Source: I Know Why the Cages Bird Sings (Chapter 14)
1. What is Mrs. Flower's plan for helping Marguerite (Maya Angelou) overcome her fear of speaking, and what reason does she give for doing it? Support your response with evidence from the text.
2. How does Mrs. Flower's lesson change the way Marguerite feels about books and words? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
3. How does the influence of Mrs. Flowers in Marguerite's youth affect the pursuit of her dreams later in life? Would Mrs. Flowers have found Maya Angelou's ambitions as a writer to be dreams worth pursuing? Why or why not? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
4. Why might Maya Angelou have chosen to include this episode in her autobiography? What were her feeling about this day's importance when it was happening? What are her feelings about it as an adult? How does her use of language, and especially figurative, help to reveal her feelings about her relationship with Mrs. Flowers? Consider how the relationship between Mrs. flowers and Maya Angelou had an impact on future dreams and aspirations. Support you answers with evidence from the text.