Maya Angelou’s Selected Poems: A Reflection on Racism and Segregation

Abstract

This paper focuses on the issues of racism and segregation in Maya Angelou’s selected poems. As an African American, Maya Angelou in her poems and autobiographical novels demonstrates the historical, social and economic condition of her community, especially till the 1970’s. To argue on these grounds, power structure between the white and the black, or African American is also important to discuss. In this paper, six poems of Maya Angelou which are “Still I Rise”, “Caged Bird”, “Alone”, “Harlem Hopscotch”, “Phenomenal Woman” and “My Guilt” will be discussed and analyzed to discover and rediscover the themes of racism and segregation. So, this paper examines the historical reality of Maya Angelou’s community, important features, facts and information found in her poetry, along with the way of segregation in a racist society. Simultaneously, this paper explores the socio-economic context of the blacks as a base for racism and segregation and the apparent mentions of racism and segregation in Maya Angelou’s poems.