So, you've probably heard of the idea of self-fulfilling prophesy that we become who we think we are, for better or for worse. This question of identity-of understanding and defining who you are-is yet another gigantic life question that shows up in Angelou's & Hurston's novels and in life. One major issue that surrounds questions of identity is who defines it? Do I get to decide who I am in life or do others decide that for me in various ways? This seems like the most obvious question in the universe. Of course, everyone should get to decide their own identities! But, when we look into the hallways of the high school, into the conference rooms of the business world, around the family dinner table, is this always the case? Do we have friends, family members, and co-workers that influence the way we think or feel about ourselves? Are they, in some ways, helping to shape our identities, in negative and positive ways? Or, do they provide feedback, and it's up to us to accept or reject it into our self concepts/identities like a really good peer edit in writing workshop?
As far as Janie and/or Maya are concerned, how does each define herself in the beginning of the novel? Are there points when she lets others define her? What are the consequences of this? How does this change as the novel progresses? What realizations does she make?
This blog post will relate to “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
ReplyDeleteMaya has difficulty defining herself and her identity throughout the entire novel. In the beginning of the novel, she lets her grandmother establish her identity. This is because she is the woman who is raising her, and Maya really admires her and her morals. This is an example of a family member who chooses your identity for you, because if Maya had behaved out of line under Momma’s rule, she would have been policed until she acted the way she was supposed to. As the novel progresses, Maya is held back from her own identity still. Even as she moves in with her mother, the pain and confusion that Mr. Freeman raping her caused keeps her from understanding who she truly is for years to come. She finally is able to create her own identity near the end of the book, when she moves in with her mother for a second time. This results from her determination and success getting hired as a streetcar conductor, and also her freedom socially.
This blog post will relate to “The Things They Carried.”
ReplyDeleteThroughout O’Brien’s novel, Tim is constantly being guided and told who he was before, during, and after the war. Being drafted into the war stopped him from creating his own identity because he was legally obliged to go to war instead of going to Harvard and going to school to do what he wanted. So, he heads to Vietnam and learns to create his own identity in his own ways. Throughout the book, O’Brien is lead to situations where he can create his own identity even though he is stuck at Vietnam, and not by choice. One example is Bobby Jorgenson. When O’Brien is shot at one point during the war, Jorgenson fails to treat him for shock and he almost passes away. Seeking revenge, Tim finally gets it when he pranks Jorgenson while on night watch. As O’Brien’s ability to create his own identity grows, he learns to tell war stories. War stories are O’Brien’s biggest ways to create his own identity, because although you have a set moral, you can make up events to better convey this important idea. Through telling these stories, O’Brien’s self-created identity appears during the war.
From the day we are born, humans learn to imitate. One learns to speak through others speaking. One learns to walk through watching others. One learns to read through our teachers, and learns to write from what one has read. However, what one reads, what one writes, what one says, and how one carries itself is up to that individual. As far as this pertains to Maya, she learns how to be a polite young lady from her grandmother, she learns how to hold her own from her mother, and she learns how to make friends from her brother. However, the friends she makes throughout the story is up to her, who she is and is not polite to is up to her, and how she handles things is up to her. Maya comes to the realization that everyone has expectations of her, and the way they treat her is to make her more like their expectations. She also realizes that she is her own person and makes decisions for herself as an individual.
ReplyDeleteTheir Eyes Were Watching God
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, I find that Janie is often defined by others. Mainly, Joe Starks. She lives by his standards. She acts how he wants her to act. She manages the shop how he wants. She stays quiet because that’s what he wants. He thinks that she is acting how a woman should act. Janie feels that what she’s doing is wrong. There are times where she tries to act how she wants to act but Joe quickly stops that. Eventually, Janie musters up enough courage to tell Joe how she feels. Then, Joe dies. Finally, Janie feels free. She can act how she wants and won’t have anyone telling her that she’s wrong for it.
In my opinion, an individual has two different definitions. One created by themselves, and the other created by other people. Our entire lives we are shaped and molded by our parents, societal beliefs, schoolteachers, siblings, friends, coworkers, even strangers, all wanting someone to believe in something they might not want to or think is morally right. Let’s take, for example, segregation. If you didn't believe in segregation around Maya Angelou’s time or before, you were outcast by society and called offensive and derogatory names like “negro lover” and so on and so forth, though you may define yourself as kind-hearted. Though as a society America knew that slavery, segregation, and “separate-but-equal” was morally wrong, no one wanted to break the mold and stand up against it, because they were afraid of retribution and being outcast. All that changed when African Americans all across the country decided that they didn't care about being the odd one out, since they were perceived as a lower class anyway. Notable figures in this stage were Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr., Rose Parks, and Maya Angelou. At first, their definition by society was that they were uppity and had no purpose to speak out. However, as times changed, their definitions changed as well. Over time these so-called haughty and egotistical beings were being held with a kind of respect. For example, in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, Maya tries to become the first black streetcar conductor. However, when she tries to apply and make her dreams come true, she is met with a lot of resistance. After every try, Maya wouldn't give up, proving to herself and other people that she was not “uppity”, but in fact very strong-willed. This persistence paid off in the long run, considering she was later hired.
