Celebrating the Spirit of a 'Caged Bird'

The African American tradition of writing about self began with the slave narratives; it came a long way to writing an autobiography which revitalized their selves and their Black identity. Maya Angelou a descendant daughter of the African American race; in her autobiographical oeuvre embodies all the women who have collectively endured the immeasurable pain but they have survived with great vigour and an invincible survival instinct. This study identifies that; they have inherited a quality to persevere to survive against all the odds. The universal elements of motherhood sisterhood humour and food; emerging from this race''s ancestral inheritance find its omnipresence in humankind despite of the divide of race nation class caste and gender. This study charts the journey commencing from the enslavement and pain inflicted on the African American race as Maya Angelou celebrates the spirit of a metaphorical ''caged bird'' and renders the readers with the hope and elevation of humanity.