Summary
Big Bailey invites Maya to spend the summer with him and his girlfriend, and her name is Dorlores. When them to finally met they was really shocked. Big Bailey wants to get married, but everything it come close to the wedding he postpones it. The thing i find shocking is that he makes frequent trips to Mexico and he supposedly buys groceries. Then one day he asks Maya to come with him and Dolores gets really jealous that she is staying. She starts to enjoy herself, but later on she gets scared because she can not find her father and she is just waiting in the car. Sooner or later he comes out and he is all drunk and he ends up passing out in the car. Maya trying to take responsibility she drives the car fifty miles back even though she has never drove a car in her life. Big bailey redeems hisself and he is able to drive the rest of the wa. He isn't mad about anything, but Maya is kind of mad because he didn't acknowlegde what she did and they drove home in silence. When they get home an arguement breaks off and Bailey leaves and Dolore is crying. Maya goes to her being nice saying that she didn't mean to come between them, but then Dolores insults her mom and says that she is a "whore". After that Maya slaps her and Dolores stabs her with the scissors and Maya runs in the car and locks herself in there. Bailey drives Maya to his other friends house where she spent the night. The next day he comes and gives her money and said he would come back, but Maya refuse to stay there so she packed her stuff and left. She didn't want to go to Vivian because she knew if she saw the wound it would start trouble between Bailey and her. Leaving that day she spends the night in a car at the junk yard. She ends up staying there with a group of teenagers. Later she enters a dance contest and she won second place. Everything was changing especially bailey. He started wearing flashy clothes and dating white prositutes. Sooner or later Baliey moved out and his mom got him a job in the south pacfic. Maya starts to develop and she doesn't understand what is going on, so she ask her mom and she told her all of that stuff is natural. She didn't understand the word lesbian so she didn't know if she was one so she got a boyfriend. During that process; 3 weeks later she finds out that she is pregnant. Later on she gives birth to her son and she is fascinated, but afraid to touch him. Vivian shows how the baby lays and tells her she doesnt have to worry about doingthe right thing because if her heart is in the right place she will do the right thing. So Maya peacfually returns to sleep next to her son.
Quote
The quote I decided to pick was "Life is going to give you just what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you can wait (Angelou 269)." This quote was said to Maya by her mother. She mostly tells her things like this every morning. She does that to show Maya that evrything isn't going to be placed in your hand, and you should put effort in the things you do. This quote is important because in life you may think that the things you do in life doesn't count but it does. To make it big and to suceed you need to put love and caring in what you do, even if it is the littlest thing. Once you do that is needed to be done good things would happend and you will sometimes get what you want. But if you put no effort, no love or not caring of what you do, your going to get no where.
Reaction
As I was finishing up the book ii saw many changes in the relation change. Everyone was going up and doing what they wanted to do. To me I call this novel a of coming age. This is said because in this book Maya Angelou shows how the kids grow up and they learn many new things. Maya and Bailey do so much when they was little and half of the things they didn't even understand it especially Maya. Out of both of them Maya had it the worse, but I was shocked of what she was doing with her life. I was mostly shocked when she had a child at the end of the book. The ending of the book was very calm and peaceful. I think it ended like that, so it can show that Maya is starting a new life and readdy to take care of her responsiblity. Overall i loved the book and it was amazing. Even though i think the book should have a few more chapters, it was good.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings(152-218)
Summary
A man name George Taylor comes to the store and he stays the night there. He is still sad over his wife Florida death. Momma tried to cheer him up because she says you have spent a good forty years with her and you should be glad. He is even more sad because before she died he said that he wanted children. Days later Maya she is now going to graduate from eight grade at her school. The onpy thing that Maya didn't like was that only the black children only achieved greatness in sports in academics. The kids sat there as the principal was talking. Later on Maya ends up having a bad toothace and momma said that since she owned money to Dr. Lincoln she says that he owes her a favor, so she goes there. When they get there she reminds him about the loan and he says that he repaid the loan and that he would rather stick his hand in a dogs mouth than Maya's black mouth. To me I felt that it was unnecessary for him to say that it was very rude. He was basically saying that he would put a dog before and black person; like they was below and dirt. Then she tells him that she needs her money back and he gave her back her ten dollars and gave her a receipt. One day Bailey comes home from a errand that he had to do. When he is home he is very shocked and he is shaking. He was asking why does white people have so much haterd in black people. He just saw a black dead man that they pulled out of the pond. Later momma makes a trip for them to go to California to go live with their mom. The kids started to see Vivian more often now. Soon after the U.S enters World War 2 and Vivian ends up marrying Daddy Clidell and he is a successful businessman , and they move to San Francisco. There was many changes that occured. Mostly all the black people replaced the Japanese people. Living there Maya feels so much at home. As she goes to school she ends up getting promoted to the next grade. When Maya is fourteen she receives a scholarship to the California Labor School where she studies dance and drama. Daddy Clidel becomes the only father figure that Maya had.
