The document discusses Maya Angelou's memoir "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and how migration was a defining part of her life. It shaped who she became as she moved from place to place, both voluntarily and involuntarily, from age 7 living in St. Louis to age 15 living in a junkyard in Southern California. Each move elicited an emotional response and change in her character. When forced to move in with her mother, she initially considered suicide but followed her mother's stoic example and agreed to the move uncomplainingly.