“World Champion” is a chapter from a play called I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. It tells the story of a boxing event and describes what African American life was like in the early 1900s. The nineteenth chapter of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou begins in a town of Arkansas in the late 1930s. The African-American community is huddled and entirely gathered in and outside of a store owned by the author's grandmother and uncle to keep up with each other. 'a boxing match in progress via the radio. The match features a white contender against current heavyweight titleholder Joe Louis. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayJoe Louis, also known as the “Brown Bomber,” was “a hero to black people” at a time when Prejudice against people of color was widespread. Given this, Louis winning the match and retaining his heavyweight title would be a proud and empowering moment for black men and their families. Maya Angelou, in the chapter "World Champion", tells a short story about listening to a boxing match between a black man and a white man to highlight the thoughts of a person in the black community affected by racial prejudice in a white society at the time. The writer uses dialogue and quotes to accurately describe how the fight, piece by piece, was described and the reactions of those around him to each part of it. Before the fight begins and as everyone settles in, many comments are made about the confidence everyone has in Joe Louis winning this match. “I’m not worried about this fight. Joe’s gonna whip that cracker like it’s open season,” someone says. The fight, much to their dismay, begins with “a quick blow to the head” to Louis. Louis tries to “punch his way through” and ultimately pushes his opponent away. After a few back and forths, Louis found himself pinned again and “the pretender continued to rain blows on Louis” despite the referee trying to stop him. Just when it looks like Louis is losing the round, Angelou anxiously and effectively sheds light on the bigger one. photo because it gives relevant examples for the reader to understand their feeling towards the match. She begins her response to Louis' condition with "My race groaned." It was our people who were falling.” She goes on to mention common atrocities that black individuals fear facing to effectively describe how the loss of Louis represents something bigger: lynching, black women being raped, black boys being "whipped and mutilated", and White people violent and discriminatory towards black people in many cases. in other ways. The room gets heavy as everyone imagines Joe Louis losing the heavyweight title. Angelou weighingly compares it to his defeat until the end of the world and his return to slavery. She describes the many ways in which black individuals are characterized and described by racism, “…inferior types of human beings.” Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Personalized Essay Only a little higher than monkeys. It is true that we were stupid, ugly, lazy and dirty and, unfortunately and worse still, that God himself hated us...”. A white man taking back victory from a black man meant yet another way for whites to show their dominance and strength over »..”