Journal+Entry+4

__** "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" **__ ** By Maya Angelou ** ** Journal Entry 4- 7th January 2011 (Pages 142-217) ** ** S. Ana Sutherland **

In the fourth part of 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' many things happen. First off, Maya graduates from the eighth grade, but feels sad when a white speaker tells them that they will not become Galileo or Edison like the white kids, but the //boys// will try to becomes athletes. Then later, when Maya has 2 rotten teeth and Momma tries to take her to the only dentist in town, a white man, it doesn't go well. The dentist tells Momma that he would rather stick his hand in the mouth of a dog rather than the mouth of a negro. Maya and her grandmother have to take her to the next town over to get her tooth pulled. Then later Maya stays with her father and his girlfriend, Dolores, but leaves when Dolores becomes jealous and tries to kill her. Maya then goes to stay will her mom and her new stepfather, Daddy Cildell.

Is the novel believable? The events of the novel are unimaginable for me- I don't know if I could have the strength to bear what Maya had to endure. She is a great role model in that way, strong and smart. So even though the events of the novel are unbelievable in my eyes, it is of course all true. Because of that, it just seems even more astounding what the world was like only sixty or so years ago. We have now come so far, I wonder if in a hundred years all races, genders, and classes will be truly equal, or if we have come as far as possible for our respective egos to take.

Why would you (or wouldn't you) recommend this novel to a friend? I would definitely recommend this book to people who like historical or autobiographical novels and/or like to be surprised. I think that the book could be interesting for all people though- I don't find it at all boring like some books I've read. I think my friends would like it (at least my friends from SMS) because they generally enjoy the same books as me. I also think it would be important for everyone to read it- most of North America, especially the United States where the book takes place, are incredibly ignorant about the things that are happening in the book, and it would be good if they knew a bit about what their country was like a while ago. Of course, I would recommend they first teach Americans how many sides a triangle has, because I watched a YouTube video once where they didn't even know that.

Is there a message or main theme emerging in the book? Yes, I think so far, although the book has many messages, the main theme of this book is identity. Living in a world where most people say you have no identity, that you are unimportant and unworthy, Maya struggles to find her own identity. I think this is the message of the book because even though Maya survives more traumatic incidents than most people, she still knows how to stay strong and true to herself. Sometimes, that strength wavers, like in the next section where she begins to believe she's lesbian because she doesn't have a boyfriend. Eventually, after figuring out that being lesbian and a hermaphrodite are NOT the same thing, she is able calm down and recall her true identity again.