I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I. Bio-Psycho-Social Assessment

Presenting Problems

The autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou provides the reader with an insight of her early years. Maya presents a major problem of PTSD that has been caused by rape when she was a young girl. The young girl also presents cases of trauma due to the harsh political state of American society that lead to racism. The gender discrimination against women is also taking place and unfairly taken a toll upon her. The young girl presents cases of self esteem issues as she will usually identify herself as ugly and ungainly (Angelou, 1969). For this reason the young girl believes that the rest of the community judge her for her appearance. In a bid to displace these emotions, she explores her imagination and will usually fantasize about having blond hair and blue eyes. Therefore, she believes that her current predicament is but a “black ugly dream”. 

Social History

The young girl is seen to have negative events taking place around her and it seems that no one can really understand them. At the age of three, her parents put an end to their calamitous marriage. However, it seems that neither of the parents would stick with them and instead their father sends them to their paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson, in Stamps, Arkansas (Angelou, 1969). She travels all alone with only her brother, Bailey Jr., who is only a year older by train from St. Louis Missouri. They live a fruitful life with their grandmother, as she owned a store that would sell the basic goods that many people needed. Their father returned four years later only to ship them to their mother back in St. Louis. However, a year later she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend who was also living with them. 

Family Dynamics

The family of Maya seems to be dysfunctional and has been a critical factor in the trauma that has been affecting the child. The child is the second child with only her elder brother as her sibling. Since the divorce, she has had little contact with her father and mother (Angelou, 1969). Her brother seemed to be her only protector as they travelled and played together. He was the one who gave her the nickname “Maya” from her real name Marguerite. The only time she had a father figure was while living with her mother and her boyfriend who raped her. It was after the man who was called Freeman was released from jail and murdered that she returned to live with her grandmother. When she turned 14, Maya and her brother returned to live with their mother (Angelou, 1969). 

Mental Health History

The young girl is seen to have experienced trauma from the sexual abuse and rape from her mother’s boyfriend at the age of eight. However, it was the murder of the man named Freeman that it really became extreme. Maya reveals that she felt that by stating the name of her abuser that it was her voice that had killed her. It was at this point that she would stop talking and went completely mute (Angelou, 1969). She believed that if she ever spoke again that her voice would kill another person an occurrence that she did not want to take place again. As there were little developments in the field of psychological treatment at the time and the high stigma on mental patients in the society, Maya would not receive any treatment. She would stay mute for nearly five years.

Academic and Intellectual History

Maya Angelou is seen to have a rich literary history. This became quite evident that the young girl had developed a passion for books at the time during her mute period. This is where Mrs. Bertha Flowers introduces Maya to a host of incredible authors in the history of literature. These include William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, James Weldon Johnson and Douglas Johnson. Mrs. Flowers would also introduce her to numerous black female literary artists including Jessie Fauset, Frances Harper and Anne Spencer (Angelou, 1969). It was through this learning process that it was noted that Maya had an extra ordinary memory and would just watch the environment around her. Through the developed friendship with her teacher she was able to start speaking again. After moving back to her mother’s place in Oakland, she attends California Labor School from which she graduates before she reaches 17. Indeed, Maya was a smart and presented high intelligence (Angelou, 1969). All these authors from whom she learned a lot about the world and self expression in literary works would be a major impact in her future career as an author and poet.

Medical History

There is no significant history of Maya having poor health. However, at the age of ten she would get a rotten tooth. This occurred when she had moved out from her mother’s house and back to her grandmother in Stamps. The medical experience was less than would be experienced in the current society as the dentist was a racist. His name was Dr. Lincoln a white man and the only dentist in Stamps. He insults Maya that he would much rather put his hand in the mouth of a dog rather than treat the problem that Maya was experiencing (Angelou, 1969). As a result, she would have to endure the pain of having a cavity. This would further demonstrate to the author the impact racism had on the society.

Legal History

The only legal battle that the young had to encounter was the accusation of Mr. Freeman as he sexually abused and raped her. Nevertheless, the man was only jailed for a single day and almost immediately after he was released he was killed. It is believed that the close relations of her family with some of the criminals in the area led to the death of this man (Angelou, 1969). This had a major impact on her as she believed that it was her tongue that led to the death of Mr. Freeman. Rather than feeling free from her offender she bore shame and guilt for having been raped.

