Volume VI Special Issue I January 2026

Name of Author : Dr. Lisa Pavithran

Title of the paper : From Silence to Song: A Fanonian Reading of Decolonised Selfhood in Maya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Abstract: Maya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1969 is an autobiographical work that tells the story of her early life, from childhood to young adulthood, and her struggle to find identity, dignity, and freedom in a racist and patriarchal society. Growing up as a Black girl in the American South, Maya faces racism, poverty, and sexual abuse. These experiences lead her into years of silence, during which she internalizes shame and loss. Through literature, the love of her family, and the mentorship of strong Black people, Maya gradually learns to reclaim her voice and self worth, symbolically transforming from the silent caged bird to one who sings. This seminar paper explores the trajectory of decolonised selfhood in Maya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings through the lens of Frantz Fanons postcolonial psychoanalytic theory. Drawing on Fanons concepts of internalised oppression, racial alienation, and the struggle toward self affirmation, the paper examines Angelous autobiographical narrative as a journey from enforced silence to liberated expression. Her journey from silence to song symbolises a collective assertion of black womanhood and an act of healing through narrative re voicing.

Keywords : decolonization, epidermalisation, white gaze, racism, blackness

DOI :

Page Number : 22-25