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24 J. Legal Ethical & Regul. Isses 1 (2021)
Embodiment of Caged Women in Marginalised Black Community: A Study on Maya Angelou's Poetry

handle is hein.journals/jnlolletl24 and id is 2314 raw text is: Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues EMBODIMENT OF CAGED WOMEN IN MARGINALISED BLACK COMMUNITY: A STUDY ON MAYA ANGELOU'S POETRY Sayed M. Ismail, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University Bibin Sam C., Sivanthi Aditanar College ABSTRACT Maya Angelou had often been identified with the Caged Bird of her poems. A victim of male patriarchal society and belonging to the racially, marginalised black community, her life had been one ofpain; and suffering. Angelou's flair for poetry became her saving grace and gave her the much needed therapeutic support. According to Greek mythology, the Philomela or the nightingale is a song bird that sings of woes and anguish in full throated melody. As the legend goes this rather non-descript bird had been a beautiful girl by name, Philomela. Keywords: Caged Bird, Male Patriarchal Society, Melody, Marginalised Black Community INTRODUCTION Philomela was the daughter of King Pandion of Athens. She had a sister Procne; who was married to Tereus, the son of King Ares of Daulis in Phocis. She bore Tereus a son, Itys. Tereus wished to marry his sister-in-law Philomela and so he concealed Procne in the country and told Philomela, she was dead. Then having married Philomela, he cut out her tongue (according to other versions of the myth, he raped Philomela and did not marry her). Philomela however, soon learned the truth and made it known to her sister by a few words woven in to a garment. Procne thereupon slew Itys and served his flesh to Tereus. The sisters fled, pursued by Tereus. They appealed to the Gods and their prayer was heard. According to Ovid's Metamorphosis 565, Procne became the swallow, Philomela the nightingale and Tereus a hawk. The nightingale therefore came to symbolise women who had undergone similar situations in life. Angelou too experienced a transformation from Philomela to the nightingale as a result of bitter incidents in her life. The story of Angelou can be summed up in the words of June Jordan, I am the history of rape/I am the history of the rejection of who I am/I am the history of the terrorized incarceration of myself' (qtd. in Nair 24). Angelou's songs about herself are a celebration of freedom of speech, after a period of self-inflicted incarceration and isolation. This was due to her rape at the age of seven by her mother's boyfriend, Freeman while she was living in St. Louis. This violent incident made her decide that she . . had to stop talking (qtd. in Gale 6). After the cruel rape that was perpetrated on her isolated her from people, Angelou was overcome by guilt. This was because she had in fact allowed Freeman to fondle her on two earlier occasions. The search for love and happiness in the child who knew no better, made her yield to the advances of her mother's lover because at that age she couldn't, ... tell fact from fiction or if my dream was true, The only sure prediction in this whole world was you. I'd touched your features inchly, heard love and dared the cost. 1 Volume 24, Special Issue 1, 2021 Business Ethics and Regulatory Compliance 1544-0044-24-S1 -119