Question

Read the passage from “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”

I have tried often to search behind the sophistication of years for the enchantment I so easily found in those gifts. The essence escapes but its aura remains. To be allowed, no, invited, into the private lives of strangers, and to share their joys and fears, was a chance to exchange the Southern bitter wormwood for a cup of mead with Beowulf or a hot cup of tea and milk with Oliver Twist. When I said aloud, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done . . .” tears of love filled my eyes at my selflessness.

What is the most likely reason author Maya Angelou included this passage?

to entertain the reader with references to books

Answer 1

I would more so say inform the reader with her thoughts

Answer 2

To provide the reader with a particular context on the narrative voice's feelings towards books.

Step-by-step explanation:

This passage, as the conclusion sentence states ("...tears of love filled my eyes at my selflessness.") expresses how the experience of reading may be so fulfilling that it may lead to tears. In this sense, the author states reading as a selfless process because it allows readers to have strong feelings towards characters regardless of their own feelings. This experience is also portrayed as an evasive experience as the narrative voice suggests: "...and to share their joys and fears, was a chance to exchange the Southern bitter wormwood for a cup of mead with Beowulf..." This last quote is about how books allow readers to escape their everyday lives in order to discover new worlds.