ReplyDeleteAs a child your identity is typically built by your parents and other surrounding family members. As you grow, your identity becomes a little more complex as your circle grows with the inclusion of friends, acquaintances, teachers, and even life experiences. Then at some point in your life, you begin to take control of your own identity and accept the things you like and turn away from the things that you don't regardless of the opinions of those around you. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya, as a child, is defined by her grandma, as that is the only older, strong, independent female figure in her life. Her grandmother expects her to behave one way so Maya acts the way that will make her grandmother pleased. When Maya gets older, her mother begins to contribute to the defining of her identity as her grandmother could no longer care for her. It is once again modeled for her how to live on her own and provide for herself while taking care of and providing for others. Maya develops expectations of her own in life like working on her own, this determination leads to her being a street car worker in San Francisco.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post will relate to “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
ReplyDeleteI believe you can control your own identity as long as you have the will, if you don’t, everyone else will do it for you. We most definitely have others influence the way we see ourselves. I believe that no one is born with self doubt, but it is a product of other people saying what you can’t do. If you choose, and make a conscious effort to use critic’s words, you can use positive feed back to your advantage shaping your own identity. If you allow society to keep telling you what is wrong you will absorb it like dirty water in a sponge and only filth will come out in response. In the beginning of the novel, “Their eyes were watching God,” Janie wants to be independent and make her own decisions regarding life and love, but unfortunately, at this point she isn’t strong enough to fight her Grandmother’s wishes concerning the arranged marriage. Janie lets others define her throughout the book starting with the arranged marriage and later when Joe Starks puts her in behind the store counter where she has no control. The consequences of these actions are: Janie is very unhappy in these situations, she feels lonely and feels unloved. Janie slowly moves forward and begins to realize that to find true love and actual happiness, she needs to make her own decisions to determine her own destiny.
I feel that as individuals, it is easier to conform to society's expectations as oposed to going against them. In "Their Eyes Were Watching God" I noticed that Janie is in a different mind set than the other women at the beginning. She doesn't join into their gossip, and wears overalls instead of a dress. Those minor differences lead to the women gossiping about her, but Janie doesn't care. Yet, she isn't completely immune to image either. Janie tells Pheoby about her childhood, and the teasing she received for living with the white people. Eventually, Janie let that bug her to the point where her grandmother moved so she would be happy. Farther into the novel, Janie begins to realize and understand that the choices that she makes are the only ones that will free her from the others and their judgements.
ReplyDeleteI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteI believe that everyone is shaped by those around them. We all could be totally different people depending on how we were raised. Every life is laid out by chance, everything can change in an instant with one action, or it may never change. Individuals are what society wants them to be. Most people never ask "What do I want to be?" It is somewhat controllable but you have to press extremely hard to be the person you want to be, not the one that was shaped by society. You have to abandon almost everything you know or you have to go through hardships to shape your own identity. Maya learns this throughout the novel and she shapes her own life as she gets older. Early in her life she is molded by not only Momma, but Bailey also. Her closeness and love for Bailey keeps her following him around and somewhat copying what he does. Once she leaves Momma and Bailey leaves her she becomes herself. Through her actions, such as living in the Junk Yard and becoming a streetcar conductor, she shapes her own life. Both of those actions are hard things to do but she presses on and she becomes herself, shaped both by society and her own actions.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is that you are always molded by people that surround you especially family. Family is where we learn our morals that will lead towards the type of person we will become and it shapes our life's in the future. Morals define us as people. I and others view myself as a nice respectable person. This all can be linked back to my family telling me and showing me what was right and what was wrong,morals. Maya's grandmother was the main influence in her early stages of life, she had no one else to show her that there were other ways to act or behave so most of her morals are from her grandma. Maya did whatever her grandmother asked just like most of us would do. When Maya finally is able to go out on her own she realizes that she can make her life anything she wants. She was taught by her grandmother and mother, now she can use that information to create her own identity. The sense of freedom that we as humans get when we become adults defines us. Do we want to stick at home for the rest of our life's or should we fly the coop and create our own future. Maya Flies the coop and creates her own Identity. Without identities we would all be as interesting as a sack of potatoes, identities make us who we are.