Quote
"Bailey was talking so fast he forgot to stutter, he forgot to scracth his head and clean his fingernails with his teeth. He was away in a mystery, locked in the enigma that young Southern Black boys start to unravel, from seven years old to death. The humorless puzzle of inequality and hate( Angelou 198)." Bailey finally encounters death. When he encounters death he really doesn't know how to handle the situation he is just so stunned. Uncle Willy had to explain to him what he saw and why things are the way they are. This was really big because he never saw a dead body well anybody dead. Maya Angelou makes this quote stands out because it shows his reaction to what never faced him until now.
Reaction
As I was reading the book I see how many people can turn on you or how many things you face in life that you have many questions on that it is hard to answer. Sometimes you have to face something that you really don't want to face, but it is apart of life and it happends. Angleou works is way beyond good. It goes back to where you think and it is facts about life and what happend. In your life you would think it would never happened to you but there is a chance it might and you have to be ready for it
A man name George Taylor comes to the store and he stays the night there. He is still sad over his wife Florida death. Momma tried to cheer him up because she says you have spent a good forty years with her and you should be glad. He is even more sad because before she died he said that he wanted children. Days later Maya she is now going to graduate from eight grade at her school. The onpy thing that Maya didn't like was that only the black children only achieved greatness in sports in academics. The kids sat there as the principal was talking. Later on Maya ends up having a bad toothace and momma said that since she owned money to Dr. Lincoln she says that he owes her a favor, so she goes there. When they get there she reminds him about the loan and he says that he repaid the loan and that he would rather stick his hand in a dogs mouth than Maya's black mouth. To me I felt that it was unnecessary for him to say that it was very rude. He was basically saying that he would put a dog before and black person; like they was below and dirt. Then she tells him that she needs her money back and he gave her back her ten dollars and gave her a receipt. One day Bailey comes home from a errand that he had to do. When he is home he is very shocked and he is shaking. He was asking why does white people have so much haterd in black people. He just saw a black dead man that they pulled out of the pond. Later momma makes a trip for them to go to California to go live with their mom. The kids started to see Vivian more often now. Soon after the U.S enters World War 2 and Vivian ends up marrying Daddy Clidell and he is a successful businessman , and they move to San Francisco. There was many changes that occured. Mostly all the black people replaced the Japanese people. Living there Maya feels so much at home. As she goes to school she ends up getting promoted to the next grade. When Maya is fourteen she receives a scholarship to the California Labor School where she studies dance and drama. Daddy Clidel becomes the only father figure that Maya had.
Quote
"Bailey was talking so fast he forgot to stutter, he forgot to scracth his head and clean his fingernails with his teeth. He was away in a mystery, locked in the enigma that young Southern Black boys start to unravel, from seven years old to death. The humorless puzzle of inequality and hate( Angelou 198)." Bailey finally encounters death. When he encounters death he really doesn't know how to handle the situation he is just so stunned. Uncle Willy had to explain to him what he saw and why things are the way they are. This was really big because he never saw a dead body well anybody dead. Maya Angelou makes this quote stands out because it shows his reaction to what never faced him until now.
