“World Champion” is a chapter from a piece titled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. It tells the story of a boxing event and describes what it was like to be African American in the early 1900s. The nineteenth chapter of Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings begins in an Arkansas town in the late 1930s. The African American community is completely huddled and crammed in and out of a store owned by the author's grandmother and uncle to stay updated via radio on a boxing match in progress. The match features a white contender against the current heavyweight title holder, Joe Louis. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Joe Louis, also known as the “Brown Bomber,” was “a hero to black people” in an era when prejudice against black people was widespread. Considering this, Louis winning the match and retaining the heavyweight title would be a moment of pride and strength for black men and their families. Maya Angelou in the chapter “Champion of the World,” tells a short story about listening to a boxing match between a black man and a white man to highlight the thoughts of someone from the black community affected by racial prejudice in a white society at the time . The writer uses dialogue and quotes to accurately portray how the fight was described, play by play, and the reactions around her to each part of it. Before the fight begins and as everyone settles in, a lot of comments are made in the shop about how confident everyone is in Joe Louis' victory in this match. “I'm not worried about this fight. Joe will whip that cracker like it's open season,” someone says. The fight, to their dismay, begins with "A quick headshot" to Louis. Louis tries to "fight his way out" and ultimately pushes his challenger away. After some back and forth, Louis is cornered again and "the contestant continues to rain blows on Louis" despite the referee trying to stop him. When it appears that Louis is losing the round, Angelou anxiously and effectively makes light of the larger situation. image because it provides recognizable examples for the reader to understand his feeling towards the match. He begins his response to Louis' condition with “My race groaned. It was our people who fell." He goes on to mention the common atrocities that black individuals fear facing to effectively describe how Louis' loss represents something bigger: lynching, raped black women, "whipped and mutilated" black boys, and whites who are violent and discriminatory towards blacks in many cases. other ways. The room grows heavy as everyone imagines Joe Louis losing the heavyweight title. Angelou sadly compares her defeat to the end of the world and returning to slavery. It describes the many ways in which Black individuals are characterized and described by racism, "...inferior types of human beings. Please note: This is just one example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Only a little taller than monkeys. It is true that we were stupid and ugly and lazy and dirty and, unfortunate and worst of all, that God himself hated us..." way white people would be able to show dominance and strength over the blacks. The fight becomes intense. Louis acts quickly, reacts and wins! “Champion of the world. A black boy. He was the strongest man in the world”. in and around the shop eating and drinking”..”