[3] ECHOES OF RESISTANCE: RECONSTRUCTING IDENTITY IN THE LITERATURE OF MAYA ANGELOU: ARTICLE INFO: Date of Submission: Mar 14, 2026, Revised: Mar 23, 2026, Accepted: Apr 2 , 2026, CrossRef d.o.i : https://doi.org/10.56815/ijmrr.v5i4.2026.25-29. HOW TO CITE: Ashok V. Tirthap, Vineeta K. Saluja & Angle Ruth shalom (2026). Echoes of Resistance: Reconstructing Identity in the Literature of Maya Angelou. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Reviews. 5(4). 25-29

Prof. Ashok V. Tirthap; Prof. (Dr.) Vineeta K. Saluja; Prof. (Dr.) Angle Ruth shalom

Authors

Prof. Ashok V. Tirthap R.C.Patel Arts Commerce and Science College, Shirpur, India.
Prof. (Dr.) Vineeta K. Saluja Mangalayatan University, Jabalpur, India.
Prof. (Dr.) Angle Ruth shalom Mangalayatan University, Jabalpur, India.

Abstract

Maya Angelou is an important part of the modern American literary discourse, expressing the themes of perseverance, identity, and
change both in verse and autobiographical prose. Located in a sociohistorical context of racial segregation, gender discrimination, and
personal trauma, the oeuvre of Angelou is not limited to the individual narrative but to the challenges of dignity and personal affirmation of self-worth of a group. This paper questions the way that Angelou uses literary expression as a way of reinventing self and fighting marginalization. The study conducts a close textual analysis of the chosen poems, especially, Caged Bird and Still I Rise, aiming to observe how the experience of oppression begins to change into the statement of strengths, agency, and hope. The paper argues that cultural change is a significant tool that the literary voice of Angelou, whose literary purpose is not simply self-expression, but instead, makes her work timelessly available in the current identity and social injustice discourses.