How does marguerite describe the cotton pickers lives in you know why caged bird sings?

Marguerite describes the cotton pickers' lives in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" as being filled with poverty, racism, and hardship. She describes the pickers as being "a people who have been dispossessed of their land, their homes, their very identity." She also describes the way in which the pickers are treated by the white landowners, who view them as nothing more than "cheap labor." Marguerite's description of the cotton pickers' lives is a powerful indictment of the racism and poverty that still existed in the United States in the mid-20th century.