I know why the caged bird sings!
To discuss the idea of a caged bird, I love the idea of a caged bird which to me reminds me of slaves but in this poem it discuss the issues except in a negative yet true light
22 Matching Annotations
- Nov 2019
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www.poetryfoundation.org www.poetryfoundation.org
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www.poetryfoundation.org www.poetryfoundation.org
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And ever another rides his soul In the guise of a mortal fear.
I believe this explain majority of slaves mindsets, where they live in fear and fear soon becomes apart of their souls
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They have no care for his innocence,
No matter what, white people never cared for the true innocence of a black man.
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www.poetryfoundation.org www.poetryfoundation.org
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We wear the mask!
This line reminds of the idea or a figure of speech, that they are not wearing an actual mask but they are using their face as mask
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This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
This line is so powerful because it's stating that even with a torn and broken heart from the pain and struggles they still smile to cover up their sorrow.
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www.poetryfoundation.org www.poetryfoundation.org
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The blacker the mantle, the mightier the man!
This emphasizes that the darker or the blacker the individual the stronger they were, this to me correlates to the movie "Get Out" where the whites were bidding to get the darker African-American man to see his strength and power.
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I am black.
Though this is one sentence, I feel like this is powerful itself alone.
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etc.usf.edu etc.usf.edu
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They that walked in darkness sang songs in the olden days—Sorrow Songs—for they were weary at heart.
This line basically explains the purpose of hymns and this was to express their weary hearts. The idea of music is to express how they feel
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www.ciscohouston.com www.ciscohouston.com
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For you're looking at a desperate gal Been two-timed by her man
I feel as if in situations like this the woman is always portrayed as desperate when she's just expressing how she personally feels, especially when the love of her life is cheating on her
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Well this story has no moral And this story has got no end Well the story just goes to show you women That there ain’t no good in men He was her man, but he done her wrong
I love the ending of the song especially the part where it's stated there arent no good in men, and it emphasizes the stereotype that there arent any good men in the world.
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- Oct 2019
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docsouth.unc.edu docsouth.unc.edu
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The fact that the individual has behind and surrounding him proud family Page 37 history and connection serves as a stimulus to help him to overcome obstacles when striving for success.
Ilove this line because it is simply stating that unity within ones family was so powerful for one individual. This also showed me the importance of family!
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I think the slaves felt the deprivation less than the whites, because the usual diet for the slaves was corn bread and pork, and these could be raised on the plantation; but coffee, tea, sugar, and other articles which the whites had been accustomed to use could not be raised on the plantation, and the conditions brought about by the war frequently made it impossible to secure these things
During this line, it is funny how Booker T Washington speaks on thow during the war, the things and deprivation of food had almost switched gears. As a slave, he was used to seeing other slaves as well as himself not being able to eat due to the reduction of food and it not being able to be secured.
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Of my ancestry I know almost nothing
This line stood out to me because it insinuates that idea of how many slaves have lived this horrible life and they are so unfamiliar of their roots and their identity and this is why they have been lost in some way.
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www.classroomelectric.org www.classroomelectric.org
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Who, to themselves and Maker true, Dare, in the name and fear of God, To spread the living truth abroad!
I love this line because it addresses those who seek to God the truth about life. This is so empowering of a line because the line after says that those who have the ability to speak to God holds some power within themselves.
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Almighty God! thy aid impart, And fire anew each faltering heart, And strengthen every patriot's hand, Who aims to save our native land
These lines are so inspirational because they describe the heart and mindset of the slaves. The part where it says "anew each faltering heart, and strengthen every patirots hand". That line shows a lot of strength overall for the character in the midst of darkness. It is EMPOWERING!
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www.public-domain-poetry.com www.public-domain-poetry.com
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But weep for your sons who must gather The crops which their fathers have sown.
The crops that men are gathering are made from what their fathers grown, meaning it's no way out in anyway.
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Oh! poverty, danger and death she can brave, For the child of her love is no longer a slave!
This line is so beautiful to me due to the fact, they lived a horrible life as a slave and the empowerment in this lines shows how the endured it all and are now free
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He is not hers, for cruel hands May rudely tear apart The only wreath of household love That binds her breaking heart.
In this stanza, it shows to me that there was a lot of love that was in that household. Then it was brokem apart due to the man tearing the family apart. This is something a lot of slaves experienced over many years
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www.poemhunter.com www.poemhunter.com
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Strong in her earnest womanhood, She calmly met her fate,
I really love this two lines for some reason! I believe this is because it states that even in her fate she is strong in her womanhood.
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Do you blame me that I loved him? If when standing all alone I cried for bread a careless world Pressed to my lips a stone.
When reading this first stanza it relates to the question or idea of a woman and her rights, because it seems as if she was being sarcastic when asking if she truly loves the man. But then she states she is kissing a stone, and the stone is a man or possibly her husband.
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docsouth.unc.edu docsouth.unc.edu
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Before night her children were all far away. She begged the trader to tell her where he intended to take them; this he refused to do. How could he, when he knew he would sell them, one by one, wherever he could command the highest price? I met that mother in the street, and her wild, haggard face lives to-day in my mind. She wrung her hands in anguish, and exclaimed, "Gone! All gone! Why don't God kill me?" I had no words wherewith to comfort her. Instances of this kind are of daily, yea, of hourly occurrence. Slaveholders have a method, peculiar to their institution, of getting rid of old slaves, whose lives have been worn out in their service. I knew an old woman, who for seventy years faithfully served her master. She had become almost helpless, from hard labor and disease. Her owners moved to Alabama, and the old black woman was left to be sold to any body who would give twenty dollars for her.
In this section, Jacobs did a great job at stating the true feelings of slaves.In this highlighted paragraph Jacobs discussed the true feeling of a slave compared to other stories where the true feelings coming from a slave overall has been diminished overall!
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But I was her slave, and I suppose she did not recognize me as her neighbor. I would give much to blot out from my memory that one great wrong. As a child, I loved my mistress; and, looking back on the happy days I spent with her, I try to think with less bitterness of this act of injustice. While I was with her, she taught me to read and spell; and for this privilege, which so rarely falls to the lot of a slave, I bless her memory.
This quote correlates stood out to me because in her quote because to me this represents the difference of her idea as a slave. Compared to other slaves she was treated very well overall! Many slaves were abused while working for their masters but in this quote it seems as if she was treated fairly during her enslavement with her master.
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