Chapter 5 - I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read - Suggestions for Writing: Prose is highly critical of the quality of both I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and To Kill a Mockingbird. If you have read either, write an evaluation of her criticism of the book. Pay particular attention to the quotations she selects; is she setting up a straw man—that is, an argument that can be easily refuted?