I+Know+Why+the+Caged+Bird+Sings+a-3

= = __ KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 1 __ I just started "I know why the caged bird sings." I vaguely remember seeing this movie once before a long time ago, so I think I understand the first chapter. It starts off with Maya and her younger brother, are moving to Arizona because their parents are finally getting a divorce. It says in the beginning that they go to Arizona to live with their mother although a few paragraphs later it says that Maya and her brother Bailey live with their grandmother or "momma." The chapter begins to tell us about how her grandmother (name?) runs a place called the Store. She started by selling lunches to the saw men (meat pies and cool lemonade) and then goes on to build her own store. She is obviously a religious woman because during this cotton harvesting season she gets up at four in the morning (to go sell lunches to the workers) in the first chapter when she wakes up the immediately kneels down and starts to pray, I am assuming that she does this everyday. -she hates the stereotype of the happy-go-lucky cotton pickers. -the laborers never have enough to start saving they always end up in the same spot (money wise). -the cotton pickers would be happier when the say was starting out but by the end of the day "the harshness of black southern life was revealed." Cat Ware

This book is pretty enlightening. So far, I get the since that Marguerite and her brother, Bailey, were sent off because life for the children would have been really tough for them had they stayed and grew up in California. Their parents were looking for an outlet for them to live an easy life. Marguerite is pretty much just experimenting, or rather taking notice to the area. From her eyes she gets the notion that these people. Are full of energy and have a competitive spirit. She hears one say that he'll pick more cotton than another. Early in the morning, the store is pretty much a ghost town 'til later on in the evening, just like nowadays when people are wore down from working all day and just ready to hit the bed. Later on in life, I think, that Marguerite will get tired of these memories of hers during this time of cotton-pickers. Marquise Rogers Before I start, I also remember seeing this movie and I loved it. This chapter starts as Marguerite having to go and live with their paternal grandmother and her brother in Stamps, Ark because of their parent's marriage failure. This chapter mainly explains life in Stamps and gives an introductory for Marguerite. Brian Jolly

So, I've procrastinated quite a bit with actually posting my info up here... lol I swear I've read it haha. Anyway, the first chapter of this book is indeed on the surface a mere introductory of the characters, however, I think there's some foreshadowing going on. :] Marguerite hasn't disclosed much information about her life in this chapter but it definitely entices the reader and allows reading on to the next chapter to be effortless. NATALYA PIETTE

__ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 2 __ In chapter 2 it goes into detail about how there Uncle Wille is usually the one to take control of the children. Although Willie is often made fun of because of his handicap (I don’t know exactly what is wrong with him but I do know that it was from an accident in his childhood). The main event that this chapter is revolving around is when a couple stops at the Store. I don’t know if he is trying to hide is handicap from the strangers (or the schoolteachers in from Little Rock) but he uses Maya and her brother to impress them and this made Maya proud. After this event Maya feels closer to her Uncle Wille and had immediately bonded with him. Also we find out that Maya has her first love (sort of). William Shakespeare (others she mentioned were Kipling, Poe, Butler, Thackeray, and Henley). -Maya felt guilty for falling in love with William Shakespeare because he was white. Cat Ware In the second chapter, its kind of funny how their Uncle Willie, who they live with now, threatened to burn them if they didn't recite their multiplication tables correctly.OMG. Marguerite almost gets burned because she's basically being bold or taking a chance on purpose. I think the children Marguerite and Bailey feel bad for their Uncle Willy because "Momma" told them that he was dropped when he was a baby and that's why he's crippled. Plus, he gets criticized because he can't work by his peers. He sometimes pretends to act like he’s okay and can stand up w/o his cane, but Marguerite clearly sees he's faking. Marguerite's wild too because she says she fell in love with Shakespeare. I can concur with her how she feels about particular writers, but I guess one of her favorite writers is Langston Hughes. She gets herself to believe that it’s okay to love Shakespeare because he's deceased. It’s pretty weird that she and Bailey have to keep their reading secret. Marquise Rogers In the second chapter, we found out that the Johnson’s had company at their house from Little Rock. They were schoolteachers. We have found out the Uncle Willie has no wife or kids, and that his leg was messed up……..Also in this chapter, Maya discussed how her first “white love” was William Shakespeare. At one point she and her brother Bailey considered memorizing a scene from on of Shakespeare’s play //Merchant of Venice// but, Maya felt that Momma would ask her who the author was and decided to memorize //The Cration// by James Weldon Johnson instead. Brian Jolly

This chapter really captured my attention because unlike a lot of other books there's already a bit of action going on. Their Uncle Willie seems to be an estranged character. Anyway, Marguerite's intelligence is displayed beautifully in this chapter and continues to be throughout the book. Her love of Shakespeare reminds me soooo much of a character in another book I'm currently reading for leisure. The book is called Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones. It's another tale of triumphance and survival in that of the Black community except the story takes place on an island where tribes are always at war... Anyway, I strongly recommend it. It's a short read too! NATALYA PIETTE

__ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 3 __ some black man has messed with a white woman. So today Mr. Steward (who was a former white sheriff) came to warn Momma that the white men are going to be coming out tonight and they are looking for some black man to lynch to pay for this crime. He tells her to make sure that Willie lays low tonight and stays safe. Momma makes Bailey take all the onions and potatoes out of this bin and got Willie to lay in it. After that Bailey replaced all the potatoes so that if they did come to Mommas Store and made her open it up maybe they wouldn’t find Willie (although it says that if they had come, they probably would have found him in the potatoes bin). The whites never came to the Store that night but Maya explains how she heard Uncle Willie moaning all night in the potato bin. Cat Ware

Marguerite learned to measure flour. If she measures incorrectly she punishes herself for it. That means no chocolate and no pineapples which are her favorite treats. It’s great that Marguerite is felling like she is one with the store. She feels like she belongs now, thus far. All-of-a-sudden, Mr. Steward gets the word that some black man was accused of molesting a white woman and he hurries over to "Momma" to tell her thenews and Marguerite overhears it, and he says that the KKK, also known as "the boys" are going after to look for him. The sheriff goes to tell Willie the news and is basically telling him to hide because there's no telling what the Klan will do if they find him. Who wants to find out? Willie crawls into a bin of onions and potatoes, and stays there all night while Momma prays. Marquise Rogers

In the third chapter, Maya was talking about how her favorite place was the store until she left Arkansas at the age of 13. She gave descriptions of what she did in the store and she also talked about how her and Bailey use to eat crackers in the back of the store. She also talked about how Momma use to make them cut the onions and potatoes and store in the bin (which will play a major role this chapter.) One day the old sheriff told Momma that there had been an incident with a black man and white woman and told her that they were going lynching tonight. Basically the sheriff was good with Momma so he was basically giving her a warning for Uncle Willie tonight…….After the conversation Momma made bailey empty the bin where the potatoes and onions were and Uncle Willie hid there ALL NIGHT!!! Luckly “the boys” ( **Ku Klux Klan**)did not ride into the store with their horses. Brian Jolly

In this chapter, although it has already been established that Marguerite and her brother have a tremendous bond, you are able to see it more definitely here. You get more perspective on Marguerite's viewpoints in how she sees her dear sibling. On a more serious note, you start to realize the severity of the era they live in. During the present time of the book, apparently the Ku Klux Klan was a well know group of people. People. Is that what they really were? Anyway, I can only imagine the fear that must have gone through Marguerite's cranium every time a threat such as the one portrayed in this chapter sprouted... NATALYA PIETTE

 __I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 4__ In this chapter we met Mr. McElroy. Basically it talks about him being a kind of grumpy old man who doesn’t really talk to him. Currently I see no importance in this character or at least not in this chapter. We find out more and more how religious Momma is because Maya talks about how brave he is to live next to someone like Momma and not go to church. Also we find out that Maya is not a very pretty girl and is often made fun of in the story. I find this kind of sad when her own family pokes and jokes at Maya. Except of course for Bailey. Bailey is the only one who "sticks up" for Maya. Maya believes that Bailey is the most important person in her life. Maya also discusses and gives us reasons on why she doesn’t like "white folks" and explains how they can’t really be people. -Does Maya have any other friends besides Bailey? Because it doesn’t really mention anything about any of her other friends. If Bailey is one of her only friends it could explain why Bailey is the most important person in her life. -What exactly is wrong with Uncle Willie? Maybe it might have told us what was wrong with him in the book but I must have missed it. Cat Ware I am wondering what you are thinking about this story. This is the place to discuss it. Too bad no one else is discussing with you!!! :/ Mrs. Ruuamau; I got it covered Mrs. Ruu: __Marquise Rogers__

__ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 4 __ In this chapter we met Mr. McElroy. Basically it talks about him being a kind of grumpy old man who doesn’t really talk to him. Currently I see no importance in this character or at least not in this chapter. We find out more and more how religious Momma is because Maya talks about how brave he is to live next to someone like Momma and not go to church. Also we find out that Maya is not a very pretty girl and is often made fun of in the story. I find this kind of sad when her own family pokes and jokes at Maya. Except of course for Bailey. Bailey is the only one who "sticks up" for Maya. Maya believes that Bailey is the most important person in her life. Maya also discusses and gives us reasons on why she doesn’t like "white folks" and explains how they can’t really be people. -Does Maya have any other friends besides Bailey? Because it doesn’t really mention anything about any of her other friends. If Bailey is one of her only friends it could explain why Bailey is the most important person in her life. -What exactly is wrong with Uncle Willie? Maybe it might have told us what was wrong with him in the book but I must have missed it. Cat Ware Hey! I think I do remember seeing the movie, now that I got this far in the book. Marguerite is really expressing how she feels toward her brother in this chapter. She says that she loves him because he is respectful of her and he's kind to her. He protects him and he steals from the Store. Mr. McElroy is introduced in this chapter. He doesn't even go to church, even though he lives next door to "Momma". Every now-and-then, "Momma" would give the children some money to go to the store to buy some fresh meat. Whenever the kids go across town they are amazed that they see white people because long ago they didn't even believe that white people existed. -I don't think that she has any other friends other than Bailey because it seems that she's a bit antisocial besides to Bailey. Marquise Rogers

During this chapter, they talked about how Maya and Bailey use to play games in the yard while there was nothing to do in the yard. They also talked about how Mama gave meat to the kids twice a year as a meal because she felt they needed it in their bodies. Also they talked about how segregated the town of Stamps, Ark was.

Marguerite is obviously very passionate about her relationship with her brother, Bailey. She has a real unconditional love for him; as does he for her. Their relationship is more than admirable. It's very inspiring. It makes me miss my brother and sister... (they live in Texas) :( Anyway, it's a little more obvious that Marguerite is still too young to realize her true value in society. This is obvious because she seems to look to Bailey for everything; including acceptance. She starts to talk of the white people. Again, people? She's never really encountered a true white person so she really has no idea what the nature of their physicality or behavior. NATALYA PIETTE

__ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 5 __ This chapter I thought was a pretty important one. It shows how Momma teaches Maya a series of lessons. I’m guessing that there are a lot of these types of things in this book. But Momma shows Maya how you don’t have to lower yourself down to talking back or walking away. It shows us a lot about how shocked Maya is in the way that the little girls treat Momma. This includes in the Store and outside the one day. When the little white girls mock Momma it does not seem to bother her much, or at least it does not seem to us like it bothers her much. I feel for Maya though because I feel like this effected Maya more than it did Momma. Momma simply stands their and sings her hymns instead of retaliating. But when Momma finally comes back into the Store (because Momma sent her away when the poor white girls cam and started taunting Momma) she realized the Momma had some how won against the white girls. I think that this is the first true depiction of how much Maya really learns from Momma throughout this book -Oh I think I got it Uncle Willie just has trouble walking it is not like a mental thing or something like that -I agree with you on the point that Maya maybe be a little antisocial because she is not as "pretty" as other girls or her peers I guess you could say. At least she seems antisocial up to this point in the book so far. Cat Ware

This chapter is probably the most famous chapter of the entire book. I know this because I've never read the book before now but this is not the first time I've heard this portion of the story. At first, it's absolutely revolting and if you aren't thinking about the situation very deeply, you're not exactly sure how the situation is going to conclude. Eventually, after the girls have stopped mocking Momma and revealing themselves to her a little bit of light is shed in the reader's direction. You realize that because Momma didn't give in and act uncivilized in return that she had been the wiser of the three. Although, Momma has accepted what has happened Marguerite most definitely has not. She cannot fathom keeping herself together the way Momma could should something of the same nature happen to her... NATALYA PIETTE

__ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 6 __ This chapter is seemingly very uninteresting to me. We don't really learn much in my opinion except for that Reverend Howard Thomas comes to "check in" on the church every couple of months. Maya and Bailey really don’t like him at all. Ha-ha their reason for hating is so funny though, ha-ha they dislike him because when he comes he stays with Maya and Bailey and always eats the best part of Sunday night dinner. But other than that I don’t understand why she goes on for probably 6 pages about them in church one Sunday morning. And some woman who had not been to church in a while (because she was having a baby) runs up to the pulpit and screams "PREACH IT!" and for a while everyone would laugh anytime someone would even whisper. But I guess one morning at church something happened and both Maya and Bailey got in big trouble. Uncle Willie took them out and beat them. When he told them to quiet down Bailey refused too. He then explained to Maya that when someone is beating you, you should scream as loud as you can so either they will feel embarrassed or someone will come to your rescue so to speak. In the middle of the chapter Maya tells us that every time that she hears some one say preach it that’s she unstintingly laughs but at the very end of the chapter her perspective changes and every time that Bailey whispers it to her she hits him as hard as she can and then she cries. Maybe there is some deeper meaning to this that will come in later on in the book or maybe I just did not catch on the meaning of this whole incident, but currently I think that it was kind of an uninteresting chapter. Cat Ware

