“In the poem called “Mothers” by Nikki Giovanni it talks about at the beginning of the poem about when she was at home that time to see her mother they both kissed, exchanging pleasantries and unpleasantries.” “after that they both started reading separate books with nothing but comforting silence around them.” “She remembers her mother, and where they use to live.” “They lived in a three roomed apartment on Burns Avenue.” “She remembers that her mother use to always sit in the dark for some odd reason.”…
After watching Dr. Flowers and seeing the way she perceives Obamacare, I personally have the say that I agree with her. She explained that since Obamacare is always praised, and always in the limelight, there are many drawbacks that must be brought to the forefront. One of the challenges that she brought up in her critique was that Obamacare has done nothing but force people to buy private insurance, create insurance exchanges, as well as spend more money to hire tons of people to knock on doors to sell private insurances. Not only are people forced into buying one of these private insurances, they’re also forced into paying more out of pocket expenses if they are seriously injured and have to go to an “out of network” doctor. It is not a step…
The essay I choose to write about was Maya Angelou’s “Sister Flowers”. I believe that the purpose of this essay was to describe an important part of this person’s life that helped them to become a better writer/poet/reader and also describe what I think to be this persons mentor. This essay talks about how Mrs. Bertha Flowers decides to take Marguerite Henderson home with her to give her good books to read and to read her an excerpt form a book. I think it is a very well written and extremely descriptive essay, it makes you feel like you are there with them listening to the pages turning and almost taste the tea cookie or smell the vanilla from Mrs. Flower’s home.…
In “I know Why the Caged Bird Sings” Maya Angelou writes about her life from the ages 3 to 16 years old. Angelou writes about her experiences with her mom in part of her autobiography. Vivian Baxter, Angelou’s mother, despite not being there for most of her childhood, she is a major influence to Angelou. Vivian is a young woman who works hard and learns from her life experiences. Vivian Baxter is a strong resilient individual because she has insight, that prevents her from making brash decisions, independence, which allows her to do what is best for her, initiative, that makes her strong and confident, and morality, that lets her know right from wrong.…
Mrs. Flowers actions are like a lifeline to Marguerite because she helped Marguerite when she was having trouble talking. According to the story, Mrs. Flowers wanted to help Marguerite with life lessons. In the text it says, All I cared about was that she liked me...” (page 233). It also says in the story, “I was liked,and what a difference did it made.I was respected as Mrs.Henderson’s grandchild or Bailey’s sister but for just being me.” (page233). This shows that Mrs Flowers clearly wanted to help her. Mrs. Flowers spent time with Marguerite and made her feel special.…
In the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the main character Marguerite Johnson, is influenced by a preponderance of characters including Bailey Jr. , Momma Henderson, and Mrs. Bertha Flowers. One of the primary influences is her older brother, Bailey Jr.. Momma, or Annie Henderson, the parental grandmother, also plays an important role for Maya. Additionally, Mrs. Flowers, the black aristocrat of Stamps, saves Maya during an especially difficult time. All in all, these three characters act as important roles in the development of Marguerite through her juvenile years.…
In the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the main character Marguerite, is influenced by many of characters including Bailey Jr., Momma Henderson, and Mrs. Bertha Flowers. All three of these characters played important parts in the growth of Marguerite through her juvenile years. Bailey Jr. Has the most significate role in Marguerite's young life. Bailey brings light into Maya's life and she feels as she would be lost without him, "but I would be the major loser if Bailey turned up dead. For he was all I claimed, if not all I…
Then her mother died, her sisters scattered” (6). When a person has to deal with that much suffering, especially early in life, a trend of unhappiness begins to occur. Furthermore we learn about she was never really wanted by the people she becomes acquainted with like Madam Aubain or Théodore. This would have a long lasting effect on her because when you get mistreated for so long, you start to believe…
In “Sister Flowers” by Maya Angelon, I can connect with the main character in the text, because she was a teenage girl who received support from a person when in a time of depression. To me, I can understand this reading and also agree with most of what it had to say regarding the views of the world; I can connect this to what I consider is important, and I can explain why I enjoyed reading it.…
As she grew older she began to resent Nanny for showing her a way of life where what matters is not the emotional but only the economic stability of the person whom she would be spending her life with. A person such as Janie who viewed the world as the blossoming pear tree where she once sat under and questioned her own nature was able to learn not to mourn but to live “To my thinkin’ mourning oughtn’t tuh last no longer’n grief.”(Page 114). Years ago Janie had told herself to wait for her in the looking glass. “The young girl was gone, but a handsome woman had taken her place”(Page 108) the moment where she was able to separate herself from the “weak” animals and children that could not think for themselves. However it was when Nanny had died along with her dream of love that she became…
In the short exert from Maya Angelou, language is used to express feelings, instill emotions in others, and separate classes of people. Language is a key element in the expression of oneself. We will see how Marguerite sees Mrs. Flowers and how she changes her life forever with the understanding and importance of the spoken words and what it symbolizes.…
The narrator, Amanda Coyne, begins her essay from the mother’s perspective. She describes herself visiting her sister in Federal Prison Camp with her nephew. The story is focused on the relationship of separated children and their imprisoned mothers. The narrator describes the mother’s unusual response to their children in regards to the smell of the flowers bouquet. The way that mothers were referring to the smell so significant gives a visualization of a deep longing and separation in their hearts. The common use of anecdotes and juxtaposition in this writing stands out as a useful tool to describe the characters. The use of a brief narrative to describe kids shows a bit of resentment children.…
Maya Angelou's turbulent experiences through late childhood and adolescence transformed into an almost positive force in her adult life as they helped enlighten, inspire, motivate and shape her very being. They provided her with the vehement fuel that drives her achingly powerful words and allowed her the knowledge and wisdom that led to self-discovery (finding one's inner self) and eventually knowledge of self (understanding one's inner self), two endeavors that most of humanity is never able or perhaps willing to acquire. In Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Marguerite Johnson experiences a particularly difficult childhood where she is often displaced geographically, socially and racially, and is even raped at a young age,…
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Specifically it will discuss the themes of racism and segregation, and how these strong themes are woven throughout this moving autobiography. Maya Angelou recounts the story of her early life, including the racism and segregation she experiences throughout her formative years. With wit, sincerity, and remarkable talent, Angelou portrays racism as a product of ignorance and prejudice. However, she finds the strength to rise above this crippling condition.…
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is the first in a series of autobiographical works by Maya Angelou, an African American author and poet. Published in 1969 the novel captures and amplifies the socio-political zeitgeist in Black America. It is a bildungsroman that follows a young African American girl with an inferiority complex on her psychological and characteristic development to become a more socially aware and proactive individual. An individual beginning to adopt or preparing to adopt the attitudes that Bo Bennett discusses in the above quotation. This essay will explore the extent to which Angelou achieves self-actualisation in the novel.…