![]() ![]() Oppression and the African-American Experience When “the caged bird sings with a fearful trill”, it is actually the only way left for him to validate his existence. They are stripped of their fundamental rights to act their will or go any places they want to. It alludes to the fact that, how the colored races are treated in comparison to the whites. However, the “caged bird” is not only enslaved in “his narrow cage” but his “wings are clipped” and “feet are tied”. The “free bird”, to enjoy the sun, “floats downstream” – it is as if everything is paved to ease up the life of the free the worms that it fetches, are not just any worm, they are “fat” worms – the life of the privileged is further facilitated. Throughout the six stanzas, the speaker uses a reflective tone and alternates between the secured, unshackled life of the “free bird” and the enslaved, crushed life of the “caged bird”. Angelou has used the symbols of the “free bird” to represent the dominating Whites and a “caged bird” for the oppressed Black races. One of the themes of “I know why the caged bird sings” is the plain racial discrimination between the Whites and the Blacks. However, wings clipped and feet tied, the “caged bird” keeps singing of freedom. The “free bird” glides through “another breeze” while “fat worms” wait for him. It “sings of freedom” which can be heard “on the distant hill”. However, the caged bird is trapped by the “bars of rage” – it has no other way to express itself but to sing “with a fearful trill”. Pool of sunlight – it owns the great blue. The “free bird” reigns the skies and then swoops down to wallow in the Through this poem, she holds for us to see the sufferings of the African Americans. Published in 1983, “I know why the caged bird sings” is a poem written by Maya Angelou. It became one of the most widely read and taught books written by an African American woman. The book chronicles her life from age 3 through age 16, recounting an unsettled and sometimes traumatic childhood that included rape and racism. The caged bird with all his torturous condition is heard “on distant hills” while the free bird with all his luxuries is not heard.Īlso, the caged bird in his captivity learns to value freedom than the free bird enjoying the freedom.Īnd then, when one looks at the title of the poem, one hardly expects a contrast of the free bird and the caged bird.I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the first of seven autobiographical works by American writer Maya Angelou, published in 1969. (7) Irony: There is also a tincture of irony in the poem. ![]() They are restricted to black-only or coloured schools and menial jobs such as nanny, chauffeur and so on. Even with the ramshackle buildings, they are made to pay more tenement fees than necessary. The cage in itself represents the ghetto neighbourhoods such as Southside Chicago where the blacks are restricted to, for accommodation. As have been earlier suggested in our analysis of the poem, the caged and free birds are symbolic representations of white and black Americans respectively. ![]() (6) Symbolism: The poem is filled with symbols. The refrain emphasises freedom as a basic human feature. (5) Repetition: There is repetition of stanza three in stanza six. “So he opens his throat to sing” (Line 14) (4) Assonance can be found in lines 14 and 25: (3) Alliteration manifests in lines 8, 10, 24, 25, 26 and 28: Sighing and shouting are human attributes. “his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream” (Line 28) (2) Personification: There is use of personification in lines 24 and lines 28: (1) Metaphor: There are manifestations of metaphor in lines 11 and 27: ![]()
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