Reaction
As I was reading the book I see how many people can turn on you or how many things you face in life that you have many questions on that it is hard to answer. Sometimes you have to face something that you really don't want to face, but it is apart of life and it happends. Angleou works is way beyond good. It goes back to where you think and it is facts about life and what happend. In your life you would think it would never happened to you but there is a chance it might and you have to be ready for it
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings(102-152)
Summary
Reading this book just get better and better each time. Mrs. Viola Cullinan was a plump woman who lived in a three-bedroom house behind a post office. She was unattractive until she smiled and she actually looked decent . Maya ends up taking a job at Mrs. Cullinan house at the age of ten. Miss Glory was once owned by the Cullinans, and the sad thing about it is that Mrs. Cullinan couldn't have children of her own. As Maya is there at her house Mrs. Cullinan calls her Mary because her name is to long, but when she calls her that she gets really mad. She gets mad because she would rather be called by her real name or Maya not "Mary". She can't quit because her mother wouldn't let her and plus she needs the money. So instead of her trying to quit she is trying to find a way to get fired, so she starts to slack in her work and then listens to her brother and starts to break her china glasses on purpose. When Maya did that Mrs. Cullinan drops her insults on Maya. One night Bailey decides to stay out after dark and Momma took Maya with her to go search for him. They end up finding him and he doesn't even explain his lateness for coming home, so when they got home he got a severe whipping . As days go on Maya notices that Bailey is changing. She felt like that he had no soul/love because of his actions. Then finally Bailey tells Maya why he was late and he said he was watching a movie and it starred this white actress that look just like Vivian and he stayed to watch it again. During this time there was the annual revival meetings that interrupts the harsh daily in Stamps. People from the black chruches attended. That is about them coming together and finding a way to do good, like this time is to give to the poor and help them. Many whites back then thought that black people was weak,so there was this match between a black man Joe Louis and he was going against this white man. Everybody was watching it. Comes to find out he won and it proves that black people are powerful and not week. Maya meets a girl her age name Louise Kendricks. They become best friends and they spend long hours getting to know eachother. When she is in 7th grade she got a note from a boy name Tommy Valdon to be his valentine. She shows it to Louise and she explains that it means love. For some reason Baliey started to get sexual. He started playing sexual games with girls. After six months Baliey loses his virginity to a well developed girl name Joyce. Then his actions gets worse. He started stealing from the store for her then after a few months she disappears. Later they find out that she ran away with this guy who she met from the store and Baliey is really heartbroken. Then she started to come around again noone really said nothing to her anymore and plus Maya hated that she left her brother in the first place.
Quote
An important quote that i decided to pick was "My race groaned. It was our people falling. It was an other lynching, yet another Black man hanging on a tree. One more woman ambused and raped.A black boy whipped and maimed(Angelou 135)." The words in the quote is really deep. By reading this quote it makes me feel like if I was born back in the day it was horrible. Being lynched, whipped, slapped, raped, and even ambused is cruelity. Baxk then there was actually nothing that color folks can do about it because of their skin color and the segregation that was going on back there. Now in my time there is still people getting raped, ambused, and whip. But now you can actually get introuble. To hear about people getting treated like that is really unfair, but that is what many people went through.
Reaction
So far as I'm reading this book it is kind of sad and it is kind of what i was expecting. Maya Angelou shows that life wasn't always easy and you couldn't have it your way unless u wasn't colored. Her work demonstates and connects to her life, historical background, and provides information. I say that because when you read her work you learn so much and it feels as if you can relate to it. Her style is very unique and it is her own. That is one of the reasons why reading her work is so exciting and anxious to read it and that is what I love about her work and her as an author/poet.
