Metaphor: The entire poem is a metaphor, with the caged bird representing those

who have not freedom. Let's take a look at the second and third stanzas:
But a BI! that stalks down his narrow cage " #an seldom see through his bars of
rage " $is wings are clipped and his feet are tied " %o he opens his throat to sing. " The
caged bird sings with a fearful trill " &f things unknown but longed for still " 'nd his
tune is heard on the distant hill for " The caged bird sings of freedom.
Analysis: ' caged bird is unable to en(o) the freedom of other birds due to its cage,
clipped wings, and tied feet. 'frican*'mericans during 'ngelou's time were restricted
b) unfair laws and societal oppression. +reedom is s)mbolized b) the caged bird's
beautiful song. 's long as the bird is in the cage, he will not reach his true potential.
'lthough the conte,t of the poem is important, one shouldn't limit its application to
one group of people or one period.
' caged bird could be an) group of oppressed people. It could mean individuals. The
cage could represent societ), ph)sical barriers, fear, addiction or an) self*defeating
behavior, with the bird's song representing the true self that longs for something
greater in life.
MY LITERARY INTERPRETATION OF THE POEM
In this poem, 'ngelou tells a tale of sorrow, and desire, comparing a free bird to a
caged bird. Beautifull) written, it opens )our e)es to the sad truth about segregation,
through a wonderful blend of similes, metaphors, rh)me, repetition and assonance.
'ngelou uses the metaphor of a bird struggling to escape its cage described in the
-aul Laurence !unbar poem, .%)mpath)., as a .central image. throughout all of her
autobiographies.
%imilar to the elements within the prison narrative, the caged bird represents
'ngelou's imprisonment from the racism she sees as inherent in %tamps, 'rkansas,
and her continuing e,periences of other e,periences she views as imprisonment, like
racial discrimination, drugs, marriage, and the economic s)stem.This metaphor also
invokes the .supposed contradiction of the bird singing in the midst of its struggle..
This poem has a deeper meaning that is the ongoing plight to end the racial
segregation in the /nited %tates but can be applied to our countr) where we have two
groups of power in conflict with each other.
0a)a 'ngelou e,presses in her poem with the use of two opposite lives living in the
same societ), with the free and caged bird.
1hite people represent a free bird able to .2leap3 on the back of wind., and do as he,
or she chooses. The line .The free bird thinks of ... the fat worms waiting on a dawn*
bright law and names the sk) his own. demonstrates that most of the white societ)
cares more about their wealth and ver) little about the black communit)'s oppression.
!oes this sound familiar4
'ngelou also implies that black citizens of the /nited %tates are ver) much like a
caged bird, .his wings are clipped and his feet are tied.... e,cept for that the bars on a
black citizens cage, that restrict him from the (o)s of freedom and give him a .grave
of dreams., are not made of cheap metal or plastic, but of racist oppression,
discrimination, and sereation! 'gain, does this ring a familiar tune in )our ear4
Because of the caged bird's oppression, .2he3 sings with a fearful trill of things
unknown and longed for still., like how civil rights activists wrote papers, gave
speeches, and organized protests for e5ual rights in 'merica so no citizen felt as if he
was in a cage.
1hen 'ngelou sa)s that the black citizen's .tune is heard on a distant hill,. her
message is that the white societ) is can hear their cries for e5ualit) but onl) faintl).
+inall) in her last line of the poem, she sa)s, .for the caed "ird sins of freedom#,
she means that the pliht for e$%ality is slo&ly impro'in, "%t is no&here near
the end, and the only &ay to et to the end is to ma(e e'eryone a&are of this
social in)%stice!
It is 'ery clear that Anelo% "elie'es in e$%ality for all of man(ind and declares
thro%h her poem that e'en tho%h there are social in)%stices in life, hope and
persistence can lessen, and e'ent%ally et rid of sereation! This poem tries to
sho& that e'en tho%h the free "ird and the caed "ird are still "irds, one is free
and the other is a prisoner, despite that they "oth deser'e freedom and the
opport%nity to "e happy!
*ON*L+,ION
The themes decipherable in this poem are universal and trul) go be)ond the confines
of the /nited %tates of 'merica because many may feel 'ery m%ch caed in their
o&n co%ntries as oppression of many sorts contin%e "eca%se of certain ro%ps!
The cr) of man) that we can hear or see in c)berspace are like the cries and songs of
the caged bird who )earns to sing when trapped within, 'caged' or restricted. It doesn't
show (ust the black race6 it shows religion, or how a person can (ust be so frustrated
when caught in the struggles of life. !rowning, trapped, encased, and the) cannot get
out. 1hile another person is en(o)ing their life of freedom, with onl) the care of what
was happening ne,t in T$7I life and without a care for other people, the caged bird
seems to be going insane, beating it's 'wing' against the bars until it bled. 'm I hitting
familiar notes4444
1hen 0a)a 'ngelou tries to e,plain the process of drowning, she does not tell how
or wh) the person got into the water or what he needs to do to get. 1hat she does
offer is two people in the water.
&ne can swim and the can't. %he doesn't offer a solution for the caged bird, (ust the
status of his being. It is the pliht of the cae "ird that important here! It is
any"ody-s story! In the end its not a"o%t the ca%se or sol%tion! It is a"o%t "ein!
If we think hard and deep enough, we can empathize with 0a)a's thoughts, emotions,
pain and outrage as e,pressed in poetic form.
This poem is s)mbolic of what an)one can go through in life when faced with
adversit).The) can give up or keep growing feathers until the) eventuall) get strong
enough to fl) awa)888