<P> In the course of Caged Bird, Maya, who has been described as "a symbolic character for every black girl growing up in America", goes from being a victim of racism with an inferiority complex to a self - aware individual who responds to racism with dignity and a strong sense of her own identity . Feminist scholar Maria Lauret states that the "formation of female cultural identity" is woven into the book's narrative, setting Maya up as "a role model for Black women". Scholar Liliane Arensberg calls this presentation Angelou's "identity theme" and a major motif in Angelou's narrative . Maya's unsettled life in Caged Bird suggests her sense of self "as perpetually in the process of becoming, of dying and being reborn, in all its ramifications". African - American literature scholar Dolly McPherson agrees, stating that Angelou creatively uses Christian mythology and theology to present the Biblical themes of death, regeneration, and rebirth . </P> <P> As Lauret indicates, Angelou and other female writers in the late 1960s and early 1970s used autobiography to reimagine ways of writing about women's lives and identities in a male - dominated society . Up until this time, Black women were not depicted realistically in African - American fiction and autobiography, meaning that Angelou was one of the first Black autobiographers to present, as Cudjoe put it, "a powerful and authentic signification of (African - American) womanhood in her quest for understanding and love rather than for bitterness and despair". Lauret sees a connection between Angelou's autobiographies, which Lauret calls "fictions of subjectivity" and "feminist first - person narratives", and fictional first - person narratives (such as The Women's Room by Marilyn French and The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing) written during the same period . As French and Lessing do in their novels, Angelou employs the narrator as protagonist and depends upon "the illusion of presence in their mode of signification". </P> <P> As a displaced girl, Maya's pain is worsened by an awareness of her displacement . She is "the forgotten child", and must come to terms with "the unimaginable reality" of being unloved and unwanted; she lives in a hostile world that defines beauty in terms of whiteness and that rejects her simply because she is a Black girl . Maya internalizes the rejection she has experienced--her belief in her own ugliness was "absolute". McPherson believes that the concept of family, or what she calls "kinship concerns", in Angelou's books must be understood in the light of the children's displacement at the beginning of Caged Bird . Being sent away from their parents was a psychological rejection, and resulted in a quest for love, acceptance, and self - worth for both Maya and Bailey . </P> <P> Angelou uses her many roles, incarnations, and identities throughout her books to illustrate how oppression and personal history are interrelated . For example, in Caged Bird, Angelou demonstrates the "racist habit" of renaming African Americans, as shown when her white employer insists on calling her "Mary". Angelou describes the employer's renaming as the "hellish horror of being' called out of (one's) name"'. Scholar Debra Walker King calls it a racist insult and an assault against Maya's race and self - image . The renaming emphasizes Maya's feelings of inadequacy and denigrates her identity, individuality, and uniqueness . Maya understands that she is being insulted and rebels by breaking Mrs. Cullinan's favorite dish, but feels vindicated when, as she leaves her employer's home, Mrs. Cullinan finally gets her name right . Another incident in the book that solidifies Maya's identity is her trip to Mexico with her father, when she has to drive a car for the first time . Contrasted with her experience in Stamps, Maya is finally "in control of her fate". This experience is central to Maya's growth, as is the incident that immediately follows it, her short period of homelessness after arguing with her father's girlfriend . These two incidents give Maya a knowledge of self - determination and confirm her self - worth . </P>

What does the poem i know why the caged bird sings about