![]() Is an important theme in Maya's story while she chooses not to speak, and withdraws willingly from people. She also allows herself to be imprisoned by muteness, until she is finally broken out of this prison with the help of the radiant Mrs. She is trapped in an ugly' black body, as well as a female body, and feels that these two things mean she will never be beautiful or heroic like her comic book figures. Imprisonmentįor a while, Maya feels imprisoned by both her race and her gender. She endures rape and a lot of limitations on her behavior because she is female in parts of the narrative, being female is just as limiting for Maya as being black, and seems to be something to struggle against rather than embrace. GenderĪs a girl, Maya sees her gender as very limiting she thinks she can't be heroic like all the boys in her comics, just because she is a girl. This leads to both of the children searching for the love of a mother figure and father figure, and varying degrees of success in soothing their feelings of being unwanted. Louis, they feel like they have been abandoned for reasons that are their own fault. Abandonmentįeelings of abandonment by their parents encroach on Maya and Bailey's happiness after their father comes and leaves, and they are sent back to Stamps from St. Maya is raised with a strong sense of religion, which serves as her moral guide however, she is enough of a realist to see how people use it to help themselves feel better about adversity, and doesn't believe this is a completely good thing. Vitally important to Momma Henderson and the black community of Stamps, religion keeps them going in the face of tough times. Her relationship with Bailey is probably the most vital family tie in her life, getting her through her childhood the degrees of motherly support given to her by her birth mother and Momma Henderson are also vital to her upbringing. Very important to Maya growing up, though not every family bond yields the affection she needs. The policies of segregation basically set the boundaries on their lives, assuring that they will never be able to make ends meet or gain well-paying jobs, or be able to mix with white people as equals when they are in the town. In Stamps, segregation means social, economic, and political inferiority for the black citizens of the town. Influence of childhoodĪngelou shows how the knowledge and experience gained from childhood affects the rest of life, as the events she portrays in the book, however small or seemingly insignificant, shape her perceptions later. Prejudice is a difficult thing to overcome, and Maya must battle it in order to build her self-esteem. ![]() ![]() Maya and her friends and relatives will always be subject to prejudice merely because they are black Uncle Willie has to endure even more hardship, since people are also wary of him since he is crippled. Whether prejudice is a result of race or appearance, it definitely has an effect on the lives of Maya and her family, and on Uncle Willie doubly. Young Maya often only thinks of the beauty and goodness of things but even her reveries are interrupted, as a harder reality breaks up illusions. Seen in the lives of the cotton pickers of Stamps, and of Maya too they become idealistic and happy, only to be cut down by the harshness of their lives. Maya believes as a child that being black means being ugly, and thinks of her appearance as a "black ugly dream" that she will wake out of. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.In the world Maya grows up in, beauty is narrowly defined as being white, with blond hair and blue eyes. It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. A massive, powerful society.Ĭourage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently. It heals the scars left by a larger society. The love of the family, the love of the person can heal. I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. ![]() I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ![]() My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. I do not trust people who don't love themselves and yet tell me, 'I love you.' There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt. There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. ![]()
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