Intersectionality and Gender-Based Violence in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

The concepts of race, gender and class are examined in the processes of defining and experiencing gender-based violence in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Through the storyline view of an African American woman facing systematic oppression, it is visualized in the narrative of Angelou that there exist other identities that make people more susceptible to violence, marginalization, and exclusion. There is a rich existing literature on the themes of perseverance and survival; however, it is not clear how the factors of race, gender, and class of Angelou affected the nature of oppression she suffered. This study seeks to fill this gap. It shows how such external factors as racism, sexism, and poverty have aggravated the problems she faces, often resulting in the disappearance of her voice and experiences. In elaborating these dynamics, this paper goes on to add credit in its argument that the story of Angelou is not only limited to the issues of her lifetime but that of other types of injustice towards other groups as well. Also, this analysis helps us to understand better the nature of the complexity that lay in the GBV accounts from Angelou’s works, showing how literature can be employed as a means for amplifying voices. In the end, this investigation not only demonstrates the strength of Angelou but addresses the obligation of the struggle against the root causes of violence and violence in silence and in the silence of the suppressed.

Keywords: Intersectionality, Gender-Based Violence, Marginalization, African American Women, Identity