In chapter 23 of the memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou, a famed and achieved writer, assumes both a celebratory and somber tone to reveal how African-Americans are brought down but their spirits are always lifted by each other. That reveal is brought about by Angelou through the use of despairing and uplifting diction.
Initially, Angelou uses despairing diction to show how African-Americans were brought down by whites belittling them. For example, Angelou uses very gloomy words to describe an atmosphere created at Ritie’s graduation, “Graduation, the… time of frills and gifts… was finished before my name was called. The accomplishment was nothing” (Angelou 180). The use of the words with negative connotation emphasizes the
