Saint Demetrios Astoria School



Name ______________________________ Date _________________

Ms. Pascarella/Gallucci English 10th

Independent Reading Packet

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

This packet contains multiple lessons and activities that you must complete by the date instructed below. Each assignment will have a point value and in the end this pack will count as 5 Quiz Grades & 1 Test Grade for the 4th Quarter.

* Failure to hand in the packet and the assignments will result in the failure of the 4th Quarter Marking Period.

|Due Dates |Assignments Due |

| | |

|Monday, March 21 | - Chapters 1-5 read |

| |- Chapter 1-5 questions & vocabulary |

| |- Activities 1 (poem) & 2 (scavenger hunt) (20 pt quiz) |

|Wednesday, April 13 |Chapters 6- 15 read |

| |Chapter Questions & vocabulary |

|Thursday, April 28 |Chapters 16- 22 |

| |Chapter Questions & vocabulary |

|Monday, May 16 |Chapters 23- 31 read |

| |Chapter Questions & vocabulary |

|Tuesday, May 31 |Chapters 32- 36 read |

| |Chapter Questions & vocabulary |

|Wednesday, June 1 |Activity 4: Character Chart |

|Thursday, June 2 |Activity 5: Quotes Analysis |

|Monday, June 13 |Activity 6: Adversity Essay |

Key Points

Type of work: Autobiographical novel

Genre: autobiography

Narrator: Maya Angelou

Setting: 1930’s- 1950’s, Arkansas, Missouri, California

Point of View: Maya Angelou, first person, she writes from a child’s point of view and from her perspective as an adult

Major Conflict: coming-of-age as a southern black girl, confronting racism, sexism, violence, and loneliness

Themes:

( Debilitating Displacement

( Resistance

( Racism and Segregation

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

Sympathy

I know what the caged bird feels, alas!

When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;

When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,

And the river flows like a stream of glass;

When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,

And the faint perfume from its chalice steals —

I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats his wing

Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;

For he must fly back to his perch and cling

When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;

And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars

And they pulse again with a keener sting —

I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,

When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—

When he beats his bars and he would be free;

It is not a carol of joy or glee,

But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,

But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings —

I know why the caged bird sings!

Activity 1: Poetry. In at least a paragraph, what do you think the meaning of this poem is?

Activity 2: Scavenger Hunt. Using the sites to locate information about Maya Angelou, complete the questions below using complete sentences on the following page (page 4)







1. When and where was Maya Angelou born?

2. What is her birth name?

3. In addition to being a poet, what other roles has Maya Angelou played?

4. Identify prestigious awards she has earned.

5. What organization did Martin Luther King, Jr. request that she head?

6. To which council was she appointed by then-President Jimmy Carter?

7. What is Ms. Angelou doing today?

8. What appointment was she awarded in 1981?

9. What honor was she awarded in 1993?

10. How many books has she written? Name five.

11. What else has she written?

12. Identify the number and names of languages that she speaks.

13. Locate some of her poetry. Read a few poems, and download your favorite.

14. Write a sentence or two expressing why you like it.

15. Find a quotation that you like, and write a journal response to it.

16. Write one thing that surprised you about Ms. Angelou.

Answer Space for Activity 2: Scavenger Hunt

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Activity 3: Vocabulary Development. As you read through the chapters, define the following vocabulary words to help you better understand the novel. (50 pts, quiz)

|Chapter |Vocabulary Words |Definitions |

| |Calamitous | |

| |Thwarted, rancor | |

| |Obsession, tedious, heinous | |

| |Disenchanted, anachronism | |

| |Impudent, detest | |

| |Ominous | |

| |Insolent | |

| |Admonish | |

| |Vex | |

| |Vocation, Prohibition | |

| |Apprehensive, quandary | |

| |Abate | |

| |Morose | |

| |Obscure, Inequity | |

| |Aristocrat, incessant | |

| |Ludicrous | |

| |Exemplary | |

| |Affluent, pariah | |

| |Ambrosia | |

| |Treacherous | |

| |Profuse | |

| |Placate | |

| |Summon | |

| |Excruciating | |

| |Unravel | |

| |Pretentious, diminish | |

| |Duplicate | |

| |Invincible, elaborate | |

| |Triumphant | |

| |Diabolic, aspirations | |

| |Audible, serenity | |

| |Delinquent, zeal | |

| |Assurance, exploit | |

| |Anticipate | |

| |Abruptly | |

Chapter Questions (60 Questions, quiz grade)

All questions should be answered in the packet in the designated areas, using complete sentences.

