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ANALYSIS OF "CAGED BIRD" by Maya Angelou: GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE
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analysis of "Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou
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CAGED BIRDBy Maya Angelou
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.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
Maya Angelou wrote the poem “The Caged Bird” in 1969. The title of the
poem is also part of an autobiography written by Maya Angelou in the same
year, entitled “I know why the Caged Bird sings”.
This poem compares the existence of two birds; one bird is ‘free’ the other
‘caged’. Mayo Angelou uses the birds as a metaphor for the past oppression
of African Americans during the 1950s and 60s but also the on-going race-
based oppression. The message however can be read as conveying the
experience of any oppressed group. The themes of the poem are
discrimination, segregation, oppression and injustice.
The diction is simplistic and unambiguous; this is effective in that it portrays
the fact that what the poet sees happening is clear and transparent; there is
nothing equivocal, ambiguous or complex as to what she sees happening
and therefore there is no need for elaborate language. In essence, there is
no scope for differing interpretations or viewpoints; it is clear. The simplicity
of the language also renders the poem universal and accessible. This is not
an academic matter for discussion; this is life as Angelou sees it and she
wants every person of all levels of understanding to receive her message. It
is presented as a subject (in the form of a metaphor) that is not open to
debate.
Using the lives of two birds as an allegory for the contrast and unfairness of
freedom versus captivity and oppression is highly effective as birds are
traditionally associated with freedom. The expression ‘as free as a bird’ has
become part of our everyday speech. With their ability to soar in the sky
birds have an unfettered freedom of movement that is unique to them. They
are able to enjoy both the firm ground and the vastness of the sky. To be
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