“I know why the caged bird sings” is Maya Angelou’s heart-wrenching poem that
reflects on the mindless oppression that the Blacks were subjected back in the olden days
. Her portrayal of the injustice using a “free bird” and a “caged bird” leaves us with a bitter taste that reminds us of the long abolished slavery.
What is the main idea of the poem caged bird?
The main themes in “Caged Bird” are
freedom and confinement, artistic expression as resistance, and civil rights
. Freedom and confinement: As its title indicates, “Caged Bird” is concerned with both imprisonment and the innate urge for freedom.
What does the caged bird singing reveal about him?
What does the caged bird’s singing reveal about him? Answer: It reveals that
he is unhappy and wants to be free.
What is the caged bird a metaphor for?
The Caged Bird Metaphor is a common Animal Metaphor whereby a character—often a woman or girl in an oppressive environment—is associated with a caged bird,
symbolizing their sense of confinement and longing for freedom
.
What does the caged bird symbolize?
The cage holding the caged bird can be seen as symbolizing
the bird’s oppression
, whether in the form of slavery, race-based segregation after the end of slavery, or the more subtle but still pervasive and pernicious forms of oppression that continue to oppress African American communities today.
How does the caged bird behave?
(v) The caged bird behaves
abnormally and cries like one who has had a nightmare
. It acts like this, as a person without freedom always acts abnormally, for the state of captivity is abnormal.
What feelings does the caged bird experience?
The fact that the caged bird sings of freedom despite its current situation conveys a
feeling of hope that one day the caged bird will be released
. This message coincides with the hope that one day African Americans will no longer suffer from discrimination and oppression in a prejudiced society.
What is the best example of personification in Caged Bird?
Personification: Maya Angelou has used personification such as
“sighing trees” as if trees are feeling sorrow
. Also, she has personified the bird by changing its pronoun from ‘its’ to ‘his’. Symbol: Maya Angelou has used different symbols to show racial discrimination and social construction against her community.
What kind of person is the speaker in Caged Bird?
As was mentioned in the previous response, the poem is written in the
third person from an omniscient point of view
. Utilizing omniscient narration, Maya Angelou compares and contrasts the plight of a free bird to that of a caged bird.
What kind of poem is caged bird?
Structure and Form
‘Caged Bird’ by Maya Angelou is a six stanza poem that is separated into stanzas that range in length. Angelou chose to write the poem in
free verse
. This means that there is no single rhyme scheme or metrical pattern that unites all the lines. But, there are some examples of an iambic meter.
What kind of imagery is used in caged bird?
Imagery: Angelou has used
vivid imageries
. ‘Orange sun rays’, ‘distant hills’, fat worms’ etc are examples of visual imageries while ‘sighing trees’, ‘nightmare scream’ and ‘fearful trill’ are auditory imageries.
What is ironic about the caged bird?
‘The caged bird sings with a fearful trill’. This sentence is ironic as the caged bird is
the one singing not the free bird as we expect
. However, the words ‘fearful’ and ‘trill’ makes us realize that actually it is not a happy tune but a desperate cry for freedom.
What is the difference between caged bird and free bird?
caged Bird can’t live independently
but the free bird can live independently can do any work fly up the sky drink the water of the pure river and many things what the caged bird have to only follow the rules of is Master and eat the food that is given by his or her master not the caged bird choice is there for choosing …
What does the cage represent?
It symbolizes the theme of the poem about the African American people who were oppressed by the Whites in their own land. The cage represents
the land which belongs to the native Americans
but because of the Whites’ dominance over it, the natives had lost control over it.
Why is Maya Angelou a caged bird?
Angelou uses the metaphor of a bird struggling to escape its cage, described in Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, as a prominent symbol throughout her series of autobiographies. Like elements within a prison narrative, the caged bird
represents Angelou’s confinement resulting from racism and oppression
.
What does the Free bird symbolize?
Answer : The free bird symbolises
people who are free to lead their life the way they want without any prejudicess
. The free bird has the opportunity to move through life seeking in its abundance.
