Overcoming Everything

Overcoming Everything

Every single person has to go through struggles in their lives. Our own problems may be big or they may small, but we will overcome them. Maya Angelou poured her life into I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She wrote about the highs and lows about her life. She wrote a lot about Mama (grandma), Uncle Willie, her brother, Bailey, real mom and dad, and others in her life. Her brother Bailey was a big factor in her life. She spoke about her experiences with racism and discrimination. Overall, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings teaches how to overcome adversity.

Maya and her brother, Bailey’s parents divorced at a young age. Bailey was four and Maya was three. Maya’s dad sent them to live with their grandma. She is the one that ended up raising them. Maya and Bailey thought that their parents abandoned them. Maya wondered why they sent her and her brother away; she thought she did something wrong. She ended up meeting her dad and her mom. I can relate to Maya and Bailey because my parents got a divorce.

Just like Maya, I questioned if I did something wrong. For a really long time, I questioned if I could have done something that would have prevented their divorce. I thought it was my fault for a long time. It took a long time to stop blaming myself. I now know that it was never my fault. My parents just were not compatible anymore. They were weighing each other down .We have to learn how to find strength.

The cotton pickers lived a very hard life. No matter how much they picked, it was never enough. Their fingers were cut by the cotton bolls and the picking demanded a lot from their backs, shoulders, arms, and legs. Even with a day of hard picking, some of them had to go home and sew their sacks under an oil lamp. They had to do this every single day. They knew they would never have enough money to support their families can learn from their strength. There are a lot of days where I do not think I will get through the day. Sometimes, it is just...