An Analysis of Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" Maya Angelou's I Know Why Caged Bird Sings illustrates how an innocent and naive girl growing up in the midst of the Great Depression overcomes life's many obstacles and becomes the powerful and influential woman she is today. Maya is a world renowned author, teacher, speaker, actress, and mother. Through this autobiographical piece, Maya's use of figurative language and allusion compounds her thoughts, as she depicts how one can supersede the expected barriers and soar to new heights.. In chapters 14 and 15 of the book, Maya's usage of figur