Reading this book just get better and better each time. Mrs. Viola Cullinan was a plump woman who lived in a three-bedroom house behind a post office. She was unattractive until she smiled and she actually looked decent . Maya ends up taking a job at Mrs. Cullinan house at the age of ten. Miss Glory was once owned by the Cullinans, and the sad thing about it is that Mrs. Cullinan couldn't have children of her own. As Maya is there at her house Mrs. Cullinan calls her Mary because her name is to long, but when she calls her that she gets really mad. She gets mad because she would rather be called by her real name or Maya not "Mary". She can't quit because her mother wouldn't let her and plus she needs the money. So instead of her trying to quit she is trying to find a way to get fired, so she starts to slack in her work and then listens to her brother and starts to break her china glasses on purpose. When Maya did that Mrs. Cullinan drops her insults on Maya. One night Bailey decides to stay out after dark and Momma took Maya with her to go search for him. They end up finding him and he doesn't even explain his lateness for coming home, so when they got home he got a severe whipping . As days go on Maya notices that Bailey is changing. She felt like that he had no soul/love because of his actions. Then finally Bailey tells Maya why he was late and he said he was watching a movie and it starred this white actress that look just like Vivian and he stayed to watch it again. During this time there was the annual revival meetings that interrupts the harsh daily in Stamps. People from the black chruches attended. That is about them coming together and finding a way to do good, like this time is to give to the poor and help them. Many whites back then thought that black people was weak,so there was this match between a black man Joe Louis and he was going against this white man. Everybody was watching it. Comes to find out he won and it proves that black people are powerful and not week. Maya meets a girl her age name Louise Kendricks. They become best friends and they spend long hours getting to know eachother. When she is in 7th grade she got a note from a boy name Tommy Valdon to be his valentine. She shows it to Louise and she explains that it means love. For some reason Baliey started to get sexual. He started playing sexual games with girls. After six months Baliey loses his virginity to a well developed girl name Joyce. Then his actions gets worse. He started stealing from the store for her then after a few months she disappears. Later they find out that she ran away with this guy who she met from the store and Baliey is really heartbroken. Then she started to come around again noone really said nothing to her anymore and plus Maya hated that she left her brother in the first place.
Quote
An important quote that i decided to pick was "My race groaned. It was our people falling. It was an other lynching, yet another Black man hanging on a tree. One more woman ambused and raped.A black boy whipped and maimed(Angelou 135)." The words in the quote is really deep. By reading this quote it makes me feel like if I was born back in the day it was horrible. Being lynched, whipped, slapped, raped, and even ambused is cruelity. Baxk then there was actually nothing that color folks can do about it because of their skin color and the segregation that was going on back there. Now in my time there is still people getting raped, ambused, and whip. But now you can actually get introuble. To hear about people getting treated like that is really unfair, but that is what many people went through.
Reaction
So far as I'm reading this book it is kind of sad and it is kind of what i was expecting. Maya Angelou shows that life wasn't always easy and you couldn't have it your way unless u wasn't colored. Her work demonstates and connects to her life, historical background, and provides information. I say that because when you read her work you learn so much and it feels as if you can relate to it. Her style is very unique and it is her own. That is one of the reasons why reading her work is so exciting and anxious to read it and that is what I love about her work and her as an author/poet.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (70-102)
Summary
Maya starts to sleep at night with Vivian and Mr. Freeman because she suffers from nightmares. THhe scariest thing happen. One morning Vivian leaves the house and Mr. Freemen sexually molests Maya. The thing is he doesn't touch her he just "masturbates" on the bed holding Maya close to him. Then Mr. Freeman said he will kill Bailey if she tells someone, but she doesn't understand what just happen and she likes to be held but doesn't understand why he would make that threat. After a while Bailey started to make new friends and Maya doesn't and they start to grow apart from eachother. One late night Vivian stays out late and Mr. Freeman sends her to buy milk and when she returns this time he really rapes her and he threaten to kill her and Bailey if she yells. Then afterwards he sends her to the library but she returns home because of the pain. Then Vivian and Mr. Freeman got into an arguement and he moves out. Then when bailey was changing the linens Maya blood underwears fall from the mattress. Maya goes to the hospital and Bailey tries to get her to name the rapist and she finally told the name. Then the court was asking her questions half of the questions she feels like if she answers them she will feel rejected by her family but then again she doesn't want to lie, so he only gets a year and one day in prison. Later on he ends up getten an early release after his hearing, but later a police visits that later night to tell the grandmother that Mr. Freeman has been beaten to death. Maya feels like it was her fault because she lies. Maya and Bailey returns to Stamps. After that whole incident she became silent. A lady name Mrs. Flowers decides to take Maya so she can break the silence. She gives her books and tells her to read them out loud. Mrs. Flowers is very impressed with her, so on her next visit she wants her to recite a peom to her. When she returned home she uses her voice and say she made cookies for Bailey. But the mom whips Maya because she used a phrase that the mom found offensive to god.
