As much as we like to think we create our own identity, who we are is determined by external forces. Oppression is a powerful force that shapes identities in Maya Angelou's memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and in her poems "When I Think of Myself" and "Harlem Hopscotch." The exploitation, discrimination, and violence faced by African Americans in the mid-20th century cause Angelou's characters to have complex relationships with their identities. From childhood, racism cuts the characters off from their black identity and limits their ability to overcome dissatisfaction with their place in society. Thoughts become the primary way for characters to express their anger towards racism. The community has the ability to rebuild the characters' relationships with their race, but, ultimately, self-acceptance becomes their best tool for resisting oppression. Angelou explores the effects of oppression on identity through the lens of the African American experience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Depictions of childhood illustrate the role of racism in identity formation. Angelou uses childish motifs and structure to explain how racism takes root in the minds of black children. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the fantasy of Marguerite, the fairy godmother, shows a self-loathing that stems from racism: "...I was really white and because a cruel fairy godmother, who was naturally jealous of my beauty, had turned me into an overgrown black girl” (Angelou 4). Marguerite does not simply aspire to be white, but rather believes that whiteness is her true identity. This reveals the drastic effect of racism on Marguerite's view of herself. She is trapped in a constant state of self-consciousness that stems from her belief that she will never be adequate because she is black. Creating a fictional white version of herself grants her momentary freedom: “In a society adapted to white standards of physical beauty, the little black girl cries herself to sleep at night because of her own inadequacy. At least she can enjoy a temporary respite from the impossible dreams of whiteness” (Smith 365). Because she is a child, Marguerite cannot see that her feelings of inadequacy are created by a prejudiced society; instead, she blames herself. Self-awareness follows Marguerite throughout her life, showing the immense impact of racism faced in childhood on self-esteem. Just as Angelou uses the fantasy of the Fairy Godmother to show the effect of racism on Marguerite's childhood, Angelou uses a song-like structure in "Harlem Hopscotch" to show the effect of racism on the children of "Harlem Hopscotch.” Lines that describe the mistreatment of African Americans are intertwined with lines from a childhood song to show how children deal with racism: "One foot on the ground, then hop!" it's hot. / Good things for those who have them. / Another jump, now to the left. / Every man for himself” (Angelou 50). Children cannot understand the immense difficulties that racism will bring them. Creating a song about this ordeal helps them understand the impact of racism on their lives. The song gives them instructions for navigating their oppressive society. Because they understand how to play hopscotch, creating a game makes the prospect of facing a lifetime of racism more manageable for children. Because thePersonal identity development begins in childhood, the demonstration of internalization of racism and self-hatred in children highlights the important role that oppression plays in identity formation. The first-person narrative allows the reader to fully understand the effect of racial oppression on their sense of belonging. self. In I Know Why the Caged Bird, “When I Think of Myself,” and “Harlem Hopscotch,” the characters live by the rules of white society in order to survive. These rules force them to repress their feelings and frustrations, making it difficult to understand their true emotions. The speaker of “When I Think of Myself” conforms to the standards imposed by her white employers to earn the money she needs to live. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Marguerite lives in a southern town where African Americans are expected to tolerate disrespect, even from the lowest class of white society. “Harlem Hopscotch” presents a series of instructions that black children must follow to get by in a world rife with racism and violence. Thanks to these rules, the characters' actions do not reveal the effect of racism on their identity. Instead, inner dialogue provides this insight. The lines “I say yes ma’am” for the pleasure of working. / Too proud to bend / Too poor to break, / I laugh until my stomach hurts” (Angelou 26 years old) show how the African American woman who speaks of “When I think of myself” is trapped by her situation. The lack of respect she tolerates from her young white employer causes her emotional pain, but her financial situation and the lack of opportunities for black women prohibit her from acting on her frustration. The first-person narrative reveals the anger and disappointment she feels in herself due to her inability to change her situation. Likewise, Marguerite cannot reveal her reaction to