"Caged bird" by Maya Angelou Compare and contrast the lives of both birds. In what ways does the author manage to transmit her message?
Caged Bird analysisIn the poem Caged Bird by Maya Angelou, we can see that the themes are the lack of freedom, but also the hope for it. This emotion filled poem compares and contrasts the life of two birds. One symbolizing freedom, someone who has got it all but still wants more; and another one representing imprisonment, the desire of something unknown. The poem is structured by six stanzas, each one talking about the life of the free bird, or of the caged bird. This contrast creates a sense of melancholy and sadness through out the poem, which the poet uses to portray her desires and other purposes.
In the first stanza the poet describes what freedom must like, even though she had never experienced it. She uses words like floats downstream, orange suns rays... to emphasize the free life of that bird. However she ends the stanza with and dares to claim the sky. This is saying that even though that bird has the privilege of enjoying freedom, he still has the courage to claim more for himself.
On the other hand, the second stanza describes the feelings of another bird, another soul; an imprisoned soul, a caged bird. This bird has had his wing clipped and his feet tied, and is so full of anger that he can seldom see through/his bars of rage. This metaphor, meaning that the bird is so angry, so full of rage that he cannot act properly; he is confined within his own cage created by rage. This can only lead to the bird being consumed by its own anger.
The poet uses a technique in which every even line rhymes with each other, except for the last one.
fearful trill longed for stilldistant hillsings of freedom.This is more noticeable or shocking in the stanzas about the caged bird. She does this to emphasize the only mechanism which the bird can use to express himself, as he cannot roam the sky as a free bird or cannot claim the sky his own. Also to emphasize the difference between what the free bird can achieve and what the caged bird can, which is to sing his heart
In the first stanza the poet describes what freedom must like, even though she had never experienced it. She uses words like floats downstream, orange suns rays... to emphasize the free life of that bird. However she ends the stanza with and dares to claim the sky. This is saying that even though that bird has the privilege of enjoying freedom, he still has the courage to claim more for himself.
On the other hand, the second stanza describes the feelings of another bird, another soul; an imprisoned soul, a caged bird. This bird has had his wing clipped and his feet tied, and is so full of anger that he can seldom see through/his bars of rage. This metaphor, meaning that the bird is so angry, so full of rage that he cannot act properly; he is confined within his own cage created by rage. This can only lead to the bird being consumed by its own anger.
The poet uses a technique in which every even line rhymes with each other, except for the last one.
fearful trill longed for stilldistant hillsings of freedom.This is more noticeable or shocking in the stanzas about the caged bird. She does this to emphasize the only mechanism which the bird can use to express himself, as he cannot roam the sky as a free bird or cannot claim the sky his own. Also to emphasize the difference between what the free bird can achieve and what the caged bird can, which is to sing his heart
Bibliography: IGC Poetry Anthology