Influential Identity
Living in a prejudiced country, moving back and forth from slow country life; Arkansas, to a fast pace society; St. Louis, being pregnant at 16 are some of the many problems Maya faced with as an African American teenager. The book, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is an autobiography, which portrays Maya's life as an African American teenager and gives us an insight on southern life during the 1930's. The book is a recollection of her childhood years with Bailey, grandmother Henderson "momma", and her friend Louise Kendrick and how their personalities influenced her to beget her own identity.The first of the three characters is Louis Kendrick. Louis was Maya's first friend. Maya describes her as: "Her face, which was long and dark chocolate brown, had a thin sheet of sadness over it, as light but as permanent as the viewing gauze on a coffin. And her eyes, which I thought her best feature, shifted quickly as if what they sought had just a second before eluded her. She had come near and the spotted light through the trees fell on her face. I had never noticed before, but she looked exactly like Bailey. Her hair was "good" --more straight than kinky -- and her features had the regula
Bailey is the third and most influential character to Maya. He is Maya's brother. He is more influential that Momma because after they leave Arkansas he is the one who interacts with Maya the most. Bailey and Maya both have a lot of affection towards each other. Both of them share similar experiences and that is what makes them converse freely. Throughout the book we see Bailey standing up for Maya. There are many incidences where the townspeople criticize Maya and we always see Bailey coming to her defense. Also, we see many incidences where Maya goes to Bailey for advice rather then going to her mother. When Maya is pregnant she asks Bailey what to do with the baby rather than talking to the mother. By this we can infer that she has much more trust and faith in Bailey and this is why he is most influential to her. Louis, according to Maya's description is the total opposite of Maya. When Maya and Louis first meet each other they are shy, however as they get to know each other they became best friends. She says "In daring to challenge the unknown with me, she became my first friend" (page 142). Louis influenced Maya greatly as she gave her a chance to be a girl. On page 142 Maya says: As a re
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Approximate Word count = 812
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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