Question

Read this excerpt from chapter 1 of i know why the caged bird sings by maya angelou and answer the question. note that this excerpt, used in the next several items, includes language that is outdated and offensive. when i was three and bailey four, we had arrived in the musty little town, wearing tags on our wrists which instructed – ‘to whom it may concern’ – that we were marguerite and bailey johnson jr. … negro passengers, who always traveled with loaded lunch boxes, felt sorry for ‘the poor little motherless darlings’ and plied us with cold fried chicken and potato salad. which of the following best describes the narrative point of view of the above excerpt?

a. Told from reader’s point of view
b. Told from "I" as if she is a child reliving the event
c. Told from view of the passengers who see the children
d. Told from "I" as an adult thinking about the meaning of the event

Answer 1

The narrative point of view in Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is first person, option B: told from 'I' as if she is a child reliving the event. This approach allows the reader to connect deeply with the narrator's childhood experiences, making option B the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

The narrative point of view in the given excerpt from Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is that of the first person. The story is recounted from the perspective of the author herself, with the usage of the pronoun 'I' indicating that she is narrating her own childhood experiences.

While the story is told from her memories as an adult, she describes the events as if she is a child reliving them. This establishes a strong sense of immediacy and personal connection to the events being described, drawing the reader into the author's past experiences.

Several literary works utilize this mode of narration. In first-person narrative, the narrator can provide direct insights into their feelings, thoughts, and biases, often influencing the reader's perception of the story. This is in contrast to other points of view where the narrator might be an external observer or even another character within the story.

Considering the provided choices for describing the narrative point of view, the most accurate is option B: Told from "I" as if she is a child reliving the event. This is evident in the way the narrator expresses the experiences in a poignant yet childlike manner, allowing the reader to see the world through her younger self's eyes.