In the book, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, she shows rather than tells. She allows the reader to develop a mental picture of everything she explains. The descriptions of the characters are vivid and captivate the reader's imagination. Certain situations are explained perfectly by Maya Angelou, such as Momma's discussion with Mrs. Flowers. Because of such articulate descriptions, the reader is pulled into the story as if they were actually there. This makes reading Caged Bird more interesting.
Maya Angelou describes how she sees Bailey as more elegant and graceful than herself. "When I was described by our playmates as being shit color, he was lauded for his velvet-black skin...And yet he loved me." (Maya Angelou, 17). When elders made remarks about her features, they didn't try to hide the fact that they thought she was ugly. Although she didn't see herself as comely, Bailey always seemed to make her feel better.
English: Maya Angelou reciting her poem, "On the P...
Maya Angelou with Bloomberg and Nadler
President Barack Obama presenting Maya Angelou wit...Another person who wasn't partial to Maya because of her looks was Mrs. Flowers. She treated Margerite as if she were an old friend rather than putting her down.
Maya Angelou gives good visuals by showing and not telling. For instance, the way she describes Mr. Freeman as being flabby and sluggish. Although she describes him in a negative way, the description is still interesting. Even more vile than his personality were his actions. At first she didn't mind because she felt loved, "I didn't want to admit that I had in fact liked this, his holding me" (65, Angelou). However, after she realized how wrong it was she broke her silence, to Bailey. By presenting him as a pedophile, she makes the reader want to hate him as much as she does.
Maya Angelou describes her thoughts after...