racism because of her place in Timbre society. Observing Mom's harassment by the "powhitetrash", Marguerite sits and watches quietly from the safety of the store but thinks, "I wanted to throw a handful of laundry detergent at them, to scream that they were dirty, disgusting peckerwoods , but I knew that I was as imprisoned behind the scenes as the actors outside were confined in their roles” (Angelou 30). Marguerite recognizes the role she is forced to play as a black girl in Stamps, Arkansas, and it impairs her ability to express her anger toward racism through actions or words. Marguerite's role also prevents her from outwardly expressing the pride she takes in Mom's restraint in the face of the powhitetrash's taunts. “Through her growing racial awareness, she is able to express her observations about racism, if not out loud, then at least in thought” (Lupton 62). Marguerite's thoughts reveal how each observation of racism impacts her personal identity, either by reinforcing her self-hatred or reinforcing her pride in being black. The final lines of Harlem Hopscotch illustrate the speaker's ability to challenge the rules of the game of life simply through thought. “Both feet flat, the game is over. / They think I lost, I think I won” (Angelou 50) shows that the speaker has not physically defied the rules set by white society. “They think I lost” (Angelou, 50) makes it clear that, to the outside observer, the speaker always seems to conform to society's expectations of him. However, the speaker's thoughts break the rules of the game and reveal a positive outlook on his identity. The speaker's ability to find his own worth shows that he has not allowedto the oppression of completely undermining one's identity. In all three works, the characters' true reactions to racism are best understood through internal dialogue. A community's response to racism has a powerful influence on individual identity. Angelou includes events like the graduation scene in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to reinforce this idea. They stand out because they deviate from the main plot and do not significantly alter Marguerite's transition from child to mother or her journey from Stamps to San Francisco. Their goal is to show the importance of community in the formation of Marguerite's character. Marguerite's graduation ceremony exemplifies the collective identity of Stamps' black community. Marguerite feels hopeless after hearing the white politician's statements. “White kids were going to have a chance to become Galileos, Madame Curies, Edisons, and Gauguins, and our boys (the girls weren't even in it) would try to be Jesse Owenses and Joe Louis's” (Angelou 174 ). The politician's statements are followed by the unexpected singing of the Negro national anthem. The black pride demonstrated by this action outweighs Marguerite’s despair: “I was no longer simply a member of the proud class of 1940; I was a proud member of the wonderful and beautiful black race” (Angelou 179). This statement affirming her black identity contrasts sharply with the grief she displays moments earlier. This shows the impact her community has on her self-image. Connecting with other African Americans replaces self-hatred with pride in one’s black identity. Although not an outright protest against oppression, this community action shows Marguerite that she does not have to accept racism: “Here is the action of a member of the black community - Henry Reed improvised by leading the audience in "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" - which at the same time avoids an irreversible confrontation with the white oppressor and allows the black community to feel its dignity and superiority » (Walker 100). This moment of shared dignity strengthens the community and Marguerite as an individual. While this scene shows a community coming together in the face of oppression, “When I Think of Myself” shows a community broken by oppression. The first two stanzas address the discrimination the speaker faces, while the third stanza shows the speaker's shared experience in her community: "My parents can make me share my side, / I laughed so much that I almost died, / The stories they tell. it seems like a lie, / They grow the fruit, / But eat the rind” (Angelou 26). By showing the effect of racism on the African American collective, Angelou implies that the speaker's despair arises not only from her own mistreatment, but also from the mistreatment of her community. The speaker's broken image is, in part, a response to the way she has seen society treat her race. Personal identity changes dramatically, either positively or negatively, in response to community experiences. After a lifetime of facing racism, the characters' ability to embrace their identity gives them the strength to tolerate the oppression they will inevitably face as African Americans. Marguerite's final and most concrete role in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is motherhood. The birth of her son marks her transition from a girl stuck between childhood and adulthood to a grown woman. “Just as gratitude was confused in my mind with love, so possession was confused with motherhood. I had a baby. He was at. /.