prikaz prve stranice dokumenta Racial Oppression and Trauma in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing
  Download
PDF 441.97 KB
undergraduate thesis
Racial Oppression and Trauma in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing
2021. urn:nbn:hr:142:421280
Mrkalj, Mia
Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of English Language and Literature

Cite this document

Mrkalj, M. (2021). Racial Oppression and Trauma in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing (Undergraduate thesis). Osijek: Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Retrieved from https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:421280

Mrkalj, Mia. "Racial Oppression and Trauma in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing." Undergraduate thesis, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2021. https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:421280

Mrkalj, Mia. "Racial Oppression and Trauma in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing." Undergraduate thesis, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2021. https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:421280

Mrkalj, M. (2021). 'Racial Oppression and Trauma in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing', Undergraduate thesis, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, accessed 26 February 2025, https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:421280

Mrkalj M. Racial Oppression and Trauma in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing [Undergraduate thesis]. Osijek: Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; 2021 [cited 2025 February 26] Available at: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:421280

M. Mrkalj, "Racial Oppression and Trauma in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing", Undergraduate thesis, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Osijek, 2021. Available at: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:421280

Please login to the repository to save this object to your list.
Metadata
TitleRacial Oppression and Trauma in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing
Title (croatian)Rasna opresija i trauma u Znam zašto ptice u kavezu pjevaju Maye Angelou
AuthorMia Mrkalj
MentorBiljana Oklopčić (mentor)
GranterJosip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
(Department of English Language and Literature)
Osijek
Defense date and country2021-09-23, Croatia
Scientific / art field,
discipline and subdiscipline		HUMANISTIC SCIENCES
Philology
Anglistics
Abstract
This paper focuses on the topics of racism and fight against racist oppression, as well as rape and the trauma caused by sexual violation at a young age, in Maya Angelou’s autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969). It shows the development of the main character through the hardships of her childhood. Angelou starts the narrative as an insecure child, filled with racial self-hatred and insecurities, which is discussed in the first part of this paper. Through the years, influenced by her surroundings and experiences, she learns to stand up for herself and fight racial discrimination. Firstly, she observes the people around her in their fight against racism, then she slowly discovers her own voice and, finally, actively stands up for her rights without violence or rage. Angelou also gains confidence and comes to terms with her identity. She becomes proud of her race and finds comfort in her own skin. In the second part of the paper, Angelou’s rape is described, as well as the consequences of this event on her development as a young woman. The author speaks of her muteness and the guilt that followed her for years after the incident, but also of her healing and learning to express herself through words. In the last part of the paper, the final chapters of the book are interpreted. In these chapters, Angelou describes her quest for her sexual identity and her teenage pregnancy. These events are the last steps on her way to adulthood, womanhood, and motherhood.
Keywords
Languageenglish
URN:NBNurn:nbn:hr:142:421280
Study programmeTitle: English Language and Literature (double major)
Study programme type: university
Study level: undergraduate
Academic / professional title: sveučilišni/a prvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) engleskoga jezika i književnosti (sveučilišni/a prvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) engleskoga jezika i književnosti)
Study programmeTitle: German Language and Literature (double major)
Study programme type: university
Study level: undergraduate
Academic / professional title: sveučilišni/aprvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) njemačkoga jezika i književnosti (sveučilišni/aprvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) njemačkoga jezika i književnosti)
Type of resourceText
File originBorn digital
Access conditionsOpen access
Terms of useLicence In copyright icon
Created on2022-03-05 13:23:35