”I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou Essay Sample

Jennifer Lee writes about the usage of different spelling and composing errors that were a new phenomenon in 2002. She writes about the instructor. Jacqueline Harding ; an eighth-grade instructor. who ever shows her new pupils each twelvemonth what different common errors are that are made. For illustration. “their. at that place. and they’re” or “your and you’re” would be common errors to see on pupil composing. In add-on to those common errors. a new type of errors has begun cropping up with Harding’s pupils. They were seemingly being made because pupils were instant messaging and texting so much that they became excessively desensitized to proper grammar.

Examples of these grammatical errors are: u. r. Ur. b4. wuz. cuz. and 2. When Harding asked her pupils which of them made errors like these. in order to cut clip down. most of them raised their custodies. She told them that if she saw it in their work. she would take points off. Unfortunately. the adolescents seemed to disregard warnings. and continued to utilize them. perchance unconsciously. One adolescent. Eve Brecker. said that she became so used to abridging things that she merely started to make it unconsciously on school studies. etc. Eve one time handed in a midterm test that was filled with texting stenography. Her alibi was that she had an hr to compose an essay. and she merely wanted to complete before clip was up.

Additionally. even footings that can’t be expressed verbally were doing their ways into documents. such as “smiley faces” ( AKA emoticons ) . Ms. Harding says that to them. it’s non incorrect. it’s acceptable because it’s in their civilization. Harding doesn’t understand the ground for abridging “was” to “wuz. ” because it’s non truly even an abbreviation ; it takes the same sum of letters.

Deborah Bova. another instructor. idea that her eyes were neglecting her when she read the sentence. “B4 we perform. ppl have 2 pattern. ” When she summoned the pupil to the desk to speak about it. she realized that the pupil thought that she was out of touch. Students were astonished when things like this were pointed out to them. because they were so used to reading it that they didn’t even recognize it was incorrect any more. Spell draughtss can’t ever notice errors like this. because they don’t grade individual letters down every bit incorrect.

While some instructors find this new manner of composing really ill-mannered and careless. Erika Varres. a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. attempts to turn it into a positive instruction minute. She tries to assist them better.

Maya Angelou wrote an astonishing and entertaining autobiography titled I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. about her difficult life turning up as a black miss from the South. Among the adversities are things known every bit “cages” as stated from a metaphor from Paul Dunbar’s verse form “Sympathy. ” “Cages” are things that keep people from wining in life and being everything they want to be. Some of Maya Angelou’s cages include being black in the 1940’s and her overbearing grandma. In my life. a “cage” is my immature age. that restricts me from transporting on with ends I hope to accomplish.

A major “cage” from Maya Angelou’s young person was that she was black in a bias southern town. Maya has recounted in her book the times when she was discriminated against. When she was working for a white adult female named Mrs. Viola Cullinan. Mrs. Cullinan started naming her Mary. “That’s [ Margaret ] excessively long. She’s Mary from now on. ” ( pp. 91 ) One of the most of import facets of a individual is their name. It is a great abuse for person to alter your name. without your consent. If Maya was white Mrs. Cullinan would non hold changed her name and she did it merely because of her racialist friends and attitudes. Even some of the white grownups who purportedly supported her had hidden their racialist messages in apparently nice addresss. Maya conveys the words of Mr. Edward Donleavy. one of the people in the mask. “The white childs were traveling to hold a opportunity to go Galileos and Madame Curies and Edisons and Gauguins. and our male childs ( the misss weren’t even in on it ) would seek to be Jesse Owenses and Joe Lousises. ” ( pp. 151 ) Maya was forced to listen to Mr. Donleavy’s stereotypes of how white kids could be minds and black kids can merely be jocks.

What was supposed to be an encouraging address. which Mr. Donleavy likely thought was sincere. turned out to be merely another racialist and stereotyped address. Possibly it was non so much Mr. Donleavy’s mistake. because he was seeking to be nice. but more of his upbringing. Racism was the most outstanding of Maya’s “cages” and it is likely due to the society and nescient thoughts.

The 2nd major coop of Maya Angelou was that she has a really rigorous. spiritual. and overbearing grandma. It is of import that a child’s guardian be caring and rigorous but that guardian should non be excessively rigorous. After coming back from Mrs. Flowers’ house conveying Bailey some cookies. Maya is disciplined by mama. “I repeated. ‘I said. Bailey by the manner. Mrs. Flowers sent you-‘ [ Momma responds ] ‘Thats what I thought you said. Travel on and take off your frock. I’m traveling to acquire a switch. ” ( pp. 85 ) Maya’s grandma was penalizing Maya for merely utilizing a common twenty-four hours phrase that seems to be a small harsh. Maya’s grandma was seeking to raise her good but what she did could really make the antonym of what was intended. Just when she was doing advancement acquiring out of her depression and taking a measure frontward with Mrs. Flowers. the penalty may hold really made Maya take a measure back.

Another thing that Momma does. to seek to make assist Maya but was really making the antonym was when. “If they [ pess ] weren’t clean plenty for her. she took the switch and woke up the wrongdoer with a few competently place firing reminders. ” ( pp. 21 ) A shift for soiled pess seems to be a small extreme. Again she was seeking to make good but in bend may be making the antonym by being excessively terrible in penalizing for a little discourtesy. It is of import to be clean. but a shift because of non being clean is merely a small harsh. The penalty must suit the discourtesy and this punishing could make more injury than good though it may non be momma’s mistake but that of her clip and heritage. Maya’s grandma being excessively rigorous. even though she meant good. was a factor that keeps Maya from accomplishing.

Maya Angelou was non the lone individual who has coops. I besides have them. My “cage” is a reasonably common one ; my immature age. Age is a barrier that stops me from making things. A occupation is something I strongly desire to get down salvaging money. and to hold a small on the side. I can’t apply barely anyplace because the mean hiring age is 16. I believe if I had a occupation it would break assist me understand what it means to be independent. and to take attention of myself a little more. Something else that’s upsetting about my age is the fact that people belittle my sentiments or thoughts merely because I’m younger.

Many people do non listen to thoughts of a immature individual. thought that he or she does non understand. even I sometimes have done this with younger childs. Many people equate young person with immatureness. which is sometimes true but is non ever true. This is slightly similar. but non as terrible. as the experience that Maya had with Mr. Donleavy. being caught in a stereotype. Something I am grateful for is my school. I am free to show myself and the sky is genuinely the bound. Most instructors at my school are really understanding of my desires. They take away the “cage” of ignorance that most grownups overlook because of age.