Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings chronicles the early years of the author's life - up to age seventeen. In the book, Angelou poetically describes the phenomenon that is growing up black, in the south, in the time before and during World War II. I believe that you are expected to interpret this as a memoir of overcoming the odds. I believe that you are expected to regard the happenings of this …showed first 75 words of 1041 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1041 total…ultimate goal - equality, and perhaps normalcy. When one is possessed of a childhood such as hers, normalcy may be a thing to strive for, and a thing to cherish once experienced. Indeed, she surpassed the point of normalcy to reach the opposite point from where she started. She went from being someone who was barely noticed, and when she was noticed, regarded with contempt, to one who is admired and revered for her work.