Victim Issues

Other than being the victim of rape at a tender age of 8, Maya was a subject to ridicule for her body and appearance. She would understand that growing up as a black girl in the American South was quite difficult. Having been rejected by her parents and abandoned to live her grandmother, she begins to form the beliefs that she is an ugly child who cannot compare to the white girls largely considered to be genteel. One day while in church, Maya cannot be able to complete a poem that she was reciting as she can feel that everyone is judging her by her looks and that she is being ridiculed (Angelou, 1969). 

She runs away from the Church as cries and wets herself at the same time. However, it was only Bailey who would serve as her protector as he would directly confront anyone who tries to insult her. She also faces a racist who woman whom Maya worked for at a tender age of ten. She, Mrs. Cullinan, tries to demean Maya by renaming her to “Mary” which was at her own convenience. As a result, Maya retaliates and breaks her fine china. She is also a victim of cruelty from Big Bailey’s hostile girlfriend, Dolores, as she spends one summer living with them. It is only after Dolores cuts her that she runs away only to live in a junkyard with other homeless teenagers (Angelou, 1969).

Personal Assets and Liabilities

Throughout her life, Maya has presented that she has issues with her self esteem. She still does not believe that she is beautiful. At the age of sixteen, she is also seen to have a lot of confusion on sexuality and how she can express it. This turns from bad to worse when she gets pregnant at the same age. She was unaware of how she would be able to care for her child once it is born. She does not know how she will be able to reveal to her mother with whom she is currently living with. In this case, the fear that she is unwanted and unloved grips her and makes her unable to think clearly (Angelou, 1969). Big Bailey does not seem to care for his role as a parent and instead abandons her and only returns to the area to brag about his fancy life that is almost similar to the upper-class white male at the time. When she later meets him towards the end of the book, Big Bailey has not changed and has little interest in getting to know about his daughter. These numerous events can be seen as a major liability for the life of Maya.

Nevertheless, Maya is seen to have a new attitude towards life. She believes in her various abilities and her own capability to succeed despite the racism that continues in the American society. Maya Angelou’s main capabilities include her great memory and a high level of intelligence. Throughout the five years that she remained mute, she has learned about the world and the various events that have affected her. She understands that she must have strength so as overcome the numerous difficulties that she will encounter even later in life (Angelou, 1969). It was seen as a major victory when Maya was able to overcome racism and became the first black conductor on a streetcar in San Francisco even before graduating from high school. Maya realizes that she must confront her shortcomings with dignity and honor as she would not forget her guilt on the rape issue and sleeping in a junkyard after running away from Big Bailey. She wants to embrace an attitude of humanity and diverse thinking rather than only about racial differences and uses this to even forgive her father.

II. Social Systems Analysis

There are numerous social systems that have been significantly involved in the development of Maya Angelou. The first and foremost is the family institution where Maya and Bailey had to encounter a dysfunctional life because their parents had ended their marriage. Despite the fact that both of them had the capability and means of taking care of their children, they abandoned them to go away and live with their paternal grandmother whom they would refer to as Momma. In this regard, it is evident that Maya and her brother had found a place of solace with their grandmother who would serve as their parental figure. Their parents on the other hand were only focused in achieving success in a world where the black man was striving for freedom from the white man (Thoits, 2011). This is quite evident through the behavior of his father in purchasing a lavish car, developing an accent like the upper-class white man and only coming to visit the children so that he can show off to the rest of the community. As a result, it is seen that the failure of the family institution is a major factor that led to Maya’s psychological and physical well-being.

Thoits (2011) presents in an article the numerous mechanisms that link social ties and support to physical and mental health. In this case, few researchers for over three decades have been able to identify these mechanisms that have both direct and indirect effect on the well-being of an individual. The author provides seven mechanisms including sense of control, belonging and companionship, social influence, perceived support availability, self esteem, social influence or comparison and purpose and meaning based on role (Thoits, 2011). These numerous mechanisms have all been seen to be missing in the life of Maya. This is particularly from her parents whom she would only be available for when they wanted. They were significantly absent from all her life at a time when she needed them the most.

The community is another social system that has been involved in the development of Maya Angelou. This is particularly at the time when Maya was sexually abused and raped by Mr. Freeman. The society would call on the young girl to identify her offender in court and ensure that it was her word that would implicate him. She would then have to endure the guilt and shame of sexual abuse as well as the responsibility when the man was later killed after being released from prison (Tyler and Beal, 2010). She would believe that her voice is no good and is from the devil as it leads to the death of the people. This was the first major sign of the level of intelligence of the young girl who had experienced a traumatic. Rather than continue to care and support her, the community begins to find her silence as rude and inappropriate especially towards adults.

