I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is Maya Angelou's memoir of growing up as a southern black woman in the 1930s. Angelou's diction relies on figures of speech and comparisons to paint a picture for us not only of what took place, but what it felt like. Elaborate on the reason Angelou used figures of speech within the text. Angelou wanted to connect with the reader based on emotions. Angelou wanted to connect with the reader based on assertion. Angelou did not want to connect with the reader based on emotions. Angelou was not concerned about the reader connecting to the text.