Everyone has a path in life. We all grow up around people who impact our lives to different degrees, whether its family, friends, classmates, co-workers, etc. But ultimately it's our choice to define ourselves and choose who to be in life. In “Their Eyes Were Watching God” Janie learns through her life experiences who she truly is and comes to terms with her own identity. For the longest time she was easily influenced by those around her and not in a postive way. Her Nanny had a huge impact on Janie and convinced her to marry Logan whom Janie never wanted to marry. The same goes with Joe Starks, in which Janie allowed him to step all over her and treat her disrespectful. Janie continues her life in sadness knowing that who she portrays to be to society is not who she wants to be. Towards the end of the novel with her relationship with Tea Cake, Janie comes to a realization that she can be who she wants and not let others choose who she is for her. She finally learns to love herself. Although the people around us have great influences on our lives, in the end we all have the choice to define ourselves and choose our own identities.
ReplyDeleteEveryone you interact with in life has some impact on the person you become. Since our experiences define us and create our identity, whoever is a part of your life has a role in shaping you. Some people you get to choose, such as friends. Others are chosen for you, like family. Identity is made up of a combination of your own choices and those of the people around you. In the beginning of the book, Maya defines herself as a scared and lost little girl, trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs. She is known as the granddaughter of the woman who owns the only all black store in Stamps. Also, she is known as the sister of Bailey, a charming and likeable young man. Her own identity almost doesn't exist early in this novel as she lets other people define her. This makes her blind to the fact that she individually is special and unique. As the novel progresses, she starts to discover what makes her different from everyone else and she starts to find her own identity. This is shown when she breaks away from Bailey a little bit and starts to spend her time at the library. She continues to realize her own worth and character apart from her family's.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post is pertaining to "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
ReplyDeleteOthers will define your future until you decide that their opinions and expectations are obsolete to you. Once you take control of your own life and embrace yourself you will have the utmost control over the things around you. Until then, those outlying influences will persuade you on your identity and life decisions. In the beginning of the novel, Maya simply defines herself as a black girl who will never be as pretty or as privileged as the "white folk." Maya also cites herself as unfortunate because being a female she condemned to a life of doing what others expect her to do. Maya let others define her as a quiet and soft-spoken introvert. Maya never talked very much because she was always shy. However, Mrs. Flowers changes this when she proves to Maya that words spoken have equal if not more meaning than words written down on a page. As the novel progresses, Maya goes from being a victim of racism and inferiority to an intelligent and self-aware individual who reacts to the plights of racism with dignity and maturity. Before Maya matures into this woman, Maya often let others label her and identify her as a stupid black girl. However, this limits Maya's opportunities and unfortunately, it also completely extinguishes her self confidence. As she grows and matures, Maya begins to realize that you determine who you are and nobody else has a say in that unless you let them.
People's self-perception is largely based on how others perceive them. People, especially growing up, seem to have an inability to define themselves based on their own thoughts and actions. They tend to rely largely on other people in their lives to examine them and mark their self-worth. This decision could either elevate their self-esteem or cause it to plummet, mostly likely though the latter will occur. We see this in the book, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" where Maya is subjected to the harsh judgements caused by being a black girl growing up in an unreconstructed southern town. She is looked down upon by the whites around the area and even her family makes impolite remarks about her lack of beauty. This has a significant effect on how Maya sees herself. At the beginning of the novel she tells the reader she wishes she was more like a barbie doll because of how pretty it is. Maya then goes on to describe her features as ugly, an image conceived from hearing her family compare her and her brother. As a young girl she lets this perception based on others thoughts only grow. At her graduation from eighth grade she allows herself to be defined and limited by two white speakers. She gets crestfallen and feels hopeless at the thought that she was only good enough to be in sports, and that although very bright, it is instead the white schools that could be scholars. Her class valedictorian has a different idea on his self and his future and shares it in his speech. His words encourage Maya and she tells herself that her skin did not matter because only she could limit herself. This truth and many others grew along with her. She realizes that her self-image is something only she can decide, and nobody can define you unless you allow them too.
ReplyDeleteAs many of my peers have expressed, society's ability to conform one is a powerful attribute in life today. I agree and disagree with this argument at the same time. I believe that there are simply some things one can not determine about themselves; however, there is much about ourselves that we can determine with the appropriate amount of will. Most obviously, we can not control the race in which we are born. Maya is subject to this issue, as she wishes to look more like a Caucasian girl; as she finds them more beautiful and capable in life. Just as in the book, racism still exists today. Though many pretend race does not factor into who you are, history proves this wrong. Race can determine the jobs you are eligible for, the people you are allowed to converse with, and many other things. This is not always the case, but to believe race does not affect how some view others, and some view themselves due to this is naïve. I strongly believe other's perceptions mold who you are on the inside as well, if one does not have the strength to reject their influences. Maya exemplifies this concept throughout the novel. In her early years, Maya allows her grandmother and religion to shape her into a pure Christian child. When this is taken away from her after the sexual assault, she also feels as if a major part of her was stripped away as well. However, the older she gets we find out this was not who Maya was after all. Instead, she explored sexuality; but only she attained the confidence to realize who she was. This shows that others may influence who we are at specific times in our life, but through experience we can redefine what being yourself means.
