Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 6 – Advanced
Teacher’s Notes

I Know Why
the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

States, January 20, 1993. Maya’s early life was one of rejection,
Summary which instead of destroying her, made her strong and determined
to better herself. Many of the painful and disturbing events of her
This is the autobiography of Maya Angelou. It is about her early childhood, along with a passion for books, taught her that
childhood, about a poor, young African-American girl growing up in White people lived in a far better world than Black people and that
the American south in the 1930s and 1940s. Her story reveals the she was going to live in that world one day too. Her life is a story
prejudice, the poverty, the segregation, and the hardship almost all of struggle against the odds and, for the most part, coming out on
African-Americans suffered at that time in the south. But her story top.
penetrates the personal suffering of a girl whose parents are
divorced, and both unreliable. When their parents’ marriage ended,
three-year old Maya (whose real name is Marguerite) and her four-
year-old brother, Bailey, were sent by train from Long Beach,
Background and themes
California to Stamps, Arkansas to live with their paternal
grandmother, whom they called Momma. In the 1930s and 1940s, African-Americans in the southern states
of the USA were treated with contempt by the majority of white
When Marguerite was eight, their father appeared and took
people. There was segregation. Black people were not allowed to
them to St. Louis to meet their mother, and he left them with her.
have good schools, good jobs, good housing or medical treatment.
Maya was raped by her mother’s partner. After Mr. Freeman was
They were kept poor and ignorant. They had to treat white people
convicted of rape, he was found murdered. Maya blamed herself
with respect and show great humility. They were employed by
for this murder and she stopped talking to everyone except Bailey.
Whites, but were paid very little. The Ku Klux Klan, which still exists
Later, when she found a true friend, Louise, she began to talk and
there today, was an organization of white men who took the law
smile again. The anger and frustration of an intelligent, hard-
into their own hands and attacked, and killed, Black people who
working female Black student with no possibility to use her talents
they thought deserved to be treated like animals, or worse. The
is painfully described when Maya writes about her graduation from
Klan members always attacked at night. They wore white robes
high school. This is her story of childhood, adolescence and her
and tall white hats, and carried burning torches. Sometimes they
loss of innocence.
burned down houses, with the family inside. If a White woman said
that she had been raped by a Black man, there was no need for a
trial, the Ku Klux Klan ‘took care’ of him. If the Black man said he
About Maya Angelou was innocent, he was tortured before being killed.
Segregation breeds hostility and fear, superiority and inferiority.
Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her Black children feared Whites, and in fact, as in the case of the
parents named her Marguerite Johnson, but her brother gave her author, did not think of them as being human. At that time in
the name Maya when he was first learning to speak. She is a America, women had a lower place in society than men, both for
famous African-American female best-selling author, poet, Whites and Blacks. So being a Black woman was as low in society
historian, actress, playwright, civil rights activist, producer and as one could be. They were servants to Whites and servants to
director. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, published in 1969, was men. However, things were different in the north. Blacks had a
the first of five autobiographical books. In America, she is often much easier time than those in the south. That is not to say there
asked to speak or to read from her writings for important occasions. was not segregation, but Blacks had more possibility to better
She wrote the poem On the Pulse of Morning at the request of Bill themselves in the north—to get jobs and better pay. They had
Clinton for his Inauguration as the 42nd president of the United better housing and medical care. They wore stylish, expensive
clothes. In this autobiography, Maya moves at the age of eight from
Arkansas to St. Louis and finds the lifestyle of her relatives there a
completely different world.

© Pearson Education Limited 2002

Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 6 – Advanced
(d) Why are names so important?
Teacher’s Notes Then students can share, if they wish, names that they have
been called by people in their family and how they feel about
these names.

Communicative activities Chapters 10–12

1 Ask students to work in pairs and to imagine the conversation
Marguerite might have had with her friend Louise after the
ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK graduation ceremony. What do they think the girls might have
1 Ask the students to read the blurb on the back cover of the said? Ask them to prepare a conversation and to role play it
book, then look at the front cover and the title. Have a class for the rest of the class.
discussion. What do they know about Maya Angelou? How is 2 In chapter 11, Marguerite had to write letters to her parents
her life now different from what it was like when she was a telling them that Momma and Marguerite were on their way to

