I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelo is a story about a young girl who learns from her mistakes and grows into a woman. The poem, Sympathy, by Paul Laurence Dunbar depicts things that tell me why Maya Angelo is a caged bird. After reading both the book and poem, it is clear to me that Maya Angelo is a caged bird because she is a black woman growing up in a …showed first 75 words of 499 total…

…showed last 75 words of 499 total…being black in a white world, the rape and the silence, are the three greatest things that make Maya a caged bird. Being black makes that world see Maya as something not acceptable so she turns away from white people. The rape gives Maya a reason to close up and turn inward. The silence is comparable to a bird who doesn't sing and won't let the world hear how beautiful of a voice she has.