What is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings about?
Quick answer
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) is the first of Maya Angelou’s seven autobiographies. It tells the story of her childhood and teenage years in Stamps, Arkansas, St. Louis and San Francisco, a story of racism, trauma and self-discovery.
Key facts
- Author
- Maya Angelou (1928–2014)
- Published
- 1969
- Genre
- Autobiography
- Setting
- Stamps (Arkansas), St. Louis, San Francisco; 1930s–1940s
Summary
The book follows Marguerite Johnson (Angelou’s birth name) and her beloved older brother Bailey. After their parents separate, the young children are sent to live with their grandmother, Momma, who runs a general store in the segregated town of Stamps, Arkansas.
Maya experiences daily racism in the Jim Crow South. During a stay with her mother in St. Louis, she suffers sexual abuse, and afterward she stops speaking for several years. A kind woman named Mrs. Bertha Flowers helps bring her back to language through literature and poetry. As a teenager in San Francisco, Maya becomes the city’s first Black female streetcar conductor and, at 16, gives birth to her son.
The meaning of the title
The title comes from “Sympathy,” an 1899 poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar, in which a caged bird sings not from joy but as a prayer and a plea for freedom. The caged bird represents people held back by racism and oppression; the song is their voice, resilience and hope.
Key themes
| Theme | How it appears |
|---|---|
| Racism and segregation | Daily humiliations and dangers in the American South |
| Identity and self-worth | Maya’s struggle to feel beautiful and valued |
| Trauma and silence | Her years of not speaking after abuse |
| The power of words | Literature gives her voice back |
| Strong women | Momma, her mother and Mrs. Flowers shape who she becomes |
Why it matters
The book was nominated for the National Book Award in 1970. Its honesty about abuse and racism made it groundbreaking, and also one of the most frequently challenged books in American schools. It’s widely taught today.
For another phrase with a rich literary history, see what “we become what we behold” means. Studying the book? Here’s how to write a good essay introduction.
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