Analysis Of Systematic Oppression Of Slavery In My Brother Bailey And Kay Francis

Systematic Oppression of Slavery In “My Brother Bailey and Kay Francis,” a snippet from autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, author Maya Angelou and her brother Bailey face the challenges of segregation and the abandonment of their parents while growing up in Stamps, Arkansas. Their sense of identity is tarnished through incidents of racial discrimination and the historical conditions of this time period and location further depict the tone of this story. Throughout their lives, racism towards blacks during this time period is evermore present and is the main cause of Angelou and Bailey’s struggle to find security in their identity. After being sent away by their mother, Angelou and Bailey stay with their grandmother

This constant moving around also has a huge impact on how she identifies herself. With no place to call home and no stable family, how is one supposed to feel secure? If racial segregation and separation isn’t enough, Angelou also had to deal with separation in her family and communities. However, these challenges also make her much stronger in the end and she becomes a proud and secure with who she is and what she is. At the end of her final scene at graduation, Maya states that she "was a proud member of the wonderful, beautiful Negro race" (Angelou, 156).

Overall, Angelou and Bailey struggle throughout their childhood to find a sense of belonging in their communities, family, and identity. The racism towards blacks during this time period is evermore present in this story and is the main cause of their struggle to find security in their identity. However, this further drives them to find security in themselves and who they are and gives them the strength and mental fortitude to stand up to their