Caged Bird By Maya Angelou
“Caged Bird”
-Maya Angelou
The freed bird leaps
On the back of the wind
And floats down stream
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 fearful trill
Of the 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 down 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 cage bird sings
With fearful trill
Of the 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 down
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 distance hill
For the caged bird
Sings of freedom.
The “Bird” in this poem represents the
African-American women who are caged and not let their voice heard in the
society hand-jacked by the white. “The
Cage” is a metaphor for American Society around the ‘bird’ in a cage. The
African-Americans are segregated and don’t enjoy equal rights with the white
counterparts; for such society only favors the white folks. This is the metaphorical chain in the form of
cage which has depressed and restricted African-American (black), to flourish
in the discriminatory society. The persona
therefore cries and yearns for freedom that we see the whites and blacks doing
things in common without fear or favor.
CONTENT ANALYSIS/SUBJECT MATTER
During this era of white supremacy, the lives
of African-Americans were characterized by limited opportunities. Blacks were
forced to be servile and submissive due to these customs that were ingrained in
a prejudiced society. The only way for African- Americans to earn respect is
for them to stand up for their rights.
Maya Angelou encourages those of her ethnicity to do this in her poem “Caged Bird”. Though the poet doesn’t mention any race, it
is clear that she is showing how the freedom allotted to the whites is
diametrically opposed to those given to the blacks.
Stanza one (Lines 1-7): in the first stanza, the speaker illustrates how the freed bird (white race) is untroubled. It also shows how the white race has the audacity to own and govern society with unjustly and with high-handedness. The whites have all the freedom in the world to do whatever they desire; for they can ‘leap’ and float like the river unlike the blacks. The whites are also poised to enjoy all the rights accrued to the citizens of the country unhindered or without molestation, but the blacks are shut out of the limelight and cannot partake or involve in the affair of the country. The white folks live in the best houses, go to the best Schools, the best hospitals and have best general welfare package. The poet concludes the last line of the first stanza with a note of exaggeration “And dares to claim the sky”. This shows how white demonstrates discrimination and injustice towards the blacks and also illustrates the nature of freedom bequeathed or allotted to the white which is beyond the sky. The caged bird is desperate for freedom.
Stanza two (Lines
8-14): In the second stanza, the poet
describes the actions and conditions of the caged bird which is symbolic of
African-Americans or blacks. They are
stocked in the cage and can rarely see through the bars of rage. They can neither react nor retaliate because
their wings have been “Clipped” shattered
or rendered useless. “His feet are also tied; his movement
restricted, so he opens his throat to sing”, in order to resist such
oppression. This is an illustration of
the anger, anguish and frustration blacks are forced to endure due to the
color of their skin.
Stanza three (Lines
9-16): This stanza throws more light on
the condition of the caged bird that sings with “fearful trill of things unknown”.
This means that the blacks are scared to register their complaint, for
they do not know what the future holds for them and they continue to wish and
desire for freedom, even though their voice are not heard, the elusive freedom
is still a scare commodity. Thus “And his tune is heard/on the distant
hill/for the caged bird/ sings of freedom”.
The caged bird (blacks) continues to push for freedom believing that
someday the world would come to his rescue.
In stanza four (Lines
17-20): attention is drawn towards the free bird which is the white
counterparts. “The free bird think of another breeze” because he is free from
oppression and social injustice in the society.
The free bird is comfortable, and feels the warmth of the sun. He enjoys the best of the facilities “fact worms as “he names the sky his own”. Meaning the whites have dominated all the
spheres of life; feel free to explore anything possible to foster the
development of their society.
In stanza five (Line 21-24)
The persona gives us another update about the caged bird as the persona
(African-American) is in the valley of bleak future, his dreams of a better
tomorrow poses to be nightmare, because “his wings are clipped and his feet are
tied too”. The caged bird’s life which
represents the blacks reflects more than submission and mere survival. Their
harsh and painful existence does not take away their dignity, and the physical
and psychological pain does not destroy their style. The bird continues to know
the source of his strength and to use his means of expression-songs to dream
and rebuild his life. Hence “so he opens his throat to sing” which
is the only answer or solution to fear, oppression and the freedom he so much
desires.