Quote
A quote that i had to note was "A light shade had been pulled down between the Black community and all things white, but one could see through it enough to develop a fear-admiration-contempt for the white “things”—white folks’ cars and white glistening houses and their children and their women. But above all, their wealth that allowed them to waste was the most enviable( Angelou 49)." This quote explains how back then white people was so much different than black people. In Arkansas there was so much segregation and Maya grew to understand that. She learns from her mom that she shouldn't adress white people directly because it can lead to danger. That she can't speak about white people without using the word "they". To me this was a very strong quote and it makes you think.
Reaction
To the chapters I have read it has been crazy. Angelou writing is so strong and precise. For this one young girl to go threw so much and she is still doing well. As I was reading the book I was really shocked and surprised. It was also scary and very intense. Angelou has a way to make you think and realize that what you have you take that for granted and what you go though; you can make it through anything. Just have to put your mind to it. Her style of writing is all her thoughts and her heart. You can tell by the reading and all her books and that is why her books is really amazing.
Maya starts to sleep at night with Vivian and Mr. Freeman because she suffers from nightmares. THhe scariest thing happen. One morning Vivian leaves the house and Mr. Freemen sexually molests Maya. The thing is he doesn't touch her he just "masturbates" on the bed holding Maya close to him. Then Mr. Freeman said he will kill Bailey if she tells someone, but she doesn't understand what just happen and she likes to be held but doesn't understand why he would make that threat. After a while Bailey started to make new friends and Maya doesn't and they start to grow apart from eachother. One late night Vivian stays out late and Mr. Freeman sends her to buy milk and when she returns this time he really rapes her and he threaten to kill her and Bailey if she yells. Then afterwards he sends her to the library but she returns home because of the pain. Then Vivian and Mr. Freeman got into an arguement and he moves out. Then when bailey was changing the linens Maya blood underwears fall from the mattress. Maya goes to the hospital and Bailey tries to get her to name the rapist and she finally told the name. Then the court was asking her questions half of the questions she feels like if she answers them she will feel rejected by her family but then again she doesn't want to lie, so he only gets a year and one day in prison. Later on he ends up getten an early release after his hearing, but later a police visits that later night to tell the grandmother that Mr. Freeman has been beaten to death. Maya feels like it was her fault because she lies. Maya and Bailey returns to Stamps. After that whole incident she became silent. A lady name Mrs. Flowers decides to take Maya so she can break the silence. She gives her books and tells her to read them out loud. Mrs. Flowers is very impressed with her, so on her next visit she wants her to recite a peom to her. When she returned home she uses her voice and say she made cookies for Bailey. But the mom whips Maya because she used a phrase that the mom found offensive to god.
Quote
A quote that i had to note was "A light shade had been pulled down between the Black community and all things white, but one could see through it enough to develop a fear-admiration-contempt for the white “things”—white folks’ cars and white glistening houses and their children and their women. But above all, their wealth that allowed them to waste was the most enviable( Angelou 49)." This quote explains how back then white people was so much different than black people. In Arkansas there was so much segregation and Maya grew to understand that. She learns from her mom that she shouldn't adress white people directly because it can lead to danger. That she can't speak about white people without using the word "they". To me this was a very strong quote and it makes you think.
Reaction
To the chapters I have read it has been crazy. Angelou writing is so strong and precise. For this one young girl to go threw so much and she is still doing well. As I was reading the book I was really shocked and surprised. It was also scary and very intense. Angelou has a way to make you think and realize that what you have you take that for granted and what you go though; you can make it through anything. Just have to put your mind to it. Her style of writing is all her thoughts and her heart. You can tell by the reading and all her books and that is why her books is really amazing.