This chapter, although somewhat "uninteresting", had to have some sort of meaning. For me, I considered it more of a "lifestyle" chapter. What I mean by that is that it just immersed the reader into the life of the characters on a more than necessary level. The author was just going above and beyond I suppose. It shows more of who Reverend Howard Thomas was and the dominance Momma had over the children as well as the respect she got in return from them for they knew what the consequences were should they react in any other manner. NATALYA PIETTE

__ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 7 __ Now this is my kind of chapter only 2 and 1/2 pages! In this chapter it is learned that Momma is the only woman in stamps to be referred to as "Mrs." The book takes us to a couple of years back before Maya and Bailey moved in with Momma. There was a man who was being tried for assaulting a white woman. Momma of course let him hide out in her Store. But the man was captured and it came out that Momma had help hide him. So she was called into court and she identified herself as Mrs. Anderson. Although the white people in the court room laughed it was portrayed as a sort of victory for Momma and it made the black community proud in Swamps. -Momma explains that it is wrong to talk down or be rude to white people, even when they are not around. Cat Ware In this chapter, Maya starts out by telling about how they had to prepare for bed in the winter. She also said that everyone knew that she was the one who respected all the rules/laws They also talked about the white girls in this chapter who basically disrespected Momma. Maya wanted to get back at them but couldnt and Momma taught her a lesson that day that carried on for the rest of her life. Brian Jolly

All i can really say about this chapter is that Momma is quite an inspiring character. She's so strong and classy. Any woman like her should be praised and every young woman should want to have her similar wisdom. NATALYA PIETTE

__ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 8 __ The Depression is starting, and when at first everyone thought it was just about the whites they soon realized that the Depression did not discriminate and that everyone was having a rough time. Momma was also having a hard time trying to figure out how she was going to keep her Store open. Maya tells us that she was one of the few families who were on relief, but that because Momma ran the store she knew everyone that was and everyone that was eating powdered foods? I don’t know exactly what powdered foods are. Then out of no where Maya and Bailey receive gifts from their mother and father. This obviously upsets both of the children; I don’t know if it was because they had convinced themselves that their parents were dead or what. Momma told them that they were both ungrateful children and that that was not the intended purpose of the gifts. Maya couldn’t figure out why they would want them and why that they sent them away. It seems to me that Maya is putting a lot of the blame on her self when I could turn out to be that her parents leaving had nothing to do with her. Bailey and Maya take the stuffing out of the doll the day after Christmas but Bailey tells Maya that she has to keep the tea set because they might be coming back and that they might need it. At the end of the chapter both Bailey and Maya pretty much convince themselves that their parents are coming back for them soon. I surely hope that this happens because it would be awful if Maya was let down again because it seems like she does not have a lot of people that she can depend on. Cat Ware

The chapter starts out with Rev.Howard Thomas coming to visit the church in Ark. Bailey and Maya hated him deeply. The only thing that Maya liked was how they had dinner before they went to the church. She also stated that she never had the nerve to go up and speak to him. Also Momma served breakfast on Sunday mornings.

First of all, it's sort of neat how my school subject are beginning to parallel. The book goes into the Depression the same as we're doing in History! Anyway, this portion is a real eye opener. I've never thought of the Depression the way it's displayed so eloquently here. I can't even really explain, I just was taken aback by the idea. Blacks really were always in a Depression. Whites just joined them. NATALYA PIETTE

__ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 9 __ In chapter 9 Maya and Baileys father comes to visit them. Maya explains her fathers features, mainly that he was a very large man (his name being Big Bailey makes sense). He was tall and had extremely broad shoulders. She goes on to explain that he is not fat but that his clothes are just too small and that he is a very handsome man. He stayed at the Store for about three weeks and then told Maya that he wanted to take them back to St. Louis to meet their mother. I think that Maya is very conflicted on whether she wants to go with her father or stay here with Momma (she contemplates this almost daily out by a pond). And I am not sure exactly how Momma feels, I can’t really tell. Although in my opinion I think that she would be pretty upset having raised Maya and Bailey I am sure that there is no way that she would WANT them to leave in any way. Maya has a hard time right now believing that Big Bailey is her father because they don’t seem to have much in common, but she knows that the same is not true for Bailey because they get along perfectly. When Maya finally meets her mother she is "stuck dumb" by how beautiful she is and Bailey almost instantly falls in love with his mother ("love at first sight"). When at last Maya father finally leaves St Louis and continues on to California Maya revels to us that "He was a stranger, and if he chose to leave us with a stranger, it was all of one piece." (I think that Maya still thinks as her father as a stranger and now that he is gone, he will continue to be a stranger in her life) Cat Ware

