In the story I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Mrs. Flowers’s actions when Margueritevisitsprove to Marguerite that someone cares about her. When someone cares about you, your self-esteem is built and you have a sense of worth. This is what happens to Marguerite when she visits Mrs. Flowers.I noticed thata central action of Mrs. Flowers was the baking of cookies for Marguerite. She had made them “expressly” for Marguerite. (P. 37)In other words,when Marguerite received the cookies, she realized that Mrs. Flowers was someone that cared enough about her to go to the trouble of baking something special for her. Marguerite probably had never had someone do this for her before, so I’m sure she appreciated the special cookies.In another case, Mrs. Flowers’s action of giving books to Marguerite helped Marguerite to learn the importance of words. We knew that Marguerite valued this action because she said that “death would be too kind and brief” a punishment if she damaged these books. (P. 36)Mrs. Flowers knew that Marguerite was having a hard time speaking up in class, so when she gave Marguerite the books, she asked her to read them aloud. Mrs. Flowers knew that this would help Marguerite learn to speak better. Again, this proved that Mrs. Flowers cared about Marguerite. So in this way, the things that Mrs. Flowers did for Marguerite helped Marguerite to become a better person. She felt better about herself because someone cared enough to help her.
Just like in the story, I have also experienced having a person who helped me learn “lessons in living.” It was my grandfather who became my “Mrs. Flowers.” By that I mean that he helped me to improve just like Mrs. Flowers helped Marguerite. My grandfather told me that I needed to learn how to “read” people. Reading people means that I need to be aware of what others are thinking before I make remarks to them. Therefore, in the same way that Mrs. Flowers’s actions affected Marguerite when Marguerite visited her, my grandfather’s words of wisdom affected me. We both became better people because someone cared about us.
In the excerpt from I Know Why the Caged BirdSings by Maya Angelou, Marguerite went through many changes as a result of her meetings with Mrs. Flowers. When I say that Marguerite changed, I mean that she became more social, more upbeat, and more expressive. Her shyness became a thing of the past. The change in Marguerite came about gradually; this was first noticed when Mrs. Flowers made cookies for Marguerite. When Marguerite realizes that the cookies were made “expressly” for her, her self-concept began to change. (P. 407)This meant that Marguerite appreciated the fact that Mrs. Flowers went to all the work of making cookies just for her; this had probably never happened to her before. When people go out of their way to do something special for others, it makes others feel valued and loved. One’s self esteem grows in relation to this sense of value.One thing mentioned in the passage was that Mrs. Flowers read to Marguerite. Mrs. Flowers knew that this was a weak area for Marguerite, so she demonstrated how she wanted the words to “cascade” from Marguerite’s mouth. (P. 407)This demonstration probably showed Marguerite how important it is to use words for expression. This had been a problem according to Marguerite’s teachers. When Mrs. Flowers said that “it is language alone which separates [man] from the lower animals,” she was stressing the importance of communication. (P.406) Marguerite decided to change as a result of this lesson in life. She ran home full of excitement, so we can expect that she will practice the vocal lessons suggested by Mrs. Flowers.Thus, changes can be anticipated as a result of the meetings. Marguerite’s self-esteem has been raised, she feels encourages, and there is every hope that she will now be able to communicate better in school.
This change that Marguerite experienced reminds me of one I also experienced. I had a softball coach who did his best to encourage me to perform at my best level. He explained that softball was a mental game and not just a physical game. His encouraging statements still ring in my head as I enter each game. I am sure that Marguerite still hears the words of encouragement from Mrs. Flowers just like I can still hear the voice of my inspiring coach.Therefore, words of inspiration can bring results when people like Mrs. Flowers helps to change shy individuals like Marguerite, and they can come from meetings with understanding coaches who deliver messages of encouragement to aspiring softball players.
In the excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, MargueritevisitedMrs. Flowers whose actionsproved to Marguerite that someone thought she was special. People feel special when others take the time to talk to them and listen to their responses, and they feel special when other go out of their way to do things for them.To begin with, Mrs. Flowers invited Marguerite to her house and served her lemonade and lemon cookies which she had baked “expressly” for Marguerite. (P. 37)To me this meant that Mrs. Flowers wanted to go out of her way to make Marguerite feel important. It takes a lot of work to bake cookies, so when Mrs. Flowers did this, it meant that Marguerite was someone who deserved this effort.In another case, Mrs. Flowers helped Marguerite when she gave her books to read out loud. She wanted her to read the sentences and make them “sound in as many different ways as possible.” (P. 36)This proves that Mrs. Flowers wanted Marguerite to improve because she knew that Marguerite was not speaking up in school. If Marguerite would read the books out loud, then she might be able to speak up when asked questions in school.Thus, Mrs. Flowers’s actions of baking cookies to make Marguerite feel special and giving her books to read to improve her ability to speak aloud demonstrated that Mrs. Flowers wanted to help Marguerite.
This reminds me of the way that my grandmother helps me out. Just like Mrs. Flowers, my grandmother is aware of the way that I am feeling. She knows how to calm me down when my temper takes over and makes me want to get in a fight. Knowing that someone cares about me enough to give me “lessons in living” makes me feel wanted and needed.(P. 37) Therefore, it is easy for me to understand how Mrs. Flowers’s actions toward Marguerite proves that she cared about her. I get the same feeling when I visit my grandmother. She makes me feel special in the same way that Marguerite must feel special when she is around Mrs. Flowers.