Original artwork, not a still
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ‧ 1969
Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The line cynically explains the virtue of girls it calls plain as a lack of opportunities to be otherwise. This is the passage’s judgment about appearance, opportunity and virtue, not evidence about girls as a group.
Context reviewed
