42 pages • 1 hour read
Maya AngelouA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Angelou addresses the age-old question “How are you?” and the conventional response, which is devoid of meaning and truth. She states that no one actually wants an answer when they ask the question, leading Angelou to conclude, “I believe in that way we learn to give and receive social lies” (17). Everybody is aware of this “social lie,” yet we all indulge it, in part to keep the peace and in part because “we do not wish to deal with the truth” (17). We need not be unforgivingly brutal in our response, but Angelou suggests that replying honestly can be “wonderfully liberating.” Angelou cautions that, as we begin to answer this question honestly, people will begin to avoid us: They too have pain in their knees and do not care to hear about you’re the pain in ours. Angelou writes, “But think of it this way, if people avoid you, you will have more time to meditate and do fine research on a cure for whatever truly affects you” (17). Angelou urges the reader to deal with the truth of their situation because it is in confronting truth that one may overcome all ailments.
By Maya Angelou
A Brave And Startling Truth
A Brave And Startling Truth
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All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes
All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes
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A Song Flung Up to Heaven
A Song Flung Up to Heaven
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Caged Bird
Caged Bird
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Gather Together in My Name
Gather Together in My Name
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I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
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Mom & Me & Mom
Mom & Me & Mom
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Mother, A Cradle to Hold Me
Mother, A Cradle to Hold Me
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On the Pulse of Morning
On the Pulse of Morning
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Phenomenal Woman
Phenomenal Woman
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Still I Rise
Still I Rise
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The Heart of a Woman
The Heart of a Woman
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The Lesson
The Lesson
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