ReplyDeleteI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteSociety will always play a large role in the way people view themselves. During the time the novel took place, racism was a key issue, especially in the South where Maya lives. The fact that she is African American in a racist town greatly shapes her view of herself and her race as a whole. Although she was raised believing she could do anything, Caucasians made it difficult to accept that idea. When Mr. Donleavy arrives to Maya's graduation, he drilled the idea into every person attending that "they were maids and farmers, handymen and washerwomen, and anything higher that they aspired to was farcical and presumptuous." (pg. 153). Maya did not allow that idea to stick to her for long, and after singing "The Negro National Anthem" she was still proud to be African American. After being sent back to her mother for a second time, Maya wanted a job as a streetcar operator, a position that had never been held by an African American. Maya, however, did not let that stop her and pursued her goal. It did not matter that Mr. Donleavy and other Caucasians believed African Americans can only hold certain jobs. Maya did not allow their opinion to shape who she was going to be. She allowed racial discrimination to shape her slightly in the beginning, but by the end of the novel Maya knew she was in control of her own life.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie demonstrates that we all become who we are meant to be. Despite encountering oppressive people in her life such as Joe Starks and her grandmother, Janie's personality always overcomes, even though at some points she seems powerless. However, it is actions like speaking up in the store from time to time or running away from a loveless marriage that show that Janie's spirit is not squandered. She continues to grow and strive despite her less-than-ideal situations.
ReplyDelete"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings"
ReplyDeleteThroughout "I Know Why the Caged bird Sings" Maya struggles to define herself. Family and society are the two things that will define someone the most. Maya is easily defined by her grandmother, who teaches her how to act and behave. Maya's grandmother is a strong, independent, brave women, who is a very positive role in Maya's life. Maya looks up to her grandmother and always tries to please her. So whatever her grandmother tells her to do, she does it. This shows the way Maya is defined by her grandmother. Society also plays a big role in how someone sees themselves. Maya lives in a very racist town and sometimes it is hard for her not to believe what is said about her. The things Maya goes through in her life also define her. When she is sexually harassed and raped it is something that definitely changed her. It takes quite a while for Maya to get over these events and is something Maya overcame that helped shaped the women she is becoming.
Young children growing up are defined and molded by the people they are raised by. They learn right from wrong based on their family and apply that to their life. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya struggled between defining herself and letting others do it for her. As a child, Maya let others define who she was. Maya was defined by her grandmother, Bailey, and others around her. Throughout Maya’s childhood she is constantly reminded by her family that she has lacks beauty. She faces racism and sexual assault at a very young age. After being sexually assaulted, the memory had trapped her from enjoying normal childhood experiences. She lets everyone else define her and she doesn’t enjoy being who she is. Maya would rather be a pretty white girl during her childhood. At her graduation she allowed the two white speakers to define and limit her. As Maya gets older she learns to define herself without a limit and make decisions for herself. Due to her self-discovery, she became a street car conductor in San Francisco even with all the difficulties that attempted to cage her.
ReplyDeleteI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeletePeople will always be defined by other people around them. Kids by parents and friends especially. They learn what is right and wrong, how to be polite, how to share and make friends... Many things. When Maya is a kid she is very influenced by the people around her. Mainly by her grandmother and mother, but also by people who have it better than her. She is constantly reminded of her lack of money, lack of beauty, color, and gender. She lets their harsh words get to her and forgets who she is and how to enjoy life, but as she grows older she starts to realize that it is her life and it is up to her how it turns out. She became confident and happy with who she is and later in life becomes a street car conductor. People around us can define us, but only if we let them. I believe that our life is ultimately up to us.
In the beginning of There Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is extremely influenced by the people around her. For example, her grandma, or Nanny, basically sets up what she thinks Janie's life should be. She does this by having Janie marry Logan Killicks and Nanny sets this up because she wants Janie to be with someone that is well off so Janie will never have to struggle to get something that she needs. However, by doing this Nanny was not allowing Janie to define herself and create her own identity. As the novel progresses, Logan doesn't treat Janie very well which leads Janie to become upset with the path that her grandma chose for her. Janie then decides to leave Logan and marry Joe Starks. This is the beginning of Janie's search for her own identity. This starts off well and she starts to become more of an individual, but Joe quickly takes advantage of Janie and makes her do exactly what he wants. This takes Janie right back to the beginning where she no longer has her own identity but is instead letting others define her. Finally, in Janie's marriage to Tea Cake she is able to truly make her own identity. This is because Tea Cake never bosses Janie around and Janie was able to do what she wanted. During this time, Janie realized that it didn't matter what other people thought or said, all that mattered was for her to be who she wanted to be.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post relates to the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the novel, Janie lets her Nanny define whom she gets to marry based on what he has. Janie has no choice but to go along with it because she is put into an ultimatum to pick between her Nanny and her happiness. When she picked her Nanny and got married she was shown happiness by him but then he began to make her do the farm work that he did so she became his maid. As the novel progresses, she leaves Logan, her first husband, for Joe thinking she felt happiness for him until wealth, success, and power came into play for Joe. Joe began to treat Janie like an object and did not want others to view her as he did, so Janie left. Janie found true love for Tea Cake and feels freedom with him. The realization that Janie made was that she needed to listen to what she wanted over what everyone else wanted her to do. When Janie began to listen to herself that is when she was the happiest.
