Read the passage from “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
Mrs. Flowers had known that I would be embarrassed and that was even worse. I picked up the groceries and went out to wait in the hot sunshine. It would be fitting if I got a sunstroke and died before they came outside. Just dropped dead on the slanting porch.
There was a little path beside the rocky road, and Mrs. Flowers walked in front swinging her arms and picking her way over the stones.
She said, without turning her head, to me, "I hear you're doing very good school work, Marguerite, but that it's all written. The teachers report that they have trouble getting you to talk in class." We passed the triangular farm on our left and the path widened to allow us to walk together. I hung back in the separate unasked and unanswerable questions.
"Come and walk along with me, Marguerite." I couldn't have refused even if I wanted to.
Although Marguerite’s thoughts tell the reader directly that she was embarrassed, her actions let the reader infer that she was also
feeling ashamed and humiliated. This is evident in her desire to avoid contact with others and her wish to die before they see her in such a state. Additionally, her reluctance to walk with Mrs. Flowers and her hesitation in asking unanswerable questions indicate her discomfort and unwillingness to engage in conversation.
feeling resentful and angry. Marguerite expresses her embarrassment by picking up the groceries and waiting outside in the hot sunshine. She even imagines a dramatic scenario where she gets a sunstroke and dies before the others come outside. These actions suggest that she is ashamed and wants to distance herself from the situation.
However, Marguerite's thoughts and actions also reveal underlying feelings of resentment and anger. When Mrs. Flowers approaches her and mentions that she has trouble speaking in class, Marguerite hangs back, keeping distance between them and remaining silent. This reaction implies that Marguerite is unwilling to engage in conversation with Mrs. Flowers, possibly due to her frustration or anger towards the situation or those involved.
Overall, Marguerite's actions and thoughts in this passage convey a mix of embarrassment, resentment, and anger.