A Deconstructive Reading of
Maya Angelou’s Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like
Christmas
Anny Saifi1, Prof. Parul Singh
(Retd.)2
ABSTRACT
The present paper offers an in-depth study of, the
Black American author, Maya Angelou’s, third autobiography Singin’
and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas. Given the established
societal norms of Afro-American life, through the present book, she
deconstructs the traditional notion of race, identity, gender, and
the narrative style, and re-establishes a more dynamic, powerful,
and coming of age story pattern. Using Derridean deconstructive
technique, this research paper investigates how Maya Angelou
encapsulates and challenges the notion of societal binaries i.e.,
Black /White, freedom/constraint, public/private, self/other, and
joy/sorrow etc., and destabilizes the set societal roles to a more
fluid and evolving identity. Additionally, by examining the cross
textual references, linguistic hybriditya more deconstructive
approach to language, and the dynamic narrative structure of the
story, this paper encapsulates the deconstructive nature of
Angelou’s narrative style and identity formation with her
continuously shifting personality representation.
Keywords- African-American, identity, self, black, binary
oppositions, gender, race, intertextuality, freedom, protest.
