Conductorette Close Reading Worksheet
Close Reading & Analysis WWII-Era San Francisco
Occupation: Conductorette
from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Name:
Date:
Period:
Historical Context & Focus
In early 1940s wartime San Francisco, women were hired for defense jobs, yet the Market Street Railway Company strictly barred African Americans from public transit positions. As you read, annotate for Author’s Perspective, Historical Barriers, Tone & Diction, and pause at Prediction Checkpoints.
Annotation Guide: ★ P = Prediction / Evidence ★ T = Tone / Strong Word Choice ★ B = Social / Racial Barrier
Part I: The Desire & The Office
Lines 1–28
1 I decided that what I needed was a job on the San Francisco streetcars. Not as a conductor, for conductoring had prestige and took a deal of know-how, but as a conductorette. The women who wore the dark blue uniforms with change makers slung around their hips looked daring and independent. They stood on the back platforms of the cars in all kinds of weather, ringing up fares and swinging aboard with effortless agility.
8 When I told Mother of my ambition, she looked at me steadily. "They don't take Negroes on the streetcars," she said quietly. But seeing my jaw set, she added: "Well, go ahead and try. But understand, you'll have to fight."
13 The receptionist at the Market Street Railway Company office looked like a caricature of ice. Her skin was powdered pale, and her smile was frozen at the edges. When I asked for an application, her pencil paused. "We don’t have any openings today," she murmured without looking directly at my face.
20 "I saw the sign in the window," I insisted, my voice holding firm against the cold dismissal in the room. "The sign says Conductorettes Wanted." The receptionist’s voice turned brittle. "Those are for experienced applicants only." I had never touched a streetcar fare-box, but neither had any of the farm-fresh white girls who had migrated to the city only weeks prior.
1. Tone & Word Choice (L. 1–6)
Why does Angelou emphasize words like "daring," "independent," and "effortless agility"? What does this reveal about her teenage view of the job?
2. Prediction Checkpoint (L. 8–12)
Based on Mother's reaction ("...you'll have to fight"), predict: How will Maya respond to her first obstacle?
3. Perspective & Context (L. 20–27)
Contrast Maya's observation of the "farm-fresh white girls" with her treatment. What unwritten societal rule is being exposed here?
Checkpoint Met: Initial Prediction Formulated Contextual Barrier Identified
Page 1 of 2
Part II & Analysis
Perseverance & The Outcome
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Excerpt: The Battle of Wills
Lines 29–54
29 For three weeks, I sat in the company's waiting room. I went every morning at eight-thirty and stayed until five. The receptionist learned my face, then learned to look right through it as if I were glass. When other girls were handed forms, I sat erect, hands folded in my lap, refusing to be erased.
37 Mother drove me every morning and picked me up every evening. She never asked if I wanted to quit; she only replenished my spirit with hot soup and sharp, tactical counsel. "Life is going to give you what you fight for," she told me. Finally, the agency supervisor called my name, irritated by my stubborn presence. Three days later, after exams and a physical test, I was hired.
46 I became the first Black person to work on the San Francisco streetcars. My uniform arrived, stiff and dark blue. I wore it like an armored suit. When I stepped onto the 7-Haight car for my first shift at 4:00 A.M., the city was still wrapped in Pacific fog, but the dawn was unquestionably mine.
4. Metaphor & Tone (L. 46–50)
Analyze the metaphor: "I wore it like an armored suit." How has the meaning of the uniform transformed since the beginning?
5. Prediction Reflection
Look back at your prediction on Page 1. Did Maya's perseverance match your expectations? What character trait proved decisive?
Synthesis & Deep Analysis Respond in complete sentences using textual evidence
Question A (Author's Perspective & Evolving Attitude): How does Angelou's attitude toward the job shift from an idealistic teenage fascination (glamour of the uniform) to a mature realization of civil rights resistance? Cite one specific line.
Question B (Historical & Social Barriers): Angelou describes the receptionist treating her as though she were "glass." How does this interaction represent the subtle, systemic racism African Americans faced in Northern/Western cities during WWII, despite the wartime push for democracy?
Self-Check: Evidence cited from both excerpts Historical context addressed
Page 2 of 2
