“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is an utmost bona fide, descriptive memoir. This piece has a vast amount of stylistic devices that draw attention to the theme of Angelou’s autobiography. When summoned together, these devices add up and make up beautiful life story.
Just as a sweetly sung melody dances through the wind, Maya Angelou’s style flows fluently throughout her writing in her autobiographical piece, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. As the silent listener lets the tune seep into their ears, one begins to notice each individual note. The consistent style of lively imagery exemplifies and enhances the intention of Angelou. “The sweet scent of vanilla had met us as she opened the door.” This quote stated in Ch. 15 gives the reader a most fluent, descriptive picture of this particular scene. This whimsical array of harmony and notes strike a chord inside the heart of the listener.
In addition to imagery, personification is another key ingredient to an expressive memoir. It not only rectifies the piece as meaningful, but also adds significance and enthusiasm. It allows the reader to relate and become more enthusiastic in what they’re reading, and compares two inanimate objects and ideas in the most auspicious way. “I had strained myself so successfully through the years to display interest, or at least attention, while my mind skipped free on other subjects.” With such words, the reader can only create such a vivid picture in mind of what daunt situation Angelou is going through.
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Following personification, tone is another significant literary element to this autobiographical piece. Tone adds emotion, and gives the reader access to what Maya is feeling without having a biased opinion. With tone comes description and expression, which make the book of more interest to the reader. Without this element, the autobiography would be arduous to comprehend without being bored. The respectful tone combined with the style of Angelou mute out all other distractions and allow the reader to receive the full embracement of the mood, which contrasts sorrow with optimism. The listener is forced to take a step back and ponder…what was Maya to express her life? She chooses to make key elements stand out.
From reading I Know Why the Caged Bird sings, anyone can concede that Angelou consolidates her unique style, her tone towards particular subjects, and the fusion of tone and style creating an intense, precise mood in the reader. As the reader turns the last page, it appears the grand melody is over and complete, however Maya’s song is an enduring one, one that will last eternally in the souls of all who read her work. Within the very title of the book, Maya claims I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, later on Maya confesses what she knows: “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