Friday, October 2, 2009
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (1-69)
Summary
In the expostion to I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings there is a girl name Maya and she is three and her brother name Bailey and he is four. There parents got a divorce, and the parents send the kids back and forth by train from California, to Stamps, and then to Arkansas to live with their grandmother. They had a cotton- harvesting season and the grandmother(which they call Momma now) sells it to the black people in the community. It is very poor, so many people don't have much money. As time goes on Maya starts to fall in love with reading. The author that she really liked was Shakespeare, and she knew he was white. There starts to become a conflict in the neighborhood. Mr. Steward(he is the former sheriff) he warns Momma about how it is war because white men says that black men is "messing with" their white women. Then Momma hide Willie in the oinion bin, so just in case the mob comes. Maya goes through self esteem because many men say that she is ugly, but her brother makes sure that he sticks up for her. Bailey is the most imporant person in her life. There is still racial remarks going on. The little white kids have no respect for Momma nor Willie. They insult both of them, and it hurts Bailey and especially Maya because they hate that it is like the way it is. There have been some tention building and Momma thinks that it is not safe for blacks should not talk to whites. Momma calls herself a realist rather than a coward. Comes to find out they convince themselves that their mother had died(which she didn't), but later Bailey and Maya destroy the china doll that was sent to them for Christmas. Later on the father comes and visits them unexpectedly. Big Bailey drove them to see thier mom and all their mom said was behave. When they see thier mom they describes her as beautiful. Maya starts to worry about her beauty and Uncle Tommy said don't worry about not being pretty because you are smart. Maya feels as her and her brother lives differently from the other kids.
Quote
A quote from the book that i liked and grab my attention is " I'm gonna work so fast today I'm gonna make you look like you standing still(Angelou 7)". For some reason as i was reading the book this one quote was just to funny to me. She is telling her sister basically that she is a slow working and that how she can work ten times as faster and make it look like you did nothing. This quote connects to my life because this quote reminds me of my mother . I say that because my mom says that all the time. Well not exactly lke that, but she says we move so slow she can work circles around us.
Reaction
My reaction to this book it kind of shocking, but not really. This type of book is during the segregation and the racial times. It kills me to see how colored people got treated like that, and they couldn't do nothing about it. So far this book is really good and I love it. I knew it was going to be good because of who it is written by (Maya Angelou). She is one of my favorite poets/book writers. I think anything I read by her I will love. This book have courage and a-lot of heart and that is the best part about it and I can't wait to finish it.
In the expostion to I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings there is a girl name Maya and she is three and her brother name Bailey and he is four. There parents got a divorce, and the parents send the kids back and forth by train from California, to Stamps, and then to Arkansas to live with their grandmother. They had a cotton- harvesting season and the grandmother(which they call Momma now) sells it to the black people in the community. It is very poor, so many people don't have much money. As time goes on Maya starts to fall in love with reading. The author that she really liked was Shakespeare, and she knew he was white. There starts to become a conflict in the neighborhood. Mr. Steward(he is the former sheriff) he warns Momma about how it is war because white men says that black men is "messing with" their white women. Then Momma hide Willie in the oinion bin, so just in case the mob comes. Maya goes through self esteem because many men say that she is ugly, but her brother makes sure that he sticks up for her. Bailey is the most imporant person in her life. There is still racial remarks going on. The little white kids have no respect for Momma nor Willie. They insult both of them, and it hurts Bailey and especially Maya because they hate that it is like the way it is. There have been some tention building and Momma thinks that it is not safe for blacks should not talk to whites. Momma calls herself a realist rather than a coward. Comes to find out they convince themselves that their mother had died(which she didn't), but later Bailey and Maya destroy the china doll that was sent to them for Christmas. Later on the father comes and visits them unexpectedly. Big Bailey drove them to see thier mom and all their mom said was behave. When they see thier mom they describes her as beautiful. Maya starts to worry about her beauty and Uncle Tommy said don't worry about not being pretty because you are smart. Maya feels as her and her brother lives differently from the other kids.
Quote
A quote from the book that i liked and grab my attention is " I'm gonna work so fast today I'm gonna make you look like you standing still(Angelou 7)". For some reason as i was reading the book this one quote was just to funny to me. She is telling her sister basically that she is a slow working and that how she can work ten times as faster and make it look like you did nothing. This quote connects to my life because this quote reminds me of my mother . I say that because my mom says that all the time. Well not exactly lke that, but she says we move so slow she can work circles around us.
Reaction
My reaction to this book it kind of shocking, but not really. This type of book is during the segregation and the racial times. It kills me to see how colored people got treated like that, and they couldn't do nothing about it. So far this book is really good and I love it. I knew it was going to be good because of who it is written by (Maya Angelou). She is one of my favorite poets/book writers. I think anything I read by her I will love. This book have courage and a-lot of heart and that is the best part about it and I can't wait to finish it.
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