Maya Angelou

1.) We talked about the title of Maya Angelou's first autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. What did Angelou say is the reason a caged bird sings? What does That mean? Do you agree with or understand that idea?
The reason the caged bird sings is because it feels trapped and the singing is actually more like a cry for help. "The caged bird sings of freedom." I do agree with this idea even though I had never even thought of it like that before. This poem is so relatable for me and I'm sure for almost everyone. We all feel trapped sometimes like the caged bird, seeing other people free/successful/happy.
2.) Maya Angelou's work celebrates "the universal human power to triumph over adversity." Do you personally have that power? How do you know? When have you had to use it? Or when have you observed someone else use that power?
I believe that everyone has that power whether or not they want to use it, or whether or not they even believe they have it. I know this because even though I am a pessimist most of the time, I can still find positive outcomes from negative events.Like the caged bird, there was a time when I felt trapped in my home under my parents' strict rules and judgement. Finally, when I turned eighteen, my parents and I got into a huge fight over something small and I decided I wanted to get out of the house for a little bit, but they wouldn't let me leave even though I am of legal age to go wherever I want whenever I want! They took my car keys so I walked out of the house and got a ride from a friend. All of their stalking and calling became too much for me so I decided not to come home until they stopped and gave me the freedom to make my own decisions. I didn't see my parents for a week. Even though this was one of the worst experiences of my life, I knew that in the end I would have the freedom I always wanted and needed. Now I feel like I can my adversity and finally be me.
3.) Angelou says she doesn't even like to talk about her bad dreams because talking about them "gives them too much power." Do you think talking about bad dreams or bad news or other bad things gives those bad things more power? When have you known this to happen?
This is so true! If you let a bad thought about yourself stay on your mind or come out of your mouth very much, you are basically adding fuel to the fire and that bad thought can take over! Likewise when you give good thoughts attention you also give them power. If you think badly about your body image, like maybe you think you're too fat because somebody teased you, you could lead yourself to having an eating disorder if you give the thought too much power. Or if you lose a close friend and feel lonely, you might let yourself think that you'll never be that close to anyone again.
4.) Angelou and many others suggest that dreams "tell the truth about us. Do you think dreams reveal things about us that we may not realize or that others don't see? Can you recount a dream that revealed something about you that you were surprised, ashamed, terrified, etc. by?
Most of my dreams are really weird and confusing, but I don't think that any dream comes into your head for no reason (whether or not you ever know that reason). There is one dream that I had reoccurringly for a long, long time in which I was being chased/I was running away from something but couldn't ever truly get away. The scene of my dream was always different and so was whatever I was running from (sometimes I think I couldn't identify what I was running from so it may have been nothing at all). But after I left home for that one traumatic week, I stopped having that dream. Was the dream correlated to that? Was I really just trying to run from the pressure of my parents' watchful eyes? Possibly. I guess that makes sense.