In the beginning of "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" young Maya is heavily influenced by the expectations that her family members set for her. She looks up to her grandmother and brother and follows in their footsteps in order to gain a better understanding of the ever changing world she is growing up in. However, as the novel progresses and Maya is open to new experiences she begins to look towards others or guidance and even herself. She still follows in their footsteps but begins to question what she believes is right and wrong. Her views of the white people in town seem to be influenced only by those close to her, yet she sees more than what she is taught. As she grows older and is more open with the world Maya is forced to begin to interpret some experiences on her own, yet still look up to her family members for guidance and a stable point of view.
ReplyDeleteWho you become is definitely influenced by who you surround yourself with and what you learn and are taught as you grow up. This does not mean that you cannot stand up for yourself and make decisions on your life and the type of person you want to be. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, at the beginning of the novel Maya defines herself according to her Grandmother. Her grandmother has led Maya to understand what she believes and thinks is right. Maya looks up to her grandmother as a strong independent and well revered black woman in their society. The consequences of letting someone else define who you are can be great. It can prevent you from becoming the best version of yourself and finding what makes you ultimately happy as a person in life. As the story progresses Maya works on her own for a month and finds what it is like to think for yourself and be comfortable with whom you want to be. This experience leads her to be the first African American to become a streetcar conductor. Once Maya realized she had to find herself on her own she set her mind to whatever she wanted and gained that determination to come out successful.
ReplyDeleteIn today's world, if someone lets others define them, it often makes them seem weak, with little self confidence. In the beginning of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", when Maya was a young girl, she let the world shape her. She saw herself for what other people saw in her, which was a girl that was not too easy on the eyes. Beauty was not the only thing people judged Maya for. She is also defined by her value in her family, whether she worked enough or respected everyone enough. This eventually led to Maya shutting people out as a way to get away from the judgment. She came to the realization that just because she is not respected as much as she should be because of her race or whichever, she is in control of her own future and identity and proves that with her strong mind.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, you are not truly living life unless you follow your own will. The idea of other people defining who you are is ridiculous because you can never be yourself if you only conform to the will of others. Our actions and our morals define us, however our human nature persuades us that the opinions of others make us who we are. We try to fit into our society because we think it will make us a better person in the eyes of our peers. Now, it is not always a bad thing that the people around us try to influence our decisions in life. Take for example Janie's grandmother in Their Eyes Were Watching God, when she pleads that Janie marry Logan Killicks because he will be able to take care of her. Janie's grandma just wants what is best for her dearly loved granddaughter, and what seems to be a "forced marriage" is really just her grandmother trying to keep Janie safe when she is gone. We know that this marriage does not pan out well, but Janie's grandmother's concern for her well being is one positive example of a way in which other people can define you. Later in the book however, Janie allows herself to be defined by her husband Jody in a negative way. Jody's frequent harsh remarks toward Janie in the store eventually cause Janie to realize that she does not need Joe to define her. I believe that Joe's death represents a shift from Janie being defined by others to Janie defining herself.
ReplyDeleteIn the Their Eyes were watching God, Janie’s life is being defined by her grandmother, her husbands and overall everyone’s opinion of her. Her grandmother wanted Janie to live the life that she never had and Janie should have a husband and be happy with her life, and not have to work for others. Janie does what her grandma tells her to because she just wants to make her grandma happy before she dies. Her first husband defines her by telling her that she should just be happy and that his first wife cut wood so why shouldn’t Janie? Janie doesn’t want to work and she defines herself by leaving her husband and running away with Joe but he turned into the same person as her first husband and told Janie that she had to help in the store. She went against herself and followed Joe’s orders. This led to a bad marriage because Janie wasn’t happy with her life but she finally changes and leaves the town for Tea Cake which the women in town judge her and when Janie came back into town she does not care what the women in town have to say because Janie learned to define herself in her marriage with Tea Cake and worked because she loved Tea Cake and that she didn’t have to do what Tea Cake said but she listened because she wanted to. The theme shows that when Janie lets go of what others thought she learned to be happy with herself leading to her being able to make her own decisions. Also that Janie could only be happy if it's what she truly wanted of herself instead of what others wanted her to be.
