How Do Gyasi and Angelou Present the Issue of Race and Systemic

Oppression in Homegoing and Caged Bird?

Systemic racism is the oppression targeted against a racial group on the grounds of social,
economic, and political advantage. It is greater than just words, beliefs, and actions. Rather, it includes all
the limitations that pose threat to one’s dignity and equality based on their race. In her debut novel,
Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi exhibits the struggles of enduring racism wrought by slavery throughout the
lineages of two half-sisters, both from what is now known as Ghana. Similarly, the poem Caged Bird, by
Maya Angelou features a similar theme of racial oppression as it contrasts the lives of two different birds,
one free and one caged, to reveal the kind of life the caged (oppressed) bird is meant to live. While both
texts are different, the authors of these works use literary techniques to outline the experiences of
systemic racism and the impact it can have on the oppressed.

To begin on Homegoing, Gyasi uses imagery that provides gruesome terminology to display the
horrors of slavery, particularly the brutality that white people inflicted on their slaves. For example, on
page 81, Gyasi highlights the extreme punishments that a slave would receive from their masters, such as
Ness being “beaten until the whip snaps of her back like pulled taffy.” Apart from the physical damages
sustained, Ness and other slaves would have mistrust and fear of their white oppressors due to the
paranoia that was instilled in them from the beatings. Hence, there was a vicious cycle of racial
oppression where slaves were brutally tormented, and even though this had a mental and physical toll on
them, there was nothing they could do primarily because of the color of their skin.

Furthermore, Gyasi also utilizes imagery to depict police mistreatment through vicious details in
the chapter narrating H's life and his time in jail. Following the Civil war, H lived as a freedman.
However, the same administration that was sworn in to protect and serve got rid of his liberty, simply for
just looking at a white lady. Gyasi depicts H’s handling of the arrest as, “ten men who’d been chained to
him on the train…he saw a boy no older than twelve…he’d peed himself…he’d probably never seen a
whip like the one the pit boss had” (pg 160). With objects such as chains and whips being present in this
excerpt, the concepts of tortuous slavery are implicitly reinstated. This implies that even though slavery
was abolished, the justice system abused its power and permitted the same oppression in practice. Hence,
the African-American community was vulnerable to these flaws within the system, with time being the
only barrier to their fate.
 Moving on to Caged Bird, Angelou employs juxtaposition to contrast the distinct experiences and
ambitions of the white and black population, along with the help of symbolism. In this poem, the free bird
symbolizes the free whites, while the caged bird represents the oppressed people of color. In the first
stanza, Angelou describes the peaceful life of the free bird as it “leaps on the back of the wind…and dares
to claim the sky.” However, the second stanza takes on a dark twist as it changes its scope and describes
the awful life that the caged bird has to endure, such as having its wings “clipped” and feet “tied.” By
offering this juxtaposition, Angelou reveals the inequalities that the black population has to deal with as
they’re restricted from enjoying their freedoms as human beings. Therefore, left with no choices, the
caged bird continues to sing, indicating that it still believes that life will improve.

Lastly, by utilizing an oxymoron, Angelou conveys the hopes and dreams of African Americans
who are confined in a “cage” because of the color of their skin. For instance, in the fifth stanza, Angelou
states that the caged bird’s desire for freedom is rather futile, as it’ll permanently be on the “grave of
dreams.” Like the previous paragraph, this indicates that many colored people's ambitions have died
because they're not given the freedom to achieve all that their white peers accomplished. Hence, the poem
makes clear of the emotional and intellectual strain that comes with a lack of freedom, mainly as the
constant dream for emancipation serves as false hope.

Despite similarities within both authors’ purposes, there is a fine line that differentiates these
texts. Apart from them being of different genres, Homegoing solely creates many possibilities for
assessing the legacy of enslavement for those of African descent, while Caged Bird outlines
contradictions to life in a cage versus freedom in order for the "bird" (human being) to determine which
life is more appealing. Nonetheless, the differences between such texts simply serve to underline the texts'
major theme as it implies that everyone, regardless of their differences, must acknowledge and attempt to
correct societal inequalities.

In conclusion, the theme of systemic racism and oppression is evident in both texts. Each text
explores these themes through the use of a variety of literary devices, even though they derive from
different genres and take different approaches to plot the theme. All in all, these works serve the same
purpose as they examine the experiences of systemic racism and the impact it can have on the oppressed
in order to shed light upon the horrors of an unjust system.