This chapter is where "he plot thickens"... I didn't really expect something to happen like this so soon. However, it is Chapter Nine which is well into the book. Honestly, it's just such a great book that you hardly notice how deep you've gotten into until you look at the page number and you're like "WHOA!" haha Anyway, their father comes out of nowhere. This hit quite close to home for me but not in the exact same way. I really did feel anxiety for both Marguerite and Bailey. They were settled down so comfortably and it seemed wrong to try and uproot them a such a selective time. NATALYA PIETTE

__ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 10 __ St. Louis is obviously much different than Stamps as Maya points out. On her way to school Maya meets all types of new people, people with strange names like out of the Wild West. She met "runners, gamblers, lottery takers, and whiskey salesmen". We meet other people apart of Mayas family like Mothers brothers. They have jobs that are rarely given to black men. Maya doesn’t think that these mean are very nice, she calls them mean. The schools were different to, the teachers less harsh and cruel. They didn’t whip children but maybe slapped them on the wrist or hit them with rulers. This surprised Maya a lot. The kids on the playground tend to make fun of either Maya or Bailey (i am still not sure which one is being make fun of, although I am assuming that it is Maya because most everybody loves Bailey). So Bailey gives Maya tips on how to fight like "grab for the balls right away". We learn also about Maya and Bailey and there actually move into their mothers house (btw he name is Vivian) and how her mother lives with her boyfriends Mr. Freeman. We don’t know much about Mr. Freeman except for that he is kind of a chubby man. Maya still does not feel like she belongs (I am noticing that Maya NEVER feels like she belongs anywhere.) Cat Ware

This is sort of depressing for me because obviously she's dealing with some acceptance issues still. She's struggling with finding her place in her new environment. Of course, she's got Bailey but Bailey can't do for her what takes time to overcome. She has to learn for herself where she belongs in society. It doesn't really help though that the local children joke her. NATALYA PIETTE

__ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 11 __ Ugh I guess this is the first chapter where I think that something significant happens to Maya. At the beginning of the chapter Maya feels sorry for Mr. Freeman because he seems sad and displaced while her Mother isn’t there and is amazed how he springs to life whenever she comes home. Maya seems happy living with her mom and Mr. Freeman but she starts having these nightmares. And so I guess it makes sense that Maya would go to sleep with her parents (but Mr. Freeman is not her father and I feel awful for Maya that she trusted this man). When her mom leaves Mr. Freeman violates Maya in so many inappropriate ways I just can’t even believe he would do that to a little girl (whom is only 8 at this time). Maya does not even understand what happened and why it is bad; she actually likes it when Mr. Freeman held her so close. Then Mr. Freeman ignores Maya for weeks and this makes her feel awful. What an awful man. Also feeling rejected from Mr. Freeman, Maya and Bailey I guess are starting to grow apart. Instead of going out and playing with Bailey she likes to stay in and read on Saturdays at the library. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 12 __ Okay now I absolutely HATE Mr. Freeman, I am so glad that Vivian kicks him out of the house at the end of this chapter. It’s so sad because if Mayas mother only knew about what Mr. Freeman was doing to Maya I am sure that she never would have stayed out all night and neglected to come home. She should have been there for Maya. Because Vivian never came home (and she usually brings milk home when she comes) Mr. Freeman tells Maya to go to the store and get some milk. When she returns he rapes her! Maya is immediately scared, I don’t think she has any idea of what she did wrong or why it is bad, but she knows that it is bad. He tells Maya that if she tells anyone that he will kill Bailey. Maya loves Bailey and doesn’t know what to do. So she hides the fact that Mr. Freeman raped her but because of the pain she has to stay home (Vivian thinks that it is the measles). Later on that night Vivian kicks Mr. Freeman out of the house! YAY! -Why did Vivian kick Mr. Freeman out of the house? -Why didn’t she come home that night, what is her job that she has to leave in the middle of the night? Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 13 __ Maya is taken to the hospital by her mother and tells Bailey who raped her. And Mr. Freeman is arrested. When she is taken to court Maya feels ashamed I guess about what happened, and she doesn’t want her family to reject her after this incident. So she lies to the lawyer about that supposed sexual acts that occurred. This made me so mad at first because I thought that Mr. Freeman was going to get away with this horrible thing that he had done, because he was only sentenced to one year and one day. But he is somehow released from jail (I have no idea how this happened? if anyone else knows) but then we found out that he was beaten and killed in the streets. Not exactly the best thing but it is kind of impossible for me to feel sorry for a man like this. Maya feels awful about this, she think that it was her fault that he was killed in the streets; personally it was not her fault because people like that just need to accept that they have it coming to them. You just don’t do things like that. Maya refuses to talk to anyone but Bailey, and her family (at first accepting this and understanding that this may just be something because of the rape) eventually becomes angry with her because she will not talk to them. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 14 __ Maya and Bailey have to return back to Stamps. Neither of them knows why the have to go home and neither do me. Although the book gives us some possible reasons why they had to return home. these include, Momma demanding for them to return home or also Vivian and their family up North not being able to handle Mayas silence. Either way Maya and Bailey are back home, many people back in the South are very curious about their trip up North. Many of them asks questions about what it was like up there and what people were like up there (mainly be what were white people like up North). Maya believes that they were so interested because nothing even happens in Stamps. We learn that Bailey is very frustrated and Maya is the only one who understands why. Seemingly Bailey is the only one who understands why Maya is silent. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 15 __ In chapter 15 we meet a woman named Mrs. Flowers. Her importance grows as we continue through the chapter. She is quite beautiful and it seems that Maya looks up to her a lot. Mrs. Flowers comes by the Store every once and a while, Maya is embarrassed when Momma does not speak to her properly (not mean, just improper). When she buys groceries instead of having to carry them herself Momma offers to have Bailey run up and brings them to her house. Although this time she elects to have Maya do it instead because she wants to talk to Maya (they are actually going to end up having lemonade and cookies). Mrs. Flowers emphasizes the importance of reading out loud and tells Maya to memorize a poem to read to her next time she was over. After leaving Mrs. Flowers house Maya was very happy for one reason I think. Maya felt so special that she had went to all that trouble to make HER cookies and give HER a book. Maya was excited that someone likes her. When Maya finally gets home she gets in trouble for using her words wrong so to speak, trying to give Bailey the cookie that Mrs. Flowers gave her. (Maya used "by the way" telling Bailey about the cookies, it had some sort of religious meaning because it referred to Christ and Momma found it in vain of God. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 16 __ Chapter 16 is when we fins out about Mayas first job, she is working at a woman named Mrs.Cullinan. I don’t think that she likes this job very much, especially since every time she comes around she insists on calling Maya "Mary" instead of Margaret. She claims that it is to long. I don’t understand why the woman would not just call her Maya. I guess that would be too simple. But eventually Maya becomes feed up with the job and REALLY wants to quit but she knows that she will not be allowed to quit. So instead she decides to take Baileys advice and decides to get fired from working at Mrs.Cullinans house. Basically she just dropped a couple of Mrs.Cullinan priceless plates that were her mothers and so on. Finally Mrs.Cullinan fires her and exclaims that her name is Margaret when someone asks who was causing all the trouble. I don’t know if this is a win of some sort or what? Maya seems happy that she got fired but she seems happier that Mrs.Cullinan finally recognized that her name was not Mary. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 17 __ Everyone is very worried about Bailey one night because he doesn’t come home on time. I guess usually it would not be that big of a deal but I am sure it was also a safety thing, I am sure that both Momma, Uncle Willie, and Maya are all very worried that something bad has happened to Bailey. The fact that he is black also raises the stakes it is not the safest thing for a young black boy to be walking around in the dark, in the South at this time. When Momma and Maya finally find Bailey he surprisingly gives no reason for being out late and gets beaten for not telling where he had been. This is kind of odd because I think that on his way home you would think that he would be thinking of what he was going to say so he didn’t get in trouble but it was obvious that he just didn’t care at this point. We finally find out where Bailey had been. He had been at the movie theaters because he had seen a new movie with an actress named Kay Francis. Both Maya and Bailey are sure that this actress looks exactly like their mother, only they think that their mother is even more beautiful. At the end of the chapter I kind of get confused I don’t know why it tells us about Bailey trying to get on that box car and getting stuck in Baton Rouge for two weeks. But I guess he must have been trying to go to California? Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 18 __ This chapter was very long and kind of went on and on. The point was not made clear is my only complaint. I do know that this takes place in church; almost the entire chapter takes place in church. The preacher in this story is trying to warn the people about false charity. At the end of the sermon he calls people up to be saved (Maya tells us that over 20 people were saved that day). Everyone feels pretty good throughout this chapter although a strange sense that they are trying to change themselves, or escape from themselves. I am not really sure how to put into words what this chapter is about. Its one that you might have to read for yourself. