In one of Maya Angelou’s books, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the personal struggles of an African American child and woman are brought to life through poetic works. Angelou’s writing sheds glaring light on themes of feminine power, beauty, and perseverance, raising the African American Woman to a pedestal that demands respect and adoration. Throughout Angelou’s life, she has been oppressed by multiple different factors, including rape and racial bias, but she’s been lucky enough to encounter a few powerful women to bring her light through the darkness and bring her a sense of freedom. While there were many women in this book who exemplified this behavior towards Angelou, one would find that the women described as Mrs. Flowers and Momma also referred to as Annie Henderson. One would also be correct in describing these two women as part of Angelou’s religiosity.
Angelou's paternal grandmother, Momma raises her for most of their childhood and through this time shows Angelou how to be free from the oppressive powers of the world; most importantly racial bias. Momma owns the only store in the black section of Stamps, Arkansas, and it serves as the central gathering place for the black community. She has owned the store for about twenty-five years, starting it as a mobile lunch counter and eventually building the store in the heart of the black community. Not knowing that Momma was black, a judge once subpoenaed her as 'Mrs. Henderson,' which cemented her elevated status in the mind of the black community. Momma is the moral center of the family and especially of Angelou's life. Momma raises the children according to stern Christian values and strict rules. She is defined by an unshakable faith in God, her loyalty to her community, and a deep love for everything she touches. Despite the affection she feels for her grandchildren, she cares more about their well-being than her own needs, extracting them from the Stamps community when the racist pressures begin to affect Bailey negatively. While in Stamps, Momma teaches Angelou how to conduct herself around white people. She chooses her words, emotions, and battles carefully, especially when race plays a role. Momma considers herself a realist regarding race relations. She stands up for herself but believes that white people cannot be spoken to without risking one's life. When three nasty poor white children mock Momma from the yard one afternoon, Angelou watches furiously, but Momma maintains her dignity by not even acknowledging their taunts. In this instance Angelou states “Whatever the contest had been out front, I knew Momma had won.” (10/33). Though stern and not given to emotional or affectionate displays, Momma conveys the depth of her love for Angelou and Bailey throughout the book, which, in turn, provides Angelou with a sense of freedom from her racial bias in the world.
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Marguerite depicts Mrs. Flowers as a privileged person, somebody to be respected, the 'Measure of what a human being could be.' To Marguerite, the greatest nature of Mrs. Flowers is the way that this delightful, magnificent person loves her exclusively for what she is, not because she is Bailey's sister or the offspring of her grandma. This particular notion is an affirmation of Marguerite's value as a person, and it has a significant effect on the way she feels toward Mrs. Bertha Flowers. Mrs. Flowers gets to know the hesitant Marguerite, urging her to talk since, she clarifies, words must be spoken, 'It takes the human voice to infuse them with the deeper shades of meaning.' Mrs. Flowers shows this by perusing the first part of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities: It was the best of times, the worst of times...' and Marguerite is interested in the musicality of the language. She practices and improves her confidence in reading aloud so that anyone might hear, in this manner rising out of the verbal exemption brought about by her painful past. This time with Mrs. Flowers is extraordinarily hers alone, and she is ingrained with certainty while likewise adapting a portion of the social graces.
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