Her Silent Years

My collage represents the 1969 novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. The autobiography focuses on her early child years leading to her adulthood. Maurguerite Annie Johnson, later changed to Maya Angelou, was born in 1928 and by the age of 8 she was a victim of sexual assault. Her rapist did go to jail, but only for a day. The day after he was released, he was murdered. She believed her voice killed the man, because she told her brother what the man did to her. Angelou fell into a deep depression and she became mute for nearly 5 years. She promised herself she would never speak again, and thought her voice would kill anyone. In her young adulthood she participated in prostitution and hardcore drugs. She was yet healed from her situation in her early childhood. Little did she know her life was destined to utilize her voice and share her story. She eventually overcame her fears, and when she decided to speak out she healed million of young girls, and women within society.

My collage represents Maya's story as a victim of sexual assault and the images incorporated tell her story.