Marguerite the young Maya Angelou in the story I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings was expected to recite the next time she visits Mrs Flower. Mrs Flower told Marguerite the importance of speaking even if she is mute. Mrs Flower lends her books so she can practice.
This portrayal is depicted in the image of the child who, although dead, lifts his fists, as a sign of resistance. Thanks to the oppression, the child is dead in his mother's arms, "with a bullet through his brain". But thanks to the people's undying urge for freedom, he isn't dead after all. He lives in their memories. He lives as a symbol of their desire to break free and their resistance to brutality and tyranny.
