Peacee out

Wzuup?!???

This week we were given some background information to deeply understand the book; mostly links to the communities Maya lived in and a story about segregation in USA. But since Maya Angelou already describes the environment pretty well the information wasn’t that pleasing - although if you don’t know anything about segregation it might be harder to fully appreciate the book.

The time and place is really relevant to the story: It takes place in a segregated racial prejudiced USA during the Great Depression in the 30’s – which pretty much decides the directions of Maya’s life. Her family situation, their financial struggles, the racism and sexism, that characterizes her confident and developing capacity, are all bounded to this hard times.

Obviously there is a lot of racism, sexism and financial recessions going on in the world today as well – even in Sweden. There are a lot of children that are being sexually abused by someone in their family; many women – all women at some occasion in their life; we dare to say – are still oppressed; 1 billion people are living on less than one dollar every day. But by struggling and speaking out loud for all peoples’ rights we have managed to reduce the hate and injustices – and hopefully some day we can all live in peace.

// Linnea N, Pernilla, John and Tina.

a trip to California

Wzup blogreaders?


Since the last time we discussed the book there have been a few drastic changes in the plot. Margaret, the main character, who together with her older brother Bailey lived with their grandmother, met her father after four years. He came to pick them up so they could live with their mother in St Louis, California.

This was the first time Margaret saw her mother and she admired her beauty. But the mother had a boyfriend, Mr Freeman, who stayed in the same house, and one night when Margaret was sleeping in her mothers bed, Mr Freeman sexually abused her. This happened one or two more times, but Margaret didn't dare to tell anyone because he treathened to kill her brother. She didn't think that what Mr Freeman did was something wrong, she just thought he cared for her.


The last time he abused her he raped her and she got very sick for a couple of weeks. She didn't tell anyone why but when her brother changed her bed they found her soiled panties that Mr Freeman had hid under the matress. Bailey said she had to tell who did this to her and promised that Mr Freeman wouldn't be able to kill him.


There was a trial and Mr Freeman was sentenced to one year and one day in prison but his lawyer got him released the same day. But in the evening a policeman came to their house. "Freeman's been found dead on the lot behind the slaughterhouse. Seems like he was dropped there. Some say he was kicked to death."


When Maya heard about this she blamed herself, thinking that her words were like poison, and decided to stop talking to anyone except her brother whoom she was sure she would never be able to hurt. Either her Californian relatives got tired of her or Momma (her grandmother that raised her) sent for her but after just one year in St. Louis she and Bailey went back to Stamps.


Maya comes out to be a shy and insecure little girl who believes in everything her brother or older people tell her. Everytime someone is angry with her she blames herself. She is black, has dark curly hair and isn't pretty at all. Bailey is the number one person in her life and seems to be the only person that she really trusts. She got her nickname Maya because Bailey called her "Mya Sister" instead of Margaret and later that also became to long and was changed to just "Maya".
 
XOXO
Tina, Pernilla and Linnea N

a squeezed lemon

Wzup blogreaders?

After reading the beginning of the book we expected it to be a book about growing up as a young, black girl in Arkansas. We expected it to be a biography.



We actually don’t think that the author gave any specific background information about the characters in the book, we hope to learn more about them as we read. There are a lot of jumps in the story, perhaps it’s because it’s a biography, meaning that she can’t tell everything that happens, she has to sort out the most important and interesting parts. This makes the book a bit confusing and difficult to us.

Maya Angelou

The author of the book is the narrator of the book and also the main character. She wants to spread the story about her life around the world so that black people can be inspired and white people more understanding. Everybody should know how living in a society embossed with segregation is like.

We think the crucial issue of the book is the black people’s part in the society, and the main characters lack of parents. In the book she feels that she gets mistreated a lot of time and she keeps thinking that she must do something about it.


The main character of the book is the author, Maya Angelou. We think that she is a girl with a lot of opinions, but being a black girl in that society makes it difficult for her to express them. When reading the book you automatically start feeling sympathy for the main character. After reading the first 48 pages of the book she has yet to accomplish anything, however we are sure that she will.


The book takes place in the 1930’s in a small town in Arkansas. She lives with her brother, uncle and grandmother and they run a store together.


Last but not least the way she described how she peed in her pants really caught or attention.
- A green persimmon, or it could have been a lemon, caught me between the legs and squeezed.
Metafors like this is something the author uses very often and it’s quite funny.

XOXO
Pernilla, Tina, John, Linnea N and (Louisa)