Caged Bird Summary & Analysis by Maya Angelou

Introduction

American poet Maya Angelou, most recognized for her autobiographical writings, is the author of "Caged Bird." It was initially released in 1983's "Shaker, why don't you sing?" collection. This lengthy poem explores the conditional human desire for freedom.

The life of Maya Angelou is a tribute to all Black Americans' lives and how they have fought for freedom and against all forms of exploitation throughout history. This poem uses the common bird metaphor to sing that tale.

The poem comprises six stanzas with a total of 38 lines. This poem has no specific structure and is mostly composed in free verse.

The Poet's Bio

Maya Angelou was a writer and activist who worked as a streetcar conductor, dancer, editor, educator, storyteller, and actor, among other things. She was born Marguerite Johnson in 1928, and in 1970, she published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography in which she bravely discussed her experiences with prejudice. One of America's best-known authors, Maya Angelou, performed her poem "On the Pulse of the Morning" during Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration in 1993. She was the first black woman to have a script (Georgia, Georgia) produced in 1972, and she was nominated for an Emmy for her role in Roots in 1977. Poetic Justice, released in 1993, included poems by Angelou. She also appeared in the films There Are No Children Here and How to Make an American Quilt. At the age of 86, she passed away in 2014.

Each Stanza's Explanation

1st Stanza

The first few lines depict a bird jumping "on the back of the wind" to demonstrate how free it is to roam about and flit through the air. It glides downhill to where the wind is calm, and the stream's movement stops as it hangs over a windy area. It submerges a wing in the ocean of orange sunshine.

The bird is in a very calm mood. It is free to move about whatever it pleases. It 'dares to claim the sky' because it is so completely unrestrained and unfettered. Its only home is the whole sky.

2nd Stanza

Maya Angelou compares the scenario in this poem by depicting a caged bird. In vain, the trapped bird attempts to escape from his cage. The cage is small, and the symbolic bars represent wrath. The bird in the cage seemed upset about its circumstances and yearned to escape its predicament. The caged bird, however, is unable to see outside of it.

Its wings are cut off, meaning its independence has been removed. Wings are connected with flight, which is linked to freedom. Its independence is violently removed when "his wings are clipped" is used. Even if it wants to, it cannot fly and has its feet bound.

A bird tethered to the ground depicts an image opposed to its genuine nature of flying, which illustrates that the bird has been alienated. However, what matters most is that the imprisoned bird "opens his throat to sing despite being in this hopeless situation." His happiness and success in life are limited to that.

3rd Stanza

The bird in the cage speaks with a trembling voice. The bird is singing about freedom, something he doesn't have. His unattainable ambition is freedom, which he imagines. He thus sings about it. His voice reflects his anxiety. He has never tasted independence, but he longs to experience it independently. On slopes where others are moved to dream of independence, his voice may be heard in the distance. The bird in the cage sings not of melancholy but of freedom, inspiration, and optimism.

4th Stanza

The free bird, on the other hand, savors his independence. He likes to soar through the trees when the trade wind passes through them. The term "sighing trees" possibly relates to the sound the wind generates through the leafy branches. The trees' lack of freedom is illustrated by the fact that they are similarly "tied" to the ground like the caged bird.

The free bird considers the large worm that will serve as his meal. He feels magnificent in his independence and refers to the whole sky as his kingdom since he has the wind in his feathers, the water and the ground under him, and the entire sky with him. The poet wants to convey that the bird recognizes himself as the owner of the whole cosmos by using the phrase "names the sky his own." Here, the sky is a metaphor for the cosmos.

5th Stanza

On the other hand, the caged bird is aware that he is not soaring over the sky, that he is not free, but rather a captive, a prisoner. As a result, he "stands on the grave of dreams." He knows his hopes of experiencing freedom by soaring through a free firmament are in vain. He had given up on finding freedom. His ghost "cries out in a nightmare scream." It is worse and more pitiful than a nightmare. The bird expands his throat to sing despite having his wings cut and his feet bound. The bird wants to struggle through every obstacle. His melody carries a slender but igniting optimism.

6th Stanza

The repeated theme that serves as a stanza explains the bird's unwavering will to pursue his goal of freedom. The imprisoned bird decides to sing since it is the only unrestricted freedom accessible to him. His wings are cut, and his feet are bound, but his neck has not yet been choked. The poet has felt this deeply, so she chooses the title "I Know Why the Cages Bird Sings."

This might be seen as the poet's call to action to speak out, to express ourselves despite the stronger person's desire to silence the weaker person, and never to give up, no matter the circumstances.

'Caged Bird': Analysis

Maya Angelou's 'Caged Bird' is a protest poem highlighting the disparity between black and white Americans. It demonstrates how Black people were oppressed while White people were free throughout racial discrimination in American history. The poem employs potent personification, symbolism, and metaphors to inform readers about the reality of racist practices and laws.

The poem compares Black people to a bird in a cage (line 15) who seldom sees through his angry bars (line 11). This usage of metaphor highlights the awful circumstances faced by black Americans, who seem to live in jail and are prevented from achieving their goals by its walls. Lines 1-4 of the poem contrast this by comparing the Whites to a free bird that soars on the wind and drifts downriver until where the current stops. This metaphor emphasizes how happily white Americans live in society without being constrained. They are so liberated that they may even 'take the sky' for themselves, demonