Tuesday, October 25, 2011

In "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," how did the family handle the identification of Mr. Freeman's assault on Maya?

The Baxter family loyalty is seen in her uncles' response to Maya's rape. They kill Freedman in revenge for what he did to Maya, thinking they were helping. However, their actions are traumatic and cause feelings of guilt in Maya. She thinks Freedman was killed because she lied about the other two episodes of molestation. Her loyalty to her family is seen when she initially refuses to name her attacker. After being on the receiving end of Freedman's brutality, she fears for Bailey's safety. She feels the need to protect her brother. She only tells when Bailey says he would not let Freedman kill him. Bailey is her hero and what he says must be true.

Maya's belief in the power of words is seen in her thinking that her words in court caused the death of Mr. Freedman. She does not understand that her small lie would not have changed the outcome of the case or the fate of Mr. Freedman. If anything his treatment would have been worse if her uncles knew he had molested her three times.

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