Kaiissar, JahinHossain, Moumi2026-04-082026-04-0820253/8/2025ID 20303009http://hdl.handle.net/10361/27806Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 61-63).This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in English, 2025.This paper will explore the struggle of the protagonists from The Bluest Eye and I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings against racism, focusing on how a racially biased society harms their development. Both protagonists, Pecola and Maya, are the young Black women whose lives revolve around internalized racism. A child’s development is significantly influenced by their psyche, yet in a racially prejudiced society, the intense discrimination faced by Black children can severely damage their psyche, leading them to lose their sense of self. Hence, they suffer from an identity crisis. However, there is a way to reclaim identity, and that is decolonization. Therefore, the paper will examine the views of Frantz Fanon on Black identity formation, specifically in relation to The Bluest Eye and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In The Bluest Eye, the devastating nature of racism results in the downfall of Pecola and her Breedlove family, but Maya from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings frees herself from the cage created by the White mainstream society. Once she knows how the racial entrapment works, she does not allow herself to be in the cage. She flies away like a free bird. She liberates herself from all oppression. By juxtaposing these two protagonists, this paper would like to draw attention to the process of identity formation.64 pagesenBRAC University theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.I Know Why The Caged Bird SingsThe Bluest EyeToni MorrisonMaya AngelouBlack identityWhite gazeInternalized inferioritylactification in literatureAngelou, Maya. I know why the caged bird sings.Morrison, Toni. Bluest eye.Racism in literature--History and criticism.African Americans in literature--History and criticism.Black people in literature--History and criticism.Comparative literature.Thesis