The last stanza (Line 25-32) is
a mere repetition of stanza three to show emphasis and also to show the effort
the caged bird (blacks) is putting in place to secure freedom from the shackles
of the white bondage. He continues to
sing not minding what awaits him in future and he continues to show resilience
and strength in the face of hardship.
Although the bird is still caged at the end, the reader is left with
hope and aspiration; hoping that someday help will be rendered as he continues
to let out his voice on the distant hill.
The political poem encourages strength in adversity.
In conclusion, Angelou does
not intend “Caged Bird to be for African-Americans alone, but also she
dedicates the poem to anyone with listening ear who is currently experiencing
any form of social Injustice, oppression and poverty to rise to the challenges
in such society. Maya uses ‘he’ or ‘his’
as the vehicle to express this anguish, yet it includes many feminine / human
qualities in every stanza.
Themes
Racism and Social Injustice
At the beginning of the poem, we are introduced to the caged bird which
symbolizes the blacks (African-Americans) and their ugly experience in the hand
of the free bird which represents the white folks.
“The freed bird leaps
On the back of the wind
And floats down stream
Till the current ends”
This implies that the whites have all the necessary freedom to explore
their environment and the resources therein.
They are generally accepted into their various communities and walk
freely unhindered, but the caged bird, that is, the blacks walk with fear and tremble
as a result of the color of their skin.
They sit in the caged (secluded environment) and languish in pain
because their movements are also restricted as they cannot do certain things in
common with the whites. The wings of the
caged bird are clipped and feet tied”, but he struggles to sing. This means that despite the fact that the
blacks’ potential are stifled and subdued by the whites, they still put on the
spirit of resilience and determination and hoping for survival, “for the caged bird/sings of freedom “from
racism and social injustice. Hence:
Quest for Freedom
“The caged bird sings
With fearful trill
Of the things unknown
But longed for still…
For the caged bird
Sings of freedom”
The word
“freedom” is essential in the above stanza because that is what the persona
needs as a human being to do exploit.
Unfortunately, freedom is quite elusive (difficult to obtain). It seems
his endless search for freedom from the shackles of racial prejudice will one
day be a dream come true. The persona
also talks about things that are unknown which includes the reason why he’s
been humiliated and his right as human deprived of him or why the color of his
skin is his major problem, and he is not sure when his freedom would be gained
or regained, but he continues to long and desire liberty. The persona’s freedom will be achieved only
if he continues to be patient, determined and resilient. Thus, the caged bird
wants to be like the free bird and that is why he sings of freedom.
Strength in Adversity
The poem “Caged Bird” is a clarion call to all well-meaning Africa-Americans in Diaspora who are currently wallowing and experiencing racial discrimination and social injustice not to relent, but rather rise up to the challenges ahead and also to know that there is strength in adversity. Determination and resilience are the keys, if we are sincerely sure of surmounting the problem of race relation. The poet says “The caged bird’s wings are clipped and/his feet are tied, so he opens his throat to sing, sings of freedom”.
This implies that the physical and psychological tortures experienced by the blacks must not stop them from letting their voices to be held by other comity of nations around the world as they cannot afford to die in silence Also, the movement of the caged bird is restricted. So he opens his throat to sing-express himself in order to resist such oppression and humiliation. This is an illustration of the anger, anguish and frustration blacks are forced to endure due to the color of their skin. The poet therefore encourages the blacks in Diaspora with any similar cases of racism, segregation and marginalization to be resilient, because the only way to exterminate it is that one must be patient.
Poetic Devices
1. Rhyme Scheme:
The poet tries to create pattern of neatness and containment to show
musical symphony and harmony. Such
rhyming words include ‘Leap’-Stream, “Sings” – “trill” – ‘still’-hill,
‘heard-bird, ‘breeze’-trees’, dreams-scream.
2. Imagery: The dominant imagery in the poem is animal imagery,
musical imagery, visual imagery and natural phenomena (breeze, winds, and
floats, current). The animal imagery
such as ‘Caged Bird’ projects the picture of African-Americans (blacks) who
have been marginalized by the white race.
