Caged Bird Words

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In the Autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, simple words affect a lot more than one person. It affects a whole community. Depending on how words are used, can cause so much disrespect, or much respect if turned one way or the other. There are several examples of words throughout the story. One example of words in the story that was hard for Maya to understand the full meaning of was when the former sheriff comes by to warn Momma: “Annie, tell Willie he better lay low tonight. A crazy nigger messed with some white lady today. Some of the boys’ll be coming over her later” ( 18). This was the way that they were telling them to hide Maya’s uncle because the boys’ll or the Ku Klux Klan was out to kill black men. A second example

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