ReplyDeletePeople today are too worried about other people's opinion that they think their own opinion doesn't really matter. In other words they let others control who they are. People should really be the ones influencing themselves because they're the ones living their lives. What other people say and do shouldn't be of any concern to your own choices because you are your own person and you will pick what is right for you. In Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie was defined by her grandmother all throughout the beginning of the book like when Janie had no choice but to marry Mr.Killicks because her grandmother wanted her to be safe from harm after she would pass. The consequence of this is that Janie doesn't love Logan Killicks because she was forced to marry him. So she goes through the same thing with Jody and how he was bossy and mean to her all throughout her marriage until he eventually died. It was only when she met Tea Cake she realized she needed to be her own person and make decisions for herself.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post regards Why the Caged Bird Sings. In the beginning of the novel Maya is troubled in finding who she truly is because she compares herself to white girls. She defines herself as lower than white girls who hide behind makeup and expensive clothing. In the novel Maya is trying to change herself to thinking that she is white instead of being black. In the novel Maya lets people shape her personality like Momma and Bailey. Momma deals with racism by ignoring it and keeping it to herself. Bailey deals with racism by buying fancy clothes and by driving a fancy car. The reason Bailey buys fancy clothes and cars is because he is trying to fit into white society. Maya’s consequence of being shaped by Momma and Bailey is that she is insecure about her sexuality and her appearance.
ReplyDeleteIn our world today, society forms and molds our identity whether it be for the positive or negative. We try to form our own thoughts, our own hobbies, our own enjoyments, but the world comes in and says other wise. It is in our DNA to become like the world to fit in. We long to have a friend or a large amount of friends. Therefore we will do whatever we can to become like them. Whether it may be in what you wear or what you enjoy in your past times. It is becoming harder and harder for one to believe in there self and not in the things of this world. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is influenced and defied by her grandmother. What she said went and that was what was implanted into Janie's life. She married the man her grandmother, she acted the way her grandmother wanted, and she always thinks about how she must live according to her grandmother. Although she lets go of that bondage and breaks free to be defined be her and find her identity in herself.
ReplyDeleteI think in Why The Caged Bird Sings the environment is a huge key in how Maya is shaped. If you grow up in a different part of the U.S than someone else than you extraordinarily different than them. An example of this is how in some parts of the country people say Pop and in other parts of the country people say Soda. It all depends on where and who you grow up with. Another example of this is when a person likes a certain sports team because of where you live and who you are around. If your parents like a certain team then you most likely chose them as your favorite team because your parents liked them and you wanted to be just like them.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think about Janie and realize that she is very much defined by her second husband. He forces her to act lady like at all times because that is his standard since that is how thinks a women should act. Most of the time Janie feels like she is doing everything wrong. Any time she “acts out” and doesn’t act as lady-like as possible Starks snaps at her and puts her in place. Over time she eventually stands up for herself and leaves him.
ReplyDeleteThis refers to "Their Eyes Were Watching God."
ReplyDelete"Be who you want to be. Society: No, not like that." I believe this quite describes Janie's situation perfectly. When she is married to Joe Starks, Janie can never express herself. Joe always corrected her when she was doing what she wanted to do. She was known as the mayor's wife and Joe drilled it into her mind that she had to act like one. Meaning that she had to do everything he said. During that marriage, Janie lost a sense of who she was, making her believe that having her own personality was wrong. When Joe died, Janie felt all the chains holding her down release. She could finally breathe without telling someone telling her how to do it. Once Janie had her new found freedom, she never let anyone control her again, she voiced her thoughts without being worried, and she stopped caring about what others thought of her.
"Their Eyes Were Watching God"
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the novel Janie is nothing more than a simplistic 17 year-old girl who is still trying to find out her place in the world. This ends when her Nanny decides that she must marry Logan Killicks so he can provide for her. Janie grows accustom to this way of thinking and adapts to having a man tell her how to live. Due to Janies lack of individualism she looses her happiness and freethinking. Joe Starks begins to do everything for her and treats her as an object and it is then that Janie realizes that she does not want to live that way. With the help of Tea Cake Janie comes to find just how much she can do on her own. She finds that she doesn't need a man in her life to be happy or successful. Janie just needs to stay true to her own ideas.
