Essay 9

Madeline

English 9

Mr. Salsich

November 24, 2009

Restrained Fury:

An Essay about Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"

People are like puffer fish. When people are provoked and angered, they explode and deploy their spikes. These spikes can come in the form of lethal thoughts, as in the case of Maya Angelou in her essay "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," or in the form of thoughts of rage, which is the case when injustice angers me. Also, the spikes might not be deployed at all; Maya Angelou's grandmother was calm and strong as she was spewed with disrespect, and I am trying to learn to act similarly when I begin to feel anger brewing within me.

TS In Maya Angelou's essay "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," the author shows how infuriating racist treatment can be, and how being forced to hold the anger inside oneself worsens the pain. SD When the "powhitetrash" girls insulted Momma, Maya Angelou's grandmother, rage boiled under Ms. Angelou's skin. CM The girls' brazen display of disrespect made her lose her temper, and she felt volatile, like she might explode. CM The fact that Momma, "who owned the land [the girls]lived on, who forgot more than they would ever learn," was shown such downright indignity by these "dirty, mean, and impudent girls" made Ms. Angelou break down in tears of enmity. SD The anger Ms. Angelou felt was worsened by the fact that she had to hold it inside; there was no means by which she could release her explosive rage. CM Ms. Angelou did think "about the rifle behind the door," but she decided against such drastic measures, because she knew she would "never be able to hold it straight," and I believe she knew that shooting the girls would induce unwanted consequences. CM The only way for Ms. Angelou to cope with her anger were the tears that streamed down her face as she watched, "imprisoned behind the scene" of the crime. SD On the other hand, Momma seemed to deal with the situation quite well. CM Though she was being shown absolute insolence, she stood her ground, humming her hymns and keeping quiet, which shows her unwavering strength and confidence. CM After the girls retreated, Maya Angelou realized that "whatever the contest had been out front, Momma had won," and that made her pain disappear and her anger melt away. CS The "powhitetrash" girls tried to squash Momma and Ms. Angelou, but Momma was steadfast and brave, and the stormy sea of anger churning in her granddaughter's heart was calmed.

TS I feel angriest when a person accuses me of something I did not do or treats me with cruel malice. SD Injustice makes me seethe. CM When another person jumps to conclusions about me, and tells me that I am bad, that I have done something wrong, without even knowing the facts of the situation, anger burns inside me. CM When something unfair happens, I become more than upset; I become manic with rage. SD When someone looks at me with a sneer and insults me, I have to fight with myself to keep from "burst[ing]...a firecracker July-the-Fourth burst." CM My insides boil, but I hold in the lava of retaliation that could come pouring out; it is on the tip of my tongue, but I try not to let it burn the person who has hurt me. CM I feel absolute rage towards people who are unnecessarily hurtful, who treat other people like unwanted garbage, who toss around sharp words as if they were harmless jokes, when in reality they are sharp shards of glass that cut the spirit, and I struggle to hold back the anger I feel at their disregard for other people. SD However, I am becoming more adept at calming myself when I encounter these unfortunate types. CM I am learning to breathe, and extinguish the fiery comebacks that erupt from my aggravated spirit; I know that they would not do me any good. CM I also try to counteract the times I feel enraged towards others by doing my best to treat the people I know with respect, patience, and kindness; I try to show the opposite characteristics of the people who infuriate me when I interact with other people. CS When I am falsely accused, or when I am the target of acrimonious people, at first I feel intense anger, but soon, I am able to clear my polluted spirit and treat others with kindness by learning through my negative experiences.

Maya Angelou was a very passionate puffer fish, trying to release her pain and resentment through her tears as she watched the "powhitetrash" girls throw insults at Momma. Momma was able to alleviate Ms. Angelou's anger through her serene, accepting ways; she was a more mellow puffer fish. As for me, my spikes shoot out, but I try to retract them, and not cause harm to anyone; I am a puffer fish who learns from her anger. When a certain person or situation triggers intense anger, each person reacts differently, and whether or not a person is able to rise above the rage defines their strength.