i know why the caged bird sings
In her book, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," Maya Angelou describes one sunny afternoon when a couple from Little Rock visited her family's small store operated by her Uncle Willy who is physically disabled. Angelou was startled to realize that for the only time in her life she was witnessing her uncle's deception; Uncle Willy was pretending to not be lame. Early in the book Angelou describes her impression of that afternoon: I'll never know why it was important to him that the couple (he said later that he'd never seen them before) would take a picture of a whole Mr. Johnson back to Little Rock. He must have tired of being crippled, as prisoners tire of penitentiary bars and the guilty tire of blame. The high-topped shoes and the cane, his uncontrollable muscles and thick tongue, and the looks he suffered of either contempt or pity had simply worn him out, and for one afternoon, one part of an afternoon, he wanted no part of them. (p.11) Angelou is one of my favorite authors, and her description of Uncle Willy's feeling of alienation is beautiful. Furthermore, I identify with Uncle Willy's desire to appear normal, if only "for one afternoon," for a more important reason than just enjoying Angelou's work. When I first read it
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Girl Scouts, Bedford Meanwhile, Uncle Willy's, Little Rock, Folk Center, Bedford Mother, Uncle Willy, Maya Angelou, school board, , angelou describes, mother suffered, little rock, teaching position, mother's illness, uncle willy, position bedford, uncle willy's,
Approximate Word count = 1231
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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