The wings of the caged bird are cut off and feet tied. This represents the frustration, maltreatment
and anguish experienced by the blacks.
This unsparing nature of the situation underscores the enormity of
hopelessness and oppression faced by blacks.
The freed bird is also an imagery of the Americans (western world) who
unleashed hatred on the African-Americans as a result of their skin color.
3.
Personification: Personification is the poet’s attempt to give
human attributes to non-human objects so as to make them act or behave like
humans, especially the role played by the bird.
a. “The
caged bird sings” / he opens his throat to sing,”Both the “caged bird” and the freed bird are
given human ability to sing rather than chirping
b. The
freed bird thinks of another breeze”.
Here bird is given human ability to think.
c. “The
singing tree” is another example.
d. “His
shadow shouts on a nightmare scream”
4.
Hyperbole: There is a predominant use of
exaggeration to complement the theme of western arrogance and racial relation
in the poem. They include (a) “The freed bird leaps/on the back of the
wind and floats down stream “Line 1-3) (b) “And dares to claim the sky “ (Line 7) (c) “And he names the sky his own” (Line 26). These examples of exaggeration help to
illustrate the nature of oppression and injustice unleashed on the blacks.
5. Repetition: Angelou utilizes repetition to reinforce the idea that African-Americans cry out for freedom from oppression even in the bleakest of time when their oppressor don’t want to hear them. The poet repeats the third and fifth (final) stanzas, with the caged bird singing for freedom. “The caged bird sings with 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.”
Metaphor: Angelou also uses an armful of metaphors
including in the title of the poem. The “Caged bird is metaphor for oppressed
Africa-Americans while the “freed bird” in stanza one represents the whites
(oppressors). The persona compares the
wind to water in stanza one and he says that the freed bird “floats downstream/till the current ends”. The wind seems fast and powerful since the
free bird has learned to use it for his own ends “The caged” is also figurative
as it represents the overcrowded slum (environment) the blacks have been
confined to (a) ‘narrow cage’
represents torment and poverty (b) ‘float’ downstream is symbolic of
backwardness and retrogression (Blacks are seen as people without identify) (c)
“can seldom see through” means they
hardly partake in the affairs of their own country. (d)
“The free bird thinks of another breeze” depicts persistent oppression: for
the oppressor continues to complicate the conditions of the blacks (d) “Grave of dreams” is a metaphor for hope
and aspiration.
7.
Enjambment:
The poem is written in such a way that each line in the stanza runs into
another without a comma.
8.
Assonance: “freed
bird leaps/dips his winds/wings are clipped”. The /i/ and /i:/vowels are repeated in the above
line.
9. Contrast: The caged bird and the freed bird are example
of contrast in the poem. The former is
the oppressed (blacks) while the latter is the oppressor (whites)
10.
Diction/language
and style: The language of the poem is direct and straightforward
except some words especially the title which has some implied figurative
meaning, as it takes someone with active literary mind to decode and interpret.
11.
Mood: The attitude of the persona in the poem
changes from one stanza to another: Stanza one and four have mood which is calm,
light-hearted and elated while stanza two, three, five and six possess the Mood
of frustration and sadness; for the persona complains bitterly about the
condition of the blacks.
12.
Tone: The feelings of the persona towards the
subject matter also have the above described contrast. There is a tone of excitement in stanza one
and four and the tone in stanza two, three, five and six is resilient and hope.
Likely, WAEC and NECO 2021-2025 Questions
1.
Give a detailed account of the poem “Caged Bird”
2.
Examine the use of metaphor and symbolism in the poem.
3.
Discuss the setting and the language of the poem.
4.
With adequate examples, examine the theme of racial prejudice in the
poem.
5.
Discuss “Caged Bird” as a criticism of race relation in America.
6.
Examine any two dominant themes in the poem.
7.
How may we justify the poem’s title vis-à-vis poetic content?
8.
How does “Caged Bird” echo the travail and frustration of racism?
9.
With adequate examples and explanation, discuss any four (4) poetic devices
used in the poem.
10. Comment on the theme of search for
freedom in the poem “Caged Bird”
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