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 19 __ In this chapter the Joe Louis proves to Maya that black people are the strongest people in the world. Everyone is crowded in the Store, Maya goes on to explain how crowded it really is. They are all in the Store to listen to the heavyweight championship boxing match on the radio. He wins and everybody starts celebrating in the Store. This is obviously a proud moment for Mayas culture. Maya told us in the middle chapter about how bad it would be is Joe Louis had lost. Explaining that if he lost that that would be admitting that everything that the whites say about the blacks is true. Saying that if he does not win that someone could get raped or another black man can get lynched and it will be I guess justified. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 20 __ So Maya is at this annual type of fish fry thing. I am guessing it is a family and friends thing like bringing the whole neighborhood together. So when Maya goes off by herself she is sitting by this rock or tree or something, I honestly am not sure where it was going with that but she meets this girl. Her name was Louise Kendricks. This is a really exciting part of the story because I think that this is the first real friend that Maya has besides Bailey. They play and make up their own language called the "Tut" language (I guess all the other little girls spoke in pig Latin?) We know that Maya is now in the 7th grade and it is around Valentines day, she receives a valentine from a boy named Tommy Valdon. She is at first unwilling to accept that he likes her, but sadly by the time Maya realizes that her really does like her for her, I think he is already starting to move on. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 21 __ This chapter is rather odd in my opinion. We find out that Bailey likes to make these tents and play his version of house. He is the dad, and Maya is the baby, and of course leaving the girl to be the mom. I guess after a while he meets and older more developed girl name Joyce, and he loses his virginity to her. I think he must have really liked her because he did a lot of stuff for her and acted different around her (according to what Maya tells us). Joyce then disappears out of know where and Bailey is heartbroken. I have no clue this is also surprising I have no idea how old Bailey is at this point in the story but I am assuming that they are both still rather young. Although I think that it may have said something about Joyce being a couple of years older than Bailey. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 22 __ I think of Mr. Taylor as a very strange character. There is a storm out, and Maya tells us about how everyone would be inside because nobody is stupid enough to be out in this kind of weather. Oddly enough at this point Maya hears a knock at the door, but she goes to answer the door and no one is there, eventually we find out that Mr. Taylor was at the door (why he didn’t come to the doorway the first time they opened the door is still a question I have). He comes in and is greeted by the family. I didn’t realize that these characters knew each other very well but since his wife has passed away Momma tells him that he is welcome anytime. He goes on to talk about how he saw a ghost one night (ha-ha weirdo) and that this baby told him something about children that he wanted them or something? Momma tries to reason with him that maybe it was a dream, but Mr. Taylor actually gets angry in defending himself stating that he was very much awake. Then the chapter takes us back about 6 months to Mrs. Taylor’s funeral, Maya only went because she had left her a yellow brooch. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 23 __ Maya is now graduating from the 8th grade. There is a very big ceremony and Maya feels like it is a great honor and a very big deal to have accomplished this. A speaker named Mr. Donleavy (who is white) comes and speaks to the children. I think that he pretty much puts downer on the whole graduation because he goes on in his speech to the graduating class about how he has praised to others about there achievements in sports and such. But he had not praised to anyone about their grades. Henry Reed is the valedictorian and he continues on next with his speech. Throughout his speech Maya seems very bitter and cynical. She judges his speaking and what he is saying (making corrections of her own that he failed to make). But at the end of his speech everyone joins in singing the Negro National Anthem. This is the first time Maya ever really listened to the words (I am sure that she has heard the song many times before, but just never listen to the word?) Maya stops being angry during the ceremony and starts to take pride in the fact that she is black and takes pride in her community. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 24 __ Momma is trying to figure out what to do to help Maya. She has an awful toothache and the pain is unbearable. There aren’t any doctors really close by. Except for one, Dr. Lincoln. Dr. Lincoln was white and did not treat black people. Momma knew that in taking Maya to him but she took her anyways because she believed that Dr. Lincoln owed her. During the Depression Momma let many people borrow money from her, including Dr. Lincoln. Momma reminds him of this and he replies that his loan was paid back and he didn’t treat black people. When Momma goes into Dr. Lincoln’s office Maya imagines her as telling the doctor off and not letting him ever practice in Stamps again. In reality Momma went in and told Dr. Lincoln that he owed her 10 dollars as a tax on the money that she lent to him before (There had been no tax before but after this Momma demands that there is now). Momma finally leaves Dr. Lincolns office and takes Maya to the only other black dentist about 25 miles away. Poor Momma she was just trying to take care of her family, I would have been so embarrassed if someone had turned me away because of what I looked like, but it is even sadder to have your own child turned away. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 25 __ This chapter mainly focuses on something that had happened to Bailey. A dead black man was pulled out of pond and the man who found him ordered Bailey to come help him and then jokes around that he is going to lock Bailey up with the dead body. Ugh I can’t imagine someone doing that to me. Bailey is very upset and confused at this, and I would be also. Bailey tries to find out from Uncle Willie why white people hate us so much. Uncle Willie does not really have an answer except for that they don’t know them. Momma starts planning for a trip back to California. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 26 __ Lots of changes. Maya and Bailey are now living in California with Momma and Vivian. Vivian throws a small little party for them one night and I think that Maya loved it to death. We learn that Vivian runs poker and gambling games and that is how she supports her family. Maya analyzes Vivian’s character throughout this chapter. Discussing her temperament, honesty, etc. She tells us a story about how Vivian shot her partner once for verbally abusing her? But even after she shot them they remained friends and kept admiration for each other (I don’t think that makes any sense I don’t know how I could admire someone who had previously shot me!) After World War 2 started Vivian married a man named Daddy Clidell. We don’t learn much about him in this chapter but we do know that they end up moving to San Francisco. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 27 __ At this time in the book World War 2 is just starting. People are starting to act hostile towards the Japanese. And now that the Japanese are being sent of to U.S. government camps, they were replacing black people with the jobs that they previously had held. Maya does not think that they should have been put in these camps but never says anything because nobody in the black community is talking about it. I think that they are not talking about it because when the Japanese leave the blacks are been advanced in the eyes of the white society. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 28 __ Maya is enjoying living in San Francisco and she is enjoying school. She seems like a smart girl because we are constantly reading about how she keeps getting advanced semesters in school (I guess that is the same as like skipping a grade)And also she is getting scholarships to the California Labor School (I am not sure exactly what this school is or what people mainly study if they go there). She really likes her teacher Mrs. Kirwin because she has no favorites and does not treat Maya any differently because she is black. Cat Ware

__ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 29 __ In this chapter Maya meets Daddy Clidells con-men friends. These men tell her lots of stories about coning white men because of their ignorance and greed (mainly the one story about the man who paid them $40,000 for a piece of land that did not even exist). However there doings Maya does not think that these men are criminals. Saying that there are different standards for everyone and that if you are put down from the start then these standards change a little. Maya really enjoys living in San Francisco. Daddy Clidell is the first father figure that Maya has ever had. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 30 __ Maya moves from living with Vivian and Daddy Clidell and goes to live with Big Bailey and his girlfriend Dolores. Maya puts her dad up on a pedestal and is disappointed when she arrives and instead of the big home she had imagined he was living in a lowly mobile home. Although Maya had been corresponding with Dolores through they hardly even recognize each other at the airport. When Maya and Dolores finally do meet and spend time together is obviously don’t really like each at all. Dolores gets jealous when Big Bailey wants to take Maya on one of his trips to Mexico to get some food supplies (even though in the book it tells us that if Dolores had known anything she would have been able to do this same kind of shopping right down the street). Big Bailey does not strike me as the most responsible father in this chapter. They stop at a bar and he gets drunk. He just leaves Maya there waiting by herself until he finally comes staggering back. Maya is sure that he had probably been with a woman. He fell asleep in the back of the car leaving Maya to drive them home, although Maya didn’t know how to drive, she made it about 50 miles before having a minor accident. When the people from the other family finally wake up Big Bailey he settles the matter of the accident and continues the drive home. Maya is upset that he does not this that her accomplishment is that great and he doesn’t praise her for it. I like Big Bailey less and less as the chapter progresses and I certainly do not like his girlfriend Dolores. I am wondering what Big Baileys problem with Dolores is to because he keeps promising to marry her but keeps pushing it off later and later. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 31 __ When Maya and Big Bailey get home from Mexico it is obvious that Dolores is not happy. She yells at Big Bailey saying that his children are getting in between them (I can’t believe that she would say this). When he leaves because he is angry Maya tries to apologize to Dolores, but Dolores only makes it worse. Dolores calls Maya mother a whore. Maya loves her mother and does not let her get away with this and slaps her across the face. But without even realizing Dolores stabs Maya with scissors! Big Bailey comes back and tries to figure out what is going on. He takes Maya to a friend’s house so that she can wrap up Mayas cut. But then he takes her to his friend’s house and he leaves her. How could a father leave his daughter like that, if I had been Maya I would have felt awful if my dad just dumped me off someplace? Maya stays for one night and when her dad returns in the morning he gives her some money and says that he will come back that night. But Maya decides that she does not want to stay so she leaves. When Maya realizes that she can not go home to her mother without making the situation worse, she finds this junkyard gets in an abandoned car and spends the night in it. Cat Ware __ I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS - CHAPTER 32 __ There is a group of homeless kids about Mayas age who actually live in the junkyard. Maya explains her situation and they understand. They all live in a communal type thing. There leader of some sort explains to Maya the rules of the junkyard (no people sleeping together and no stealing and that everyone works and gives it to the leader and they all share everything). Maya learns to get along with people from other people from other cultures during this time. She lives in this junkyard for about a month until calling her mother Vivian to leave a plane ticket for her at the airport. Vivian still thinks that Maya is living with Big Bailey. I can’t believe this because wouldn’t Mayas father be worried when he could not find Maya?!?! He must have never even called out looking for her if Vivian didn’t even know anything was going on. I don’t think that Big Bailey has a very good grasp on how to raise Maya, I am glad that Maya enjoys living with her mother because at this point in the book Vivian and Daddy Clidells home seems like a much better place for Maya to live. Cat Ware