Cliffs Notes on Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

by Mary Robinson, Gary Carey (Editor), James Lamar Roberts (Editor)

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

Piqued by a dare, Angelou wrote this first book as an exercise in autobiography as art — and succeeded. Her novel is a story of the difficulties of black women and the eventual victory of spirit that comes from being a soulful fighter.

CliffsNotes on I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings helps you explore this tale of rebirth, self-worth, and dignity. This concise supplement helps you understand the overall structure of the novel, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author. Features that help you study include

A close look at the author's life which offers insight into her writing A list of characters and their descriptions Summaries and commentaries, chapter by chapter Critical assessments of the novel and the television movie adaptation Glossaries to help you fully understand the novel Critical essays on women in the novel and Southern Fundamentalism A review section that tests your knowledge, and suggested essay topics

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

74 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 1992

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2nd attempt at review, silly phone ate the 1st. The only thing I remembered on my own from reading this book way back is a phrase on page 2 about putting vaseline on ashy legs before church & then getting the legs all dirty before services began. I could so relate. Otherwise, I didn't like this book when I read it & I think I read the whole "series" of memoirs trying to understand why others loved these books. I don't think I knew Ms Angelou is a poet 1st & a prose writer 2nd. That may have been much of my difficulty in enjoying her work. No one can say she isn't a marvelous poet & uses language to it's fullest. But I just didn't get it. Present Day: April bookclub is this book, I had decided not to go as I had a schedule conflict, but decided to attend late-so I got the cliff notes to jog my memory. The only piece I remember vividly from this book is a scene on page 2. As a little girl, she has vaseline put on her ashy legs before going to church, by the time services began her legs are covered in dust, I could so relate as that was a common occurrence in my life also. Cliff notes gave me the cast & chapters synopsis but I dislike the commentary, hence 2 stars.

[Devon]

Maya Johnson is a young black girl growing up in Stamps, Arknansas. Racism is still very big in society. Her and her brother live were there grandma "mamma." Maya is raped by her mothers boyfriend who suddenly dies after. Maya gets in a fight with her father's girlfriend and lives in a junkyard for a month. Maya has sex and gets pregnant. Maya feels better after her mother tells her she can take care of the baby.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend this book to everyone. It's the kind of book that you never want to put down. Mary Robinson is a awesome writer. It also teaches of racism back in the day, which is one of my favorite topics. Overall it was a great book.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful for a review of Narrative Form, Setting, Figurative Language...