RR#8

8/16/10
pages 147-184

Bailey's tent in the back yard where he played "house" with girls represents a childs eagerness to grow older. He would not have sex with these girls, and at the age of 11 he never even thought of doing that. Until he met Joyce ( the new girl in Stamps) he hadn't thought he was ready for all of that. Angelou knew her brother had fallen in love with Joyce and even though she did not like her, she liked how her brother began to share secrets again. One day she disappeared and Bailey never spoke of her again. The fact that Maya understood her brother's pain and didn't push him to "open up" shows how close of a relationship they really do share. In this section of reading Reverend Taylor's wife dies. Maya is forced to go to the funeral and sees the dead body. Reading this I saw Angelou growing into a more understanding person. Although she was only 11 she understood the importance of death and how it effects everyone. Something I have just considered at the age of 17. I was impressed with Angelou's maturity, I don't think many 11 year old could have handled something so serious. The disappointment that was Maya's graduation once again changed her views on her surroundings. After being told that blacks were nothing, the singing of the black national anthem lifted their spirits and for the first time, Maya was proud to be black.