Prologue

1. Where is Maya?

2. What doe she want to wake up from?

3. What does she want to look like?

4. List three things Maya is doing as she runs out of the church.

Answer Prologue Questions Here:

Chapters 1-5

1. What happens to Maya’s parents?

2. Where do they go to live?

3. How is Momma viewed throughout the community?

4. What stereotype enrages Maya?

5. What holds Willie back?

6. Who does Maya fall in love with? Why does she feel guilty about it?

7. Why did Momma hide Willie?

8. What has Maya heard all throughout childhood? Describe her characteristics.

9. Who defends her, which in turn makes him the most important person in her world?

10. What enrages Maya at the store in chapter 5?

Answer Questions Here (Chapters 1-5):

Chapters 6-15

1. Who comes to visit every 3 months?

2. What does Momma say it’s not safe to do?

3. Why was the title “MRS.” unusual for a black woman?

4. What did this title show about Momma’s status in her community?

5. Why do Maya and Bailey cry after receiving the Christmas gifts?

6. Why do you think they destroyed the doll?

7. Where do the children go with Big Bailey?

8. Describe their mother.

9. Why is Maya indifferent to Big Bailey leaving?

10. Explain St. Louis through the eyes of Maya.

11. What advice does Uncle Tommy give Maya?

12. How does Maya shield herself against the confusion of St. Louis?

13. What happens between Maya and Mr. Freeman? Does she fully understand it?

14. Why does she feel rejected when Mr. Freeman ignores her?

15. What does Mr. Freeman do to Maya in chapter 12? What is his threat?

16. Why does Maya consider herself a grown woman in chapter 13?

17. What is the reaction to her silence?

18. What do Bailey and Maya understand about each other?

19. Who takes Maya under their wing?

20. Why is Momma offended at the end of chapter 15?

Answer Questions Here (Chapters 6-15):

(Chapter 6-15 Answers con’t):

Chapters 16- 22

1. Describe what happens while Maya works for Mrs. Viola Cullinan’s. (Chapters 16)

2. What is the irony of Bailey liking the actress, Kay Francis?

3. Explain how the black people try to escape their harsh lives in chapter 18.

4. What does the winning of Louis’ fight mean for the black people?

5. Why do you think Maya reacted negatively to Tommy Valdon’s request for Valentine’s day?

6. Explain Bailey’s version of playing “house.”

7. Explain Maya’s first experience with mortality.

Answer Questions Here (Chapters 16-22):

Chapters 23- 31

1. How does Edward Donleavy’s speech blemish the joy of the graduation day? Explain using examples and details.

2. How does Mama handle Maya’s toothache? What does this show about white men during this time period?

3. Describe what shakes Bailey in chapter 25. What does Momma decide to do about it?

4. Describe the family dynamics in chapter 26.

5. During WWII, the Japanese displacement took place, what did this do for black people?

6. Explain Maya’s educational advancements in chapters 27 and 28.

7. How does Maya view Daddy Clidell?

8. Describe Maya and Big Bailey’s “shopping trip.”

9. What is the result of Maya’s honorable gesture towards Dolores? Explain in detail.

Answer Questions Here (Chapters 23-31):

Chapters 32- 36

1. Describe and explain Maya’s experience in the car junkyard.

2. What does Maya learn to appreciate?

3. Explain, in detail, Bailey’s struggles. (Chapter 33)

4. What does Maya succeed in becoming the first at?

5. Interpret the follow quote, “American black women, she says, must not only face the common problems associated with adolescence, but also racism and sexism. It does not surprise her that black women who survive these conflicts possess strong characters.”

6. What confusion does Maya have after reading The Well of Loneliness?

7. What does she discover at the end of chapter 35?

8. Maya accepts responsibility for her pregnancy, however what does she fear? What advice does Vivian give her?

9. Why do you think this piece of advice put Maya at ease?

10. How do you interpret the ending of the novel? What lingering questions do you still have for Maya or in general?

Answer Questions Here (Chapters 32-36):

Activity 4: Character Chart (100 points, quiz grade)

Directions: For each character, list at least FOUR characteristics that accurately describe them.

|Characters |Characteristics |

|Maya Angelou | |

|(Marguerite Ann Johnson) | |

|Bailey Johnson, Jr. | |

|Annie Henderson (Momma) | |

|Vivian Baxter | |

|Big Bailey Johnson | |

|Daddy Clidell | |

|Mr. Freeman | |

|Mrs. Bertha Flowers | |

|Dr. Lincoln | |

|Miss Kirwin | |

Activity 5: Quote Analysis (100 points, quiz grade)

Directions: In at least a paragraph each, interpret, explain, and connect each of the following quotes to the novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and to Maya Angelou’s life.

Quote 1: “ The fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste and even belligerence.”

Quote 2: “If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat.”

Quote 3: "Language is man's way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone that separates him from the lower animals."

Quote 4: "See, you don't have to think about doing the right thing. If you're for the right thing, then you do it without thinking."

Interpret Quotes Here:

Activity 6: Adversity Essay (100 points, quiz/essay grade)

None of us gets through life without a struggle, whether personal, political,

psychological, or otherwise. Some of our struggles are mere annoyances; others are

seemingly insurmountable challenges that have the power to vanquish us. How we

survive these adversities depends on the strategies we employ for coping with them.

Writing Instructions:

Write a literary response essay that is at least 500 words long and that answers the

question: “What can I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings teach us about overcoming

adversity?”

Your paper needs to be divided into three parts: an introduction that includes an

attention-grabbing opening, the title of the work and the author’s name, some background

information about the autobiography, and a thesis statement; body paragraphs which

include topic sentences and which support your thesis statement with evidence from the

text and from your own knowledge of the world around you (direct quotations from the

text are required) ;and a conclusion that draws the essay to a close.

Requirements:

( Typed, double-spaced, Font size 12

( At least 500 words, 3 paragraphs

( Direct Quotes from the novel

( Spelling, grammar, and mechanics are all appropriate

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