In Maya Angelou's autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, many
major themes are implemented to describe the harsh reality of growing-up in the south and being black. She uses the universal themes of racism, cruelty, education, abandonment, and many others to show the reader what she has persevered over throughout her life to become the strong, independent woman that she is today. One such theme in her autobiography, prevalent throughout the duration of the book, is that of racism. Three instances in her life where she must fight against racism are at her eighth- grade graduation, at her first employment with a white woman, and with Bailey Jr.,Maya's brother, after he witnesses a lynching. The theme of racism is employed to show
the reader what it was like to grow-up black in a segregated society.
An example of how Maya Angelou is affected by the ugliness of racism is at her eighth-grade graduation from Lafayette County Training School. …
