I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRDS

SING
Cole McCutcheon and Connor Sapien

PATTERN
COLE
"Not only did I not feel any loyalty to my own father, I figured that if I had
been Uncle Willie's child I would have received much better treatment." 13

How do the characters within the

reading selection relate to or
interact with each other?
They all relate with each other
because they all came from the
same place.

PATTERN
CONNOR
What cause and effect relationships
are present in this reading
selection? How are they important
to the story?
Bailey had a relationship with
someone who was more than a
friend to him, but they weren't
dating. This caused his loss of
innocence.

"There he initiated girls into the mysteries of sex. One by one, he took the
impressed, the curious, the adventurous into the gray shadows, after
explaining to them that they were going to play Momma and Poppa." 147

BIG IDEA
COLE
"Until recently, each generation found it more expedient to plead guilty to
the charge of being young and ignorant." 271

What literary theme is present in

this reading selection?
The literary theme is loss of
innocence because as the story
goes on, she realizes that the real
world is nothing like being a child.

BIG IDEA
CONNOR
What conclusions can you make
based on the characters or setting
of the reading selection?
A conclusion that can be made is
that where you come from is what
defines your personality and
characteristics.

"When I was three and Bailey was four, we had arrived in the musty little
town, wearing tags on our wrists which instructed-"To Whom It May
Concern"-that we were Marguerite and Bailey Johnson Jr." 5

DETAILS
COLE
"Her African-Bush secretiveness and suspiciousness had been compounded
by slavery and confirmed by centuries of promises broken." 194

What are the most important details

of this reading selection? Why are
they important?
Somethings can not be changed
because throughout the entire story
there are beliefs and ideas that
people do not get rid of throughout
there entire life.

DETAILS
CONNOR
Provide an example of how the
author uses word connotation to
communicate a mood or tone within
this reading selection.
A major use of connotations the
author uses is using blacks and
negroes. Depending on the
situation, she could use either word
at any moment.

"Negro passengers, who always traveled with loaded lunch boxes, felt sorry
for 'the poor little mother-less darlings' and piled us with cold fried chicken
and potato salad." 5

ACROSS DISCIPLINES
COLE
If you were able to read a journal
entry from one of the characters in
this reading selection, what would
you expect to learn?
I would expect to find a different
point of view because only one point
of view is expressed during the
story.

"When I was three and Bailey four" 5

ACROSS DISCIPLINES
CONNOR
What literary devices are included in
this reading selection? How does the
author effectively?
Many characters use all similes,
metaphors, and alliterations
because they are from the Southern
part of the country. She expresses
them by using them in speech and
detail.

"Uncle Willie was holding a belt in his crippled hands as Bailey approached
the porch. 'Boy, you about to be beaten like a tire.' It seemed Bailey already
was aware of that." 113

TRENDS
COLE
Is the reading selection set in a
particular time period? What clues
from the text indicate the era?
The story set is in the early to mid
1920s because segregation and
racism was still a large part of the
American culture.

"'You know I don't treat n****r, colored people.'" 188

TRENDS
CONNOR
How does this reading selection
connect or relate to a current event?
This time period still has
segregation, although technically
they were trying to implant
integration meaning separate but
equal. There is still discrimination
going through today's society in
some part of our country and all

"'Dentist Lincoln got right uppity. Said he'd rather put his hand in a dog's
mouth. And when I reminded him of the favor, he brushed it off like a piece
of lint.'" 192

ETHICS
COLE
What stereotypes, prejudices, or
biases are present in this reading
selection?
The stereotype of this selection is
that black people are inferior to
whites because blacks were used for
all hard labor jobs.

"The poor against the rich, the worker against the worked for." 25

ETHICS
CONNOR
What is a dilemma that a character
or characters face in this reading
selection?
Marguerite, the main character was
challenged with maturing into
womanhood through the act of
puberty and popularity. She wishes
she could delay the process and
stay a ten year old for the rest of
her life, but later realizes that it has

"During my tenth year, a white woman's kitchen became my finishing

school." 105

RELATE OVER TIME

COLE
What changes did you notice within
a character from the reading
selection? Provides evidence to
support your answer.
As Bailey got older, he became
more independent and stopped
depending on his grandparents so
much.

"Bailey was leaving home for good" 260

RELATE OVER TIME

CONNOR
Is the reading selection an accurate
representation of a particular era?
The time period of the book is the
Roaring Twenties, an extremely
revolutionary time for news
inventions, ideas, and cultural
characteristics.

"We took a road trip in Daddy Bailey's brand new Cadillac down to Mexico to
pick up some grocery supplies." 227

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
COLE
How is this reading selection be
different if it took place in another
era or time period?
If it took place in another time
period, there mind sets and
dilemmas would be extremely
different.

"In our society, where Black men were able at best to eke out only the
necessities of life." 11

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Is there any missing information
that you wished was included in this
reading selection? How would this
information be helpful?
I feel like it would be more
informative if there was another
characters perspective, it would be
more informative because she may
have remembered it differently or
didn't have all of the facts. She
could have interviewed one of her
parents or grandparents, if they
were alive unfortunately, although

"It was the night of eighth grade graduation. He (Tommy Valdon) looked so
handsome in his vest and bow tie." 171

MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES
COLE
What point of view is the reading
selection told from? How would it be
different if it were told from the
perspective of another character or
narrator?
It is told from a first person point of
view and if someone else told the
story it would probably be different
because they had a different point

"When Bailey was six and I, a year younger" 10

MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES
CONNOR

"'I remember reading it back in college for my Language Degree,'"

My Mother

What might a class mate, family

member, or an adult think of this
reading selection? Explain your
answer.
I think my parents would enjoy this
reading selection because they are
intrigued by autobiographies and
historical narratives.

LANGUAGE OF THE DISCIPLINE

COLE
Does this reading selection take
place in a particular historical or
futuristic era? What clues helped
you come to this conclusion?
It takes place in the 1900s when
segregation and racism were big
and I know this because all of the
black people lived in one area, and
all of the white people lived in one

"The pleasure fled when we reached the white part of town." 25

LANGUAGE OF THE DISCIPLINE

CONNOR
Did any of the characters of this
reading selection ignore signs or
clues that may have changed the
outcome if observed?
While Bailey is entering adulthood,
Marguerite is denying maturity and
wanting to stay a child for the rest
of her life.

"Three weeks later, having thought vey little of the strange and strangely
night, I find myself pregnant." 283

RULES
COLE
How would you compare the cultural
norms of this reading selection with
the cultural norms of your world?
The cultural norms in their time
period revolved around segregation
and today, there is no such thing as
segregation anymore.

"Since there was no Negro dentist in Stamps, nor Doctor neither" 185

RULES
CONNOR
"But he threatened that if I didn't close the door, he wouldn't speak to me for
a month" 149

What genre would you classify this

reading selection? What clues from
the text support this?
This is a first-person perspective
autobiography. She uses "I" and
"myself" throughout the book to
emphasize that concept.