On the other hand, the society on the other hand gifted Maya with a power that no one can take away from her. This is presented where Momma takes care of her after the rape incident and introduces her to a teacher and close friend. It is through this that she is able to learn to speak once again after nearly five years of being silent. Fornia and Frame (2001) have identified the social and emotional needs that gifted children will usually have. The state of Maya after being sexually abused categorizes her as gifted child. She was quite smart and had a near exceptional memory as opposed to the average child. In this regard, Momma would be the only one to tap into this gift by presenting her to Mrs. Flowers. This would lead to a fruitful relationship. That would assist her in the future.

III. Factors Pertinent to the Course of Life (adolescence to old age)

Culture

The society has a major responsibility at hand in the development of a child from adolescence and into old age. This is particularly in developing culture in the child that he or she should adhere to. The stage of adolescence is seen as a critical stage of life where issues such as self esteem, self control and purpose in the community may be hard to come by. In the case of Maya Angelou, she had to escape the violent nature of Big Bailey’s new girlfriend Dolores to effectively save her life. This would happen to her even when her father was present and the fact that she lived in a junkyard for a month is a clear indication of his neglect. The article and Burd-Sharps (2015) clearly dictates the high risk that is experienced by the disconnection within the various American cities. The unsettled youths in Ferguson and Baltimore are clear evidence of these risks.

Race and Ethnicity

Another pertinent factor in the development of a child from adolescence to adulthood is race and ethnicity. In this regard, this is noted as ethnic identity where an individual is perceives to be included and aligned with a particular ethnic group. Minority groups have been identified to undertake ethnic identity as a central factor in defining themselves (Smith & Silva, 2011). A strong ethnic identity will enable an individual to realize the positive aspects of one’s ethnic group particularly in the case of discrimination. Maya Angelou was able to gain a strong ethnic identity during her adolescence which enabled her to gain positive attitude and pervade the American society’s view of African Americans. This helped her be bold enough to accept her pregnancy and fight for change in the community (Smith & Silva, 2011).

Gender

In any community, gender is a crucial factor in the development of a child. This is most particularly in the adolescent stage where numerous biological and psychological changes take place. The child will usually require guidance on the various practices and roles that they should play in the society. The lacking presence of Maya Angelou’s mother is seen as a major factor that denied her the ability to understand her sexuality and what it entails to becoming a woman. Nevertheless, her absence could have been a positive occurrence as it enabled Maya to realize that there are no bounds that are too tight to break away from. She was able to gain direction to achieve her full potential. In other cases, this may not have happened as it leads to confusion and poor guidance through copying peers. The gender discrimination against women may have restricted her from striving to achieving success as she became the first black conductor on a streetcar.

Education and Mentorship

The youths have been identified to be at a great risk particularly in the lack of education and significant figures to look up to. This is a predicament that may have befallen Maya Angelou had she been living with her parents. Their lifestyles were contrary to the expected roles that parents should play for their children. As a result, she spent most of her adolescence as a child without a home (Fornia & Frame, 2001). Maya had to spend a whole month living with homeless peers. This could have been a contributing factor to failing to graduate had she not been under the care of her grandmother in her earlier years. Momma is responsible for the education that Maya received when she noted that she had a passion for literature. Mrs. Flowers was introduced to Maya to become her teacher in literature and consequently she would introduce her to famous black female artists to whom she could look up to as her mentors. One major risk of homeless youth is sexual victimization that affects between a third and a half of them (Tyler and Beal, 2010). The mentors that she had learned about earlier must have been the figures running through her mind while she was homeless as she went on to graduate and even got a job as the first black conductor on a streetcar.

References

Angelou, M. (1969) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings . New York, Bantam Books.

Fornia, G. L. & Frame, M. W. (2001) “The Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Children: Implications for Family Counseling”, the Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families , 9, 4: 384-390.

Lewis, K. & Burd Sharps, S. (2015) Zeroing In on Place and Race Youth Disconnection in America’s Cities . Measure of America. 

Smith, T. B. & Silva, L. (2011) “Ethnic Identity and Personal Well-being of People of Color: A Meta-analysis”, Journal of Counseling Psychology , 58: 42-60.

Thoits, P. A (2011) “Mechanisms Linking Social Ties and Support to Physical and Mental Health”, Journal of Health and Social Behavior , 52(2): 145–161.

Tyler, K. A. & Beal, M. R. (2010) “The High-Risk Environment of Homeless Young Adults: Consequences for Physical and Sexual Victimization”, Violence and Victims , 25, 1: 101-115.