Maya Angelou Essay

In Maya Angelou chronicle I know why the caged bird sings about themes and issues are looked at. This biography shows the difficulty of a black woman growing up touch by discrimination and poverty, but also shows her determination, joy and hope. Maya Angelou limns her relationship with many character, this in it self is a theme of her writing, the way she pick ups pack in her own light. Some characters that may be seen to be well-behaved people are changed by Mayas opinion. A good example of this is the railway line between Mayas incur and Mayas fathers girlfriend.If both these characters were described, the fathers girlfriend maybe considers the infract person. This is non the pillow slip after reading this book, as Maya has a way of making the reader see these characters as she sees them. After the separation of Maya Angelous parents she and her brother Bailey were move away to belong with her nan when Maya was only three. This must have been a terrible experience for a young churl to go through, which some may think would have left Maya with resentment towards her mother. In situation this was quite the opposite.When Maya meet her mother again after she left her, Maya discarded the fact that she sent her away. She describes how as soon as she saw her mother, the nights she exhausted crying for her was forgotten. I knew immediately why she had sent me away. She was too good-looking to have children. (Maya Angelou, 1984, P58) This was Mayas way of honourableifying her mother actions. Even if it maybe considered a bad thing what her mother did, Maya save thought she was wonderful. Later on in this book Mayas mother did another bad thing.She opaline someone twice, which again maybe considered a bad thing to do. Since she had think to shoot him (notice shoot, not kill) she had no reason to run away, so she surmise him a second time. He had been shot, true, but in her fairness she had warned him. (Maya Angelou, 1984, pages 202 and 203 ) The row use when Maya describes this purget show she thinks that this is not a major or bad thing that has happened. Maya again shows her mother as not a bad person even though what she has through is wrong.Mayas mother was also believed to be a prostitute Maya believes this too but again discards the idea because she knew that if that were true then she wouldnt be able to live with her, which she wanted to. Even though Mayas mother could be considered a bad mother, Maya thinks extremely highly of her. This can be seen from the choice of lexis, Maya uses to describe her mother. Maya always used nice words such as beautiful, warm, glorious. Maya is also enthusiastic when lecture about her mother. At one point Maya goes to stay with her father and his girlfriend.Maya believed that being her mother was so beautiful, any woman her father was with after her mother would have been just as beautiful if not more. This was the start of Mayas disappointment when run into her stepmother . Maya disliked Dolores (her stepmother) you could tell this from the contrast in tones, from the happy tone when see dialog about her mother to the dull and spiteful tone used when describing Dolores. If Dolores had been a little less aloof, a little more crude(a) She was mean and petty and full of pretense.(Maya Angelou, 1984, pages 222 and 223) Dolores theoretically was a good, honest person. She was a good, hardworking wife she took Maya into her home and treated her well. Even though this, she is still seen as the bad one by the end of this part, from the way Maya talks about her. Maya uses mean words to describe Dolores, and is also sarcastic towards her when talking about her and their home. She was on close terms with her washing machine and iron out board. (Maya Angelou, 1984, P221) This shows one of the sarcastic phases used by Maya Angelou.It also shows that Maya was not the righteous party in her conflict with her stepmother. Maya went out of her way to irritate Dol ores and to name her jealous of Maya relationship with her father. Dolores still comes of as the bad one at the end, after an argument with Maya. Maya tries to be nice to Dolores, but Dolores ends up affair Mayas mother a whore. Even though this is possibly true and Maya questions this, she still defends her mother. It is Maya that makes the first attack on Dolores Maya justifies her behaviour, which leaves her looking the better person.What did she expect if she called my mother a whore? (Maya Angelou, 1984, P239) Another character who has an unthought-of outcome is the dentist, Dr Lincoln. At one stage Maya, as a child was in a lot of pain with toothache. At the Maya was living with her grandmother in Stamps. The nearest Negro dentist to them was twenty-five miles away, which was too uttermost for Maya to travel in such pain. As a result Mayas grandmother took her to a dentist near by that owed her a favour. many a(prenominal) would believe a dentist to be a respectable, g ood, reliable person. This was not the case of Dr Lincoln.He refused to help a child in pain, even though Mayas grandmother stopped him losing his business by lending him money. When speaking to Mayas grandmother, Dr Lincoln was very abrupt and rude to her. He did not even acknowledge Maya, or the fact her face was bootless and she was in pain. Id rather stick my hand in a dogs mouth than in a ringtails(Maya Angelou, 1984, P184) This was the harsh phase that Dr Lincoln used. This also shows discrimination and racism, another major theme in Maya Angelous autobiography. After Dr Lincoln refuses to help, Mayas grandmother follows him in his office.When she later describes what happened she says that Dr Lincoln and the nurse were as thick as thieves. This is a simile used to accentuate Dr Lincoln characteristics. From the way Maya Angelou has scripted her autobiography I know why the caged bird sings she has managed to successfully expect peoples true characters. People that may be c onsidered to have a good character such as Dr Lincoln have been shown for who they really are. This has been done by the choice of lexis and the tones that she has used to create different atmospheres when describing certain characters.