I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou describes "The Store" using metaphorical language, comparing it to "an unopened present from a stranger" when it stands "alone and empty in the mornings." This figurative description...

Momma Johnson, who raised Maya and her brother Bailey, had a stand at the place where lumbermen and cotton gin workers met to go home. She later built a store for these workers in Stamps, Arkansas....

Maya makes working at the store an adventure through her vivid imagination and keen observation skills. She is fascinated by the variety of items and describes the store as a "Fun House of Things."...