Maya Angelou

When I was assigned to read from Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I was overcome with horrific flashbacks to eighth grade- more specifically to Ms. Gibson’s honors English class.  In eighth  grade we were forced to read a chapter from Angelou’s book, the one about Mrs. Flower (this one: http://genius.com/Maya-angelou-mrs-flowers-from-i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-annotated).  The two selected readings, stylistically similar, focused thematically on two very different experiences from Angelou’s childhood.  Where our more recent reading focused on racial tension, the latter reading highlighted one of Maya’s personal heroes.  Ms. Gibson’s analysis focused on Maya’s poetic diction and stylistic prowess.  Thinking back the analysis seems mild at best in comparison to what we did on Thursday; the contrast reminds me of “The History Teacher” by Billy Collins.  Although the two excerpts are thematically very different, many of the elements bear a striking resemblance.  The thing that stands out the most to me is that both focus around some exceptionally influential and glamorized character.  Maya describes Mrs. Flower as “one of the few gentlewoman I have ever known.”  The hyperbole represented is extremely sympathetic to Mrs. Flower and recognizes her as someone exceptionally important to Maya.  In her other chapter, Maya calls Joe Louis “the strongest man in the world.”  The description similarly singles Joe out and makes him appear almost divinely significant.  Both characters are used to show a notably influential moment in her life.  Practically it can also be said that these characters are used to represents more than individuals, but (in the context of her autobiography) represent how these ideas and concepts developed with her as a person and a writer.