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ReplyDelete-I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings-
ReplyDeleteTowards the beginning of the novel Maya Angelou states that, "Like Most Children, I thought if I could face the worst danger voluntarily, and triumph, I would forever have power over it." (pg.10) Although Maya never wanted to be discriminated against, she however did live through a time when tensions between races were high. Society defined African Americans to be the lowest class, basically scum. Racial Barriers became especially obvious to Maya when she found out that "white trash" Americans who had low morals and even lower paychecks were of a higher class socially, then her. Society wanted to blame all their problems on those who thought they deserved it, in which were always african americans. In retrospect Maya defined herself, as she experienced racism in effect through her Momma, Uncle Willie, and Bailey Jr., Ultimately Maya was strong and had a good heart making her definition unalterable.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the novel Maya is completely shaped by the world around her. She was taught from a young age that she is the lower class. Maya also grew up in the South which was very rasicst at the time. When she moved to St. Louis she saw that not all people are bad. After coming back to Stamps, Maya has a new perspective on life. She is becoming her own indivual person and adapting to the world around her.
"Why The Caged Bird Sings"
ReplyDeleteEveryone that we allow in our life affect us as an individual. When we are kids our family has a major impact on our personality and actions. But as you grow old I believe people can mold themselves to who they want to be. Although, peoples friends will impact them as well. We decide who we are but there is a limit, because of how much people can impact us through life. Maya as a child allows other peoples views to encroach in her mind. Her family always reminded her that she lacked beauty, unlike her brother. Her Grandmother had the biggest impact on her life. Her grandmother is very strong and independent, Maya also admires her and thinks whatever she thinks and does what ever she tells her to do. Her Grandmother impacts her in a positive way but society tears her down. Since the town she lives in is extremely racist she begins to believe what the people think of her. She is always reminded about what she is not, like not having enough money, or beauty. Being raped changed Maya though and caused her to be trapped almost. She never enjoyed life after going through such a difficult situation. It was almost like Maya was weak, just being who everyone thought she was, and that made her hate herself basically. She aloud people to mold her and limit her. When Maya became older she finally started to think for herself and her discovery led to a happier life, and she became a street car conductor in San Francisco.
In reality I think it is impossible to think fully for yourself, people around you will always have an affect on your thoughts and actions. What you can do is decide what is a good impact and what is a bad impact for you, then you can mold a better version of yourself.
"Why The Caged Bird Sings"
ReplyDeleteI think that the environment people grow up in, greatly affects how people see themselves. This involves their family, teachers, school, friends, and society in general. This can either be good or bad, depending on where people live and who they have surrounding them. I'm not saying that a person can't make a choice that allows them to see themselves differently, but a person's environment greatly affects how people see themselves. For instance, Maya's Grandmother was independent and allowed Maya to see herself in a better light. However, the society that Maya lived in, made Maya think of herself lowly as an individual. She lived in the South and was a black women during segregation and racism. This led to many terrible encounters and experiences for Maya that made her not like herself. Fortunately, Maya surrounded herself in a much better environment. When she became a street car conductor in San Francisco she started to feel better about herself. I think that the environment that people live in can greatly affect how they perceive themselves as individual. This is a saddening thought for me, because I think of all the people in terrible place or with a terrible family. People can make the choice to pull themselves together like Maya and eventually think better of themselves. However, the environment will always be a huge factor in how people think of themselves as an individual.
"Their Eyes Were Watching God"
ReplyDeleteI believe that everyone is their own person, but every person can be shaped or changed by the people around them. Most of our views about religion, races, and people in general are developed when we are children and as we grow up. So our views often reflect the views of our parents, at least when we are younger. As we age, the thoughts and opinions of our peers and the outside world may cause us to change our minds. There are those who think for themselves, and there are those that follow the crowd. At the beginning of the novel, Janie lets others think for her and they decide what's best, like her first marriage. In Janie's first marriage, she is completely powerless and is expected to do everything that she's told. At the beginning of her second marriage, everything seems different. Joe treats Janie like a lady, and also gives her freedom. But the more power that Joe gains, the more freedom is taken away from Janie. He starts ordering her around, and won't let her speak to anyone unless she's working in the store. As the years went on, he also began to talk down to her, and insulting her in front of others. Eventually, Joe defined Janie as the long haired Mayors wife who didn't have a say in anything. By her third marriage, Janie decided that she was going to define herself, and she did. Tea Cake and Janie helped bring out the best in each other, each still keeping their individualities.
i Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the novel Maya is defined by the people in her life. For example her grandmother shaped Maya into being and obedient, hard working, respectful person. As she grew up she began to notice the racism and the judgmental people in Stamps. She began to let those people shape her and shut her down. She was trapped because she wasn't beautiful enough or just for being african american. Her grandmother i believed influenced her the most to stand up to people and helped her overcome what society thinks of her. Maya became an independent young women in the end and didn't let other people define herself.
In the novel "I know why the Caged Bird Sings", Maya is defined and molded by the people in her life. Maya modeled her life after her grandmother and her brother who were the strongest influences on her life. Maya also used the people around her to understand this world that is always changing. Maya also was shaped the wrong way by some of the disrespectful people around her, but her grandmother was always there for her.
