John: completely unrelated: i have not read "i know why the caged bird sings" and don't know if the answer is Hope, or, because it's a mindless instinct-driven automaton.
Will: yeah
Will: at parties, you'll want to avoid the second answer
John: Noted.
Will:     "I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
    When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,
    When he beats his bars and would be free;
    It is not a carol of joy or glee,
    But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
    But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings -
    I know why the caged bird sings. 
Will: "because he was framed by white pigs in philadelphia" is also an accurate but inappropriate-for-socializing answer