Introduction:
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is a powerful poem by Maya Angelou, the renowned US poet and civil rights activist who died in 2014. This poetry is famous for its intimate description of freedom, and for the role of personal voice as a true element of it.
This is the seventh contribution to my Poetry & Management collection.
Why did Maya Angelou write the caged bird poem?
Maya Angelou wrote the 'Caged Bird' poem a few years after her fourth autobiography, which focused on her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Angelou was influenced by 19th-century Black poet Dunbar's poem "Sympathy" about the oppression of Black Americans. Still seeing the struggle in America, Angelou was inspired to write her poem.
What is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings poem about?
The 'Caged Bird' poem focuses on the oppression and struggle of Black Americans. The cage symbolizes the enslavement of Blacks and their constant struggle to gain freedom.
What does the caged bird symbolize?
The caged bird symbolises oppressed Black Americans. They were taken from a world of freedom and enslaved in America, tied down to a life without any freedom. The cage represents the bird's identity in that it can never fly away.
Stanza 1
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
In The first stanza, Maya Angelou, refers to nature. She describes how “a free bird leaps on the back of the wind.” She describes the bird’s flight against the orange sky. The free bird has the right “to claim the sky.” The way she describes the “orange sun rays” gives the reader an appreciation for the natural beauty of the sky, and her description of how the bird “dips his wing” helps the reader to appreciate the bird in his natural habitat enjoying his freedom
Stanza 2
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
This stanza of ‘Caged Bird’ contrasts sharply with the first. By using the word “but” to begin this stanza, the speaker prepares the reader for this contrast. Then she describes the “bird that stalks his narrow cage.” The tone is immediately and drastically changed from peaceful, satisfied, and joyful to one that is dark, unnerving, and even frustrating. She describes that this caged first “can seldom see through his bars of rage.”
While the free bird enjoys the full sky, the caged bird rarely even gets a glimpse of the sky. She claims “his wings are clipped, and his feet are tied.” Text from her autobiography reveals that Angelou often felt this way in life. She felt restricted from enjoying the freedom that should have been her right as a human being. The speaker then reveals that these are the very reasons the bird “opens his throat to sing.”
The author felt this way in her own life. She wrote and sang and danced because it was her way of expressing her longing for freedom.
Stanza 3
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
The third stanza reverts back to the free bird, further cementing the difference between the free bird and the caged bird in the readers’ minds.
She writes that a “free bird thinks of another breeze” that he can enjoy the “sighing trees” and be free to find his own food. The tone with which she writes the first and third stanzas so sharply contrasts with the second stanza that readers can feel the difference. The first and third stanzas give the reader a sense of ecstasy and thrill, making the second stanza seem all the more droll and even oppressive.
Stanza 4
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.
The fourth stanza of ‘Caged Bird’ continues the parallel between the free bird and the caged bird. The first line serves to starkly contrast the last line in the third stanza. It is dark and daunting. The reality of the life of the caged bird is revealed in this line.
Stanza 5
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
That bird “stands on the grave of dreams.” This reveals the author’s feelings about her own dreams. She has so many dreams that have died because she was never given the freedom to achieve all that her white counterparts could. Discrimination and racism made up her cage, and although she sang, she felt her voice was not heard in the wide world but only by those nearest her cage. The second line of this stanza is not only dark but even frightening.
The speaker describes the bird’s cries as “shouts on a nightmare scream.” At this point, the caged bird is so despondent in his life of captivity that his screams are like that of someone having a nightmare. The author then repeats these lines:
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
Reaffirming the idea that the bird opens his mouth to sing because his desire for freedom and his desire to express himself cannot be contained.
Stanza 6
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
signs of freedom.
Maya Angelou compares, in this poem, the lives of a free bird, and one living in a cage. A free Bird dares to claim the sky, showing how important liberty can be in also achieving the most difficult goals. A Caged Bird instead, his wings are clipped, and his feet are tied as he stands on the grave of dreams and only has his voice to play with and sings of freedom.
This last stanza focuses on the caged bird yet again. The author implies that even though the caged bird may have never experienced true freedom, deep down, that bird still knows it was created to be free. Although freedom, to the caged bird, is “fearful” because it is “unknown,” he still sings “a fearful trill” because he still longed for freedom.
Here, the speaker reveals that his cry for freedom is “heard on the distant hill.” This parallels to the author and her cry for freedom in the form of equality. She feels her cries are heard, but only as soft background noise. She still feels that she is caged and that although she sings, her cries are heard only as a distant noise.
The last line states, “For the caged bird sings of freedom.” With this, the speaker implies that although the caged bird may never have experienced freedom, he still sings of it because he was created for freedom. This is paralleled to the African American struggle in Maya Angelou’s time.
The 'Caged Bird' poem has a deeper meaning than explaining the difference between a free bird and one in a cage. The speaker, or the one addressing the audience, is expressing what it means to be free compared to being tied down. Maya Angelou metaphorically refers to birds to describe the oppression and struggle of Black Americans against racism, prejudice, and discrimination.
Angelou begins by explaining what freedom means by comparing it to the beauty of nature. The bird flying freely through the air, dipping down against the sun's rays, represents the natural instinct of a bird. The free bird is living how it should; in the world, it was born. This example is symbolic of life for humans. They are born into this world free and should be able to live in the same manner. However, Angelou compares a caged bird to explain that equality is not the same for all and that freedom is not given to everyone when they are born. The caged bird must suffer in hopes of eventually being free. The signing of the bird represents the cries and voices of the oppressed Black Americans, struggling to survive in a world that takes away their freedoms and desires. Angelou even goes so far as to compare a fearless worm waiting to be eaten as peaceful and pleasant to the caged bird whose soul is already dead. Here she implies that those born into the privilege of freedom never fear struggle. Though the caged bird is born already having its dreams crushed. Angelou implored many of her personal experiences throughout the context of the poem. There is a definite shift in tone from the peaceful stages of the free bird to the more horrifying and depressing one of the caged bird. She uses the change in voice to provide a more vivid understanding of the challenges Black Americans have faced.
Themes:
Freedom versus Captivity:
The contrast between the free bird and the caged bird serves as a powerful metaphor for the struggle between freedom and captivity. The free bird represents liberty and autonomy, while the caged bird symbolises oppression and constraint.
Racism and Oppression:
Through the imagery of the caged bird, Angelou addresses the systemic racism and oppression experienced by Black Americans. The poem reflects the historical and ongoing struggles faced by marginalized communities in the fight for equality and justice.
Resilience and Strength:
Despite the caged bird's confinement, it continues to sing, demonstrating resilience and inner strength in the face of adversity. This theme reflects the perseverance of oppressed individuals and their ability to maintain hope and dignity in challenging circumstances.
Longing for Freedom:
Both the free bird and the caged bird share a longing for freedom, albeit in different contexts. The poem explores the universal human desire for autonomy and self-determination, emphasizing the fundamental importance of liberty in the pursuit of happiness and fulfillment.
Voice and Expression:
The act of singing becomes a metaphor for voice and expression in the poem. Despite being silenced and constrained, the caged bird uses its song to articulate its longing for freedom and to assert its existence. This theme underscores the power of art and creativity as forms of resistance and self-expression.
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