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ReplyDeleteA person is exactly who they want to be. We have people in our lives that influence us in positive and negative ways, but when it comes down to it we live our own lives and we make decisions for ourselves. In "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Janie demonstrates that you alone define the person that you want to be. Janie's entire life is full of people telling her what she can and cannot do. Janie runs from her first husband because he is too demanding and oppressive. Janie strays from who she really is in her second marriage because she allows Joe to abuse her. Eventually she stays true to character and fires back. Janie shows all readers that there will be controlling people in life, but as long as you stay true to what you believe you will create an image of who you are and who you want to be.
ReplyDeleteAs humans, we are automatically influenced by the people around us. Most often the people who have taken care of us and raised us from a child. We are puzzles, slowly being put together by each person who has been a part of our lives. However, I agree and disagree with this topic. We are shaped and molded by the most important figures in our lives, resembling and becoming very similar to these poeple. In the novel "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", Maya is influenced greatly by her grandmother, who teaches her everything she knows and raises her into the person she wants her to be. Yet, Maya, as most people do, discovers her own individual identity. The influences we collect as young people help to set us off on our own as we learn and grow.
ReplyDeleteIn "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" Maya is influenced mostly by other people. Through out the novel she is greatly impacted by her grandmother. The influence from her grandmother was very religious, but at times is was very harsh so it really put the ideals of her grandmother into her head. Later Maya develops a very shy personality because of Mr.Freeman. Mr.Freeman's influence was more indirect because her personality change was because of his actions. Also, Mrs.Flowers greatly impacted Maya. Mrs.Flowers not only helps Maya recover from emotional scars, but also starts her love for more poetic writings. So other people mostly affects a person than the single person.
ReplyDeleteI believe that throughout life we are defined by who surrounds us. We are greatly influenced throughout all of our life to the point where we are essentially brainwashed into believing many things that we are told and conforming to social values. However as we seemingly grow older many break the social bonds that confine us. We are often given criticism, some of it constructive, some of it destructive. It us up to us to determine what to do with that criticism to make ourselves better or to make ourselves worse.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Janie is easily influenced by her grandmother and constantly wished to please her although it was against Janie's will. The consequences of Janie trying to please her grandmother is that she is left unhappy and once her grandmother dies she decides to run away from her husband and grandmother's wishes. Throughout the novel Janie slowly stops thinking how others perceive her and she starts doing what makes her happy. She realizes that she stops caring what others think of her and that she will do what makes her happy even if it results in people talking badly about her.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteMaya is heavily influenced by the people around her throughout the story. One obvious example is her grandmother particularly in the beginning of the story. "Momma" teaches Maya the importance of respect, love, courtesy, and god throughout the story. Another character that greatly influenced Maya was her mother. Her mother taught her the importance of living up to your own standards, not letting other people tell you how to live your life, and loving yourself even if other people don't love you. Although these are all rather individualistic values, they were still taught to her by someone else which shows that even during her times of dramatic change to being more of an individualist she was still being affected by someone else's values.
In "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" Maya belives if she has faith that everything will be ok, and that comes from the help of her grandmother. Her grandmother was a very religous person which some of that rubbed off onto Maya. Faith helped her get though some tough things and thats what made MAya the women she is today.
ReplyDeleteIn " I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," Maya is confused about her identity throughout the entire novel. She trys to take in her brothers, her grandmothers, her mothers, and all of the other people she meets throughout the book. Throughout the entire novel she is confused about her identity, she literally has to make her own identity without the help of her friends and her family. She tries to fit into an always changing society, like when she acted rude in the church because she saw her mom laughing under her breath and her brother she could do the same thing. This backfires though and her grandma who is very traditional beats them for being rude children. Maya keeps changing her identity, but at the end all of those identitys she took on and came into ne and she herself became special in her own way.
ReplyDeleteThroughout "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings", Maya defines who she is in many ways. In the beginning of the novel, she allows herself to be defined by her grandmother. Since Maya believes that who her grandmother says she is is really who she is, when things change she is overwhelmed. After Maya is molested and raped, she begins to realize that she cannot let herself be defined by others and her experiences.
ReplyDelete"Their Eyes Were Watching God"
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the novel Janie doesn't really know herself she wants to explore but when her nanny saw her kissing another boy she yelled at Janie. Nanny told her that she was to marry Logan. She didn't get to make her own choices. but when Janie did leaving her first husband for the second one it was because he wanted to much from her in her words in the novel. but as she was with her second husband she. But then later one with Jody, Janie she didn't get to express herself he was controlling over her and told her what to do all the time. But Janie let him control her even when she still knew her place. I think that ever one has a say in theirself but we do have people that surround us who also influence and shape us to who we aren't.