Caged Bird Sings Analysis

452 Words2 Pages
Throughout "I know why the caged bird sings" Maya Angelou makes frequent references to religion; we know that it is going to play an important part in her life as the book opens with a recollection from the Episcopal Church. One of the many regular attendees at the Church is Maya's grandmother "Momma" who we learn, is very religious. In the absence of her mother, Momma and her religion are the two greatest influences in the young Maya's life. We learn that at 4am Momma rises to open the Store and to say her prayers. Momma thanks God for every mercy, has no bitterness for Uncle Willie's handicap and sings hymns to help her through times of crisis. Momma's Store is the lay centre of activity for the black community in Stamps, even there people talk freely about religion. Indeed many people visit the store to do just that; for example Brother Taylor and Mrs Flowers. If the Store is important to the black community in Stamps it is Christianity that holds it together. After the marvellous description of the service when Sister Monroe gets rather too carried away we learn about the revival meeting. This episode is a great example of Maya Angelou's writing and shows that as an adult looking back she considers that religion played an important part in her early life, she devotes a whole chapter of the book to this one event. The meeting is clearly one of the year's main events. Everybody is there no matter how exhausted they are after the days toil. They have different reasons for attending but all are there to hear the rallying cry of the preacher and the thinly veiled promise of revenge and justice on the white folks. Towards the end of the chapter Maya Angelou comments that a stranger would have difficulty distinguishing the barrel house blues coming from the home of Miss Grace the "good time woman" from the revival hymn singing. This makes the reader wonder just how

More about Caged Bird Sings Analysis

Open Document