Initially I was not too sure what to expect from this book. Having only read one poem by Angelou (Still I Rise) I was interested to discover what kind of writer she was. Would she be metaphorical and poetic? Well, I guess she was. IKWTCBS is certainly full of all those writing techniques that are learned in an English lesson; full of metaphors, imagery and other literary devices which I am not inclined to mention, nor remember.
The autobiographical account covers Angelou’s life until the age of seventeen. As expected it is crammed with amazing stories and experiences, however there are certain tragedies which occur in her life. She explores her feelings about her absent parents, the abuse she suffered from her stepfather and the cruel punishments that she and her brother were subjected to under the tyranny of her God fearing Grandmother.
Considering this book only covers the first seventeen years of her life, it could easily contain all the events that make a life-time. Maya lives with a variety of people, travels to Mexico driving her father’s car at fifteen – without having ever driven before, becomes the first black streetcar conductor in San Francisco at fifteen and manages to live in a car lot for a month with a bunch of homeless kids. Certainly an eventful seventeen years.
So, if you’re looking for a superbly well written book then look no further than IKWTCBS.
No comments:
Post a Comment