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

girl? What do they expect to read about in this book? California, and Bailey would come later. Momma told
What do they think the title means? Marguerite what to write. Ask your students to work in pairs
2 Ask your students to read the Introduction. Then ask them to and write these letters. What do they think Momma told her
imagine that Maya Angelou will be coming to give a lecture. son and his ex-wife? When they have finished their letters,
Ask the students to work in pairs and to write six to ten they can read them out to the class and discuss them.
questions that they would like to ask the author. (After they Chapters 13–15
read the book, they can go back to this list of questions and
write answers they imagine she would give.) 1 Ask students to work in pairs and make a list of the events in
chapter 13. Then ask them to discuss how they would have
3 Divide the class into three groups and ask them to go to the behaved if they had been in a similar situation. Would they
library or use the internet to find out about the Ku Klux Klan. have reacted the way Marguerite did? Why (not)? They can
then choose one event and write about how they think they
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION would have reacted if they had been her.
Chapters 1–3 2 After students have read chapter 14, ask them to imagine
1 Put students in small groups and ask them to discuss ways in what Marguerite might have written in her diary the day she
which Marguerite’s childhood was very different from a Black got the job as conductor. Ask them to write this page as if
child’s childhood in the American South today. In what ways they were her. They can then read these out loud and discuss.
are they possibly similar? After they students have discussed
this for about fifteen minutes, have a whole class discussion.
2 Write these adjectives on the board. Ask students to work in Glossary
pairs and to decide which adjective best describes which
character(s) in the story so far and why. When they have Chapters 1–3 ignorance (n) lack of knowledge or
finished, find out what they have decided. Do all students agree? ain’t (v) nonstandard short for: information
superstitious affectionate protective ashamed am/is/are/has not impudent (adj) rude and disrespectful
ambitious vicious chore (n) a necessary, boring or lot (n) a place for parking cars
unpleasant job mate (n) friend
Chapters 4–6 conductor (n) person who collects prejudice (n) unfair opinion not based
fares on public vehicles on knowledge or judgement
1 Photocopy the two columns below or write them on the
board. Put students in pairs and ask them to match words cripple (n) person who cannot use one rape (n) the act of forcing sexual
or more arms or legs properly (usually intercourse upon an unwilling person
from each column to make phrases from chapter 4. Check offensive)
them, then ask them to write sentences using these phrases. disgrace (n) a cause of shame or loss Chapters 7–9
(a) poor white 1 wear of respect errand (n) going to a place, as a favor,
hostility (n) extreme unfriendliness in order to get or do something for
(b) big, white 2 woman someone
(c) did a 3 court kinky (adj) very tightly curled hair
giggle (v) to laugh in a silly childish way
(d) folded her 4 white things pee (v) to urinate
valentine (n) greeting card sent on
(e) assaulting a 5 handstand pineapple (n) large tropical fruit with Saint Valentine’s Day
(f) appear in 6 trash sweet, yellow flesh
(g) contempt for 7 arms segregated (adj) kept apart and Chapters 10–12
(h) ready-to- 8 apron treated differently, usually because of anthem (n) a religious song sung in
race church
2 Ask students to work in small groups and to discuss the stutter (v) a difficulty in speaking and con (adj) a con man is a person who
effect of the following on Marguerite: pronouncing some sounds tricks people in order to get something
(a) her father’s way of speaking Chapters 4–6 mature (adj) fully grown and developed
(b) her mother’s beauty apron (n) a garment worn over clothes semester (n) either of two periods of a
to keep them clean year that schools are divided into
(c) Mr. Freeman’s death
contempt (n) feeling that someone or Chapters 13–15
Chapters 7–9 something is completely useless, lesbian (n) a woman who is sexually
1 In small groups, students should discuss these questions: worthless, undesirable attracted to women rather than to men
doll (n) small figure of a person used prostitute (n) a person who earns
(a) How did Marguerite feel when Mrs. Flowers said her as a child’s toy money by having sex with anyone who
name? Why? handstand (n) act of standing on one’s will pay for it
(b) How did she feel about being called Margaret and Mary? hands with feet in the air
Why?
(c) What other names do people call her and how did she
feel about those names?

© Pearson Education Limited 2002 Published and distributed by Pearson Education

Factsheet written by Coleen Degnan-Veness
Factsheet series developed by Louise James
Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 6 – Advanced
Student’s activities

I Know Why
the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK (g) Marguerite was allowed canned pineapple only during
Christmas. T F
1 Look these words up in your dictionary if you do not know
(h) The end of the day was Marguerite’s favorite time in the
them. Write the correct word in the sentences below.
Store. T F
ain’t chore disgrace hostility kinky
3 How did Marguerite feel about these people?
(a) ‘ I __________ never seen a white man before,’ the
(a) the used-to-be sheriff
black child admitted.
(b) Mr. McElroy
(b) There was a lot of __________ between the blacks and
(c) Bailey
the whites in America in those days.
(d) whitefolks
(c) There wasn’t a lot of time to play because the children
had to help with the __________ Chapters 4–6
(d) Some white people have straight blonde hair but many
1 Complete these sentences.
black people have black __________ hair.
(e) Her behaviour was a __________ to her family and she (a) If Marguerite went to bed with dirty feet…
was punished. (b) If Momma hadn’t been polite to the poor-white-trash girls…
(c) If the judge had known that Mrs. Henderson was a black
2 Read the Introduction and the chapter headings on the
woman…

