In chapter two of the novel required to be read by my English 1A class, Maya Angelou recalls coming home from school with her brother to find a strange car in the yard. Curiously, she goes inside to find her Uncle Willie, who is disabled due to being dropped on his head as a babe, talking to two strangers. It is widely common in the community for him to be the focus of many jokes from his peers because of his being 'lame' although he never allows it to outwardly effect him, although it is obviously does. Automatically, Maya knows something is wrong when she comes insides and it is quickly realized that what is wrong is that her Uncle is pretending not to be disabled in front of these strangers. She lets him have his moment but it stays with her forever and she feels closer to him because of the experience.
I feel as if I understand how Uncle Willie must have felt. Not because I am disabled in the same way he is, but I feel as if all of us have always wanted to be someone else for just a moment. We all want to impress others and not be seen as a disappointment or mistake. We do not want to conform to stereotypes. We want to be seen as our own independent person who is important and be respected for that. In that way, I completely understand why her uncle did as he did that day and the accomplishment he must have felt. I feel closer to Uncle Willie just as Maya did, because there were moments in my life where I have done the same thing.
Craving approval, a moment of peace, is as natural as breathing.
