Can anyone give me good "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" topics for an English paper?
I'm reading the Maya Angelou book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" for my college English class. I have to pull a good topic from the book and write a paper on it. Can anyone give me a good topic to write about - besides the obvious, which is slavery?
Thanks.
You could do this on character development. Here are some examples
Hope this helps
Self Esteem 1: As a young girl, Marguerite has no self-pride. She longs to be someone else, believes she is ugly, and can almost convince herself that she is actually white instead of black
Chapter 5
Self Esteem 2: This may be the first time Marguerite sees someone preserving their own self-pride and dignity, despite what other people do to them. She assumes her grandmother is being mocked, but Momma shows her that no one can be mocked if they will not allow themselves to be. Marguerite remembers this lesson later when dealing with white people who try to belittle her.
Chapter 9
Self Esteem 3: Marguerite is at first proud to have such a handsome, charismatic father. But soon she begins to feel uncomfortable, because she doesn't think she belongs to him: she is too ugly and strange. His easy manner and good looks intimidate her, and she cannot stand to feel foolish because of his jokes.
Chapter 13
Self Esteem 4: Maya believes that the rape, and Mr. Freeman's death, are her fault-first, because she liked when he held her, and then because she lied about how many times he had touched her in court. She thinks of herself as a bad girl, so bad that she has to stop talking so that she won't make things worse for everyone around her. This disturbs and angers her family, who doesn't know what is happening, and makes it more difficult for her to understand that she is not actually bad.
Chapter 16
Self Esteem 5: Maya's sense of self-worth is still a little shaky-she thinks Mrs. Cullinan might be making fun of her because she knows about Mr. Freeman (Maya still thinks his death is her fault.) But when her mistress calls her Mary, Maya suddenly understands what she will and will not accept. She gets herself fired, not caring about the consequences, rather than be called a name other than her own.
Chapter 23
Self Esteem 6: Maya feels very proud of herself for graduating, even though the white speaker at the ceremony suggests that she and her class will never be what they really want to be. She understands that this attitude is not a reflection of her-it is racism, pure and simple. When they sing "Lift Ev'ry Voice," she sees that her people have not given up hope, and that in itself gives her hope. Her self-esteem is not shaken by the white speaker; it is now grounded in her own achievements.
Chapter 25
Self Esteem 7: Though Maya will miss Bailey for the month they are separated, she is becoming more independent. She no longer needs him to defend her from insults. She now has books, which are a consistent source of joy and education. She has found something she really loves-reading-and it has given her more of an identity.
Chapter 28
Self Esteem 8: Maya is at first afraid that everyone will laugh at her body when she dances, but when she sees that no one notices her, she is able to forget her self-consciousness and learn to do something she really enjoys and is good at.
Chapter 30
Self Esteem 9: Alone on the mountainside, Maya realizes she can accomplish even the most frightening thing if she puts her mind to it. She is never the same afterward: she has a new confidence that sets her apart from most people her age. She has faith in herself.
Chapter 32
Self Esteem 10: In the junkyard, Maya learns to take care of herself, and she begins to understand that people of all races, and all personality types, can be friends. The kids accept her without questioning her. This helps her to feel less alone because of her own race, and makes her feel like a normal human being, rather than an unwanted, ugly black girl who doesn't belong.
Strength 1: Maya's closeness to Bailey gives her strength in a world that rejects her. They laugh and read together. He offers her an escape from the cold and frightening reality of Stamps, and takes care of her in a way that no one else is willing to.
Chapter 5
Strength 2: Momma gets a strange kind of strength and dignity from not fighting with the powhitetrash girls. She simply allows them to be cruel, but refuses to be cruel back. She does not sink to their level. She hums her hymn and waits for them to go, almost pretending that they are not there, and not letting anything they do get to her.
Chapter 6
Strength 3: Though Marguerite is eventually upset with Bailey for making her laugh so hard, she has a humor connection to him that enables her to endure even the greatest boredom and insult. They ridicule Reverend Thomas together, when everyone else seems to respect him, and Bailey allows her to laugh at the ridiculous aspects of church, which everyone else takes deadly seriously.
Chapter 11
Strength 4: Though she feels very alone in St. Louis, Maya learns to pretend that the books she reads are her real life. Instead of a poor, unwanted ugly girl, she is a beautiful princess who has simply been mistaken for a maid. She believes desp
Whats On My YouTube Today?
Paper Bird at DOM's November First Friday
Here Are A Few Items From Amazon You Might Be Interested In.
| Account limit of 2212 requests per hour exceeded. |
Items recently purchased on this site:
Thanks for visiting!
Tags: paper bird lyrics, crafts, design, paper bird creations, paper bird, paper