Photocopiable
Contents page. Can you make some predictions about what
(d) If Momma hadn’t owned land and houses…
happened to Maya Angelou? In which chapter(s)
(e) If Uncle Wille hadn’t worn a fresh white shirt every day…
(a) is she living in Arkansas?
2 Match these events in Marguerite’s life, with how she felt at
(b) is she in California?
the time.
(c) does she write about school?
(d) does she write about her family? (a) She and Bailey receive Christmas presents from their
(e) does she write about leaving her childhood behind? parents in California.
(b) When she saw how handsome her father was.
ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK (c) When her father first said he had to return to California.
(d) When she first realizes that she will meet her mother.
Chapters 1–3
(e) When she sees her mother’s beautiful face for the first
1 Answer the following questions. time.
(a) Where did Marguerite’s light purple dress come from? 1 proud
(b) In her imagination, why was Marguerite black? 2 relieved
(c) What went down her legs and into her socks? 3 afraid
(d) Why did she laugh as she ran down into the yard? 4 abandoned
(e) What did she know was going to happen to her when 5 speechless
she got home?
3 Explain the relationship between these people.
2 Are these statements true or false? Circle the answer and
(a) Grandmother Baxter and the gamblers and whiskey
correct the false statements.
salesmen of St. Louis
(a) Marguerite and Bailey were sent by ship to their (b) Bibbi and Mr. Freeman
grandmother. T F (c) Ritie and Mr. Freeman
(b) Uncle Willie was crippled at birth.
Chapters 7–9
T F
(c) Marguerite would have preferred Willie to be her father. 1 Who is the speaker and what is the situation?
T F (a) ‘Now, Junior, be careful you don’t tell a not true.’
(d) Willie hid his walking stick, stood erect and pretended (b) ‘I had planned to invite you for cookies and lemonade so
not to be crippled. T F we could have this little chat.’
(e) The couple took a picture of Willie in the Store. (c) ‘She’s a sweet little thing, though.’
T F (d) ‘My name used to be Hallelujah.’
( f ) Momma forbade Marguerite and Bailey to read books by (e) ‘That clumsy nigger. Clumsy little black nigger.’
white authors. T F

© Pearson Education Limited 2002

Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 6 – Advanced
Student’s activities

2 What do you know about these people and why does the 2 Which experience left Marguerite feeling
author write about them?
(a) tolerant of life? Why?
(a) Kay Francis (b) disappointed? Why?
(b) Louise (c) determined? Why?
(c) Tommy Valdon (d) wiser? Why?
Chapters 10–12 3 What does Marguerite mean when she says:
1 Write the correct form of graduate in the sentences below.. (a) A universe divided what she had from what I had.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Do not look back in the story. (b) I had been had.
(c) School recovered its lost magic.
(a) The principal’s wife would play the __________ march.
(b) The lower-grade __________ walked to their seats
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK
below the platform.
(c) Bailey had __________ the year before. 1 Imagine that you are Marguerite. Write a letter to your old
(d) As a member of the __________ class of 1940, friend Louise in Stamps, Arkansas telling her about your
Marguerite had put unpleasant feelings behind her. graduation from high school in San Francisco, about your
(e) __________ from elementary school was supposed to family and the birth of your newborn son.
be a joyous occasion.
2 Write an article for a school newspaper about this book. Write
2 Put these events in the correct order: a summary and tell what you liked or didn’t like about it.
(a) World War II started for the Americans when they were
attacked by the Japanese.
(b) Momma goes back to Arkansas.
(c) Mother married Daddy Clidell and they moved to San
Francisco.
(d) Momma and Marguerite arrive in Los Angeles and meet
Mother.
(e) Mother drives Marguerite and Bailey to San Francisco
( f ) Mother, Grandmother Baxter, Bailey and Marguerite
spend a few months in an apartment in Oakland.
(g) Mother returns to San Francisco to find a place for the

Photocopiable
family to live.
(h) Bailey arrives in San Francisco.
1 __ 2 __ 3 __ 4 __ 5 __ 6 __ 7 __ 8 __
Chapters 13–15
1 The sentences in B follow the sentences in A in the story.
Match A with B, then choose the adjective that best describes
how Marguerite felt when these situations happened:
proud, anxious, forgiving, spiteful, overly-confident,
ashamed?
A
(a) I believe that my talent with a foreign language was the
only quality I had that impressed Dolores.
(b) Signs informed me that we were heading for Ensenada.
(c) People patted me on the back, shook Dad’s hand, and
spoke a rapid Spanish that I was unable to follow.
(d) If Dolores knew, she would die.
(e) I was extremely intelligent and had good physical skills.
( f ) And if I failed to hide the wound we were certain to
experience another scene of violence.
B
(g) Bailey was the hero of the hour, and as he responded to
the open show of friendship I saw a new side of the man.
(h) I thought of poor Mr. Freeman, and the guilt which
remained in my heart, even after all those years,
returned.
( i ) She couldn’t attempt the strange sounds.
( j ) The thought of that kept me happy for a long time.
(k) On that journey along the twisted roads beside the steep
mountain, I feared that I would never get back to
America, civilization, English, and wide streets again.
( l ) Of course I could drive.

© Pearson Education Limited 2002 Published and distributed by Pearson Education

Factsheet written by Coleen Degnan-Veness
Factsheet series developed by Louise James