Eller is an assistant professor of English at Northeast Louisiana University. In the following essay, he examines how the autobiographical story of Marguerite Johnson can stand in for the larger experience of African Americans fighting racism.
Encouraged by her editor and family to remember and write about her childhood, Maya Angelou produced the first of five autobiographies and the literary work for which she is probably best known, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She acknowledges them by writing, "I thank my mother, Vivian Baxter, and my bother, Bailey Johnson, who encouraged me to remember. And a final thanks to my editor at Random House, Robert Loomis, who gently prodded me back into the lost years." Perhaps those memories have assisted her in her diverse and incredibly productive career. In addition to the autobiographies.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 1,823 words. This
study guide contains 27,210 words (approx. 91 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Access Pass.
