Read the passage from "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps.
She had the grace of control to appear warm in the
coldest weather, and on the Arkansas summer days it
seemed she had a private breeze which swirled around,
cooling her. She was thin without the taut look of wiry
people, and her printed voile dresses and flowered hats
were as right for her as denim overalls for a farmer. She
was our side's answer to the richest white woman in
town.
The author's purpose in including this passage is to
O explain to the reader the way people dressed in Black
Stamps
O instruct the reader on the local customs in Black
Stamps.
O inform the reader of Mrs. Flowers's social position in
Black Stamps
O teach the reader how Mrs. Flowers's fashion affected
Black symps.