'How could an eight-year-old contain that much...'
- Joanna - Novel Insights
- Mar 13
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 3
I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS
by Maya Angelou
In this, the first of seven autobiographies, Maya Angelou revisits her childhood. At the age of three she and her brother Bailey (aged four) are, without explanation, put on a train by their father and sent to live with their father's mother. For several years they have no direct contact with their parents and often wonder what they did that was so awful their parents gave them away. One day, out of the blue, their father arrives, prompting deep anxiety in Maya and Bailey. When he announces his intention to take them away from their grandmother to meet their mother they become overwhelmed. In this extract, the adult Maya reflects on the impact of this announcement on her young brother:
"How could an eight-year-old contain that much fear? He swallows and holds it behind his tonsils, he tightens his feet and closes the fear between his toes, he contracts his buttock and pushes it up behind the prostate gland."
Bailey's young body is flooded with fear, a natural reaction to his sense of impending danger. However, as a child, his options for action are limited. He is at the mercy of the adults around him and has little - if any - agency to influence the situation. Just as a vulnerable animal may freeze to avoid attracting attention or provoking a potential aggressor, so Bailey finds a way to contain his inner turmoil.
When we sense danger our bodies spontaneously release hormones. Our hearts pound and our muscles tense. Once the danger has passed, our bodies return to a resting state.
Anyone experiencing repeated exposure to actual (or perceived) danger can find themselves existing in an ongoing state of hyper vigilance.
Over time, if left unaddressed, this can take not only an emotional toll but a physical one too, as muscles that are rarely allowed to relax can hinder the body's ability to function smoothly.
I was lucky enough to hear MA speak at a conference in the US many years ago, she was as insightful in person as she had always been in her writings. I love your analysis of this piece. That degree of fear when you are young will never be forgotten but if dealt with properly in later life can be resolved.
This extract reminds me of a time when, as a child picking flowers in a wood, I disturbed a snake. The snake fled but I froze in terror, so unexpected was the experience. I had forgotten it with the passage of time, but the description of Bailey's fear brought that moment back vividly. Do those events ever leave our memories?
very thought provoking