age is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings appropriate for?
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
| Interest Level | Reading Level | ATOS |
|---|---|---|
| Grades 9 – 12 | Grades 6 – 12 | 6.7 |
Is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings a book or poem?
Published in 1983, “I know why the caged bird sings” is a poem written by Maya Angelou. However, the caged bird is trapped by the “bars of rage” – it has no other way to express itself but to sing “with a fearful trill”. It “sings of freedom” which can be heard “on the distant hill”.
Who is the audience of Still I Rise?
Like many of Maya Angelou’s poems, ‘Still I Rise’ features short, straightforward statements speaking directly to the reader. The intended audience is widespread: women of color, other women, young girls, and men.
How is identity shown in Still I Rise?
In the poem ‘Still I Rise’ Maya Angelou presents the theme of identity through her repeated use of pronouns”, most commonly ‘you’. Another way in which Maya Angelou presents the theme of identity is by her use of the phrase ‘I rise’ which demonstrates how she will defy those who try to bring her down.
What literary devices are used in Still I Rise?
In “Still I Rise,” Angelou uses the literary devices of apostrophe, anaphora, repetition, end rhyme, simile, metaphor, imagery, and alliteration.
What is the imagery in Still I Rise?
The poet uses many similes and metaphors throughout the poem: “You may trod me in the very dirt” (metaphor)—The speaker states that even if her oppressor tries to trample on her as one might trample an object or living creature in the dirt, she will still rise.
What figure of speech is used in the lines with your bitter twisted lies?
Assonance
What metaphors are used in Still I Rise?
Metaphors in ‘I will rise’ by Maya Angelou
- I walk like I’ve got oil wells.
- Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns.
- Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
- ‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines.
Is there a metaphor in the poem Still I Rise?
Moreover, it is not any ocean. Rather, this ocean, a metaphor for the speaker’s power, is “black.” Thus, the speaker’s blackness is not a detriment to her power, but a part of it. The poem uses the ocean to represent the speaker’s power inherent in her blackness and the inevitability of her rise above oppression.