Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-12-16Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:30:46Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_me_me_assis.pdf: 757864 bytes, checksum: 6228de78c6143bf23c2d70acb679a080 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A produção intelectual do feminismo questionou as representações e os papéis sociais de gênero e também contribuiu para a evolução de uma perspectiva crítica acerca das múltiplas opressões que assolam as mulheres. Entre as minorias femininas que despontaram nesse cenário de articulação, as mulheres negras, com sua escrita engajada e muitas vezes marcada pela autorrepresentação, buscam se inserir no espaço acadêmico e conquistar o reconhecimento de sua obra literária. Nesse sentido, este trabalho pretende fazer uma reflexão crítica sobre a narrativa de memórias das escritoras negras Carolina Maria de Jesus e Maya Angelou, em suas respectivas obras: Diário de Bitita e I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Para tanto, levantamos questões relevantes do enredo e enfocamos o trajeto singular das protagonistas negras rumo à conscientização de uma realidade construída em torno das desigualdades de poder. Deste modo, num primeiro momento, refletimos sobre a condição dos afrodescendentes e sublinhamos a situação da mulher negra durante e depois do período escravocrata. Na sequência tratamos da questão da literatura confessional direcionando seu enfoque para as formas diário e memória, a fim de evidenciar suas congruências e diferenças no universo confessional. Por fim, empreendemos um trabalho de análise das obras, em que salientamos pontos importantes e discutimos as trajetórias de cada personagem rumo à autoaceitação. / The intellectual production of feminism questioned the representations and social roles of gender and contributed to an evolution of a critical perspective towards the oppression suffered by women. Among the minorities that emerged in this scenery of articulation, the black women with an engaged writing, and also marked many times by self- representation try to put themselves in the academic space and have the recognition of their work as well. In this sense, this work intends to make a critical reflection about the memoirs of the black writers Carolina Maria de Jesus and Maya Angelou, in their respective books: Diário de Bitita and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. For that we raised questions concerning the plot and emphasize the black protagonists´ peculiar course towards awareness of a reality built around unequal powers. So, we first consider the black people condition and underline the black women situation before and during slavery time. Secondly, we talk about the confessional literature focalizing the diary and memoir forms in order to make evident their similarities and differences in the confessional universe. At last we attempt to a work of analysis of the books where we point out important items and discuss the characters´ course towards self-acceptance.

The aim of this master’s thesis was to study the portrayal of discrimination that occurs because of multiple factors in Maya Angelou’s book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The analysis has been conducted through the lens of Critical Race theory as the theory draws on the affiliation between race, racism and power. The main focal point of this essay was the intersectionality of race, gender and social class. The results of this study showed recurring events in which the characters in the book are marginalized. However, the study also showed the resilience and resistance the characters manifests in their exertion for an equal society. Additionally, this Master’s thesis addressed how the English as a Foreign Language classroom with the inclusion of Caged Bird and the usage of Critical Race pedagogy can start a development of fundamental values such as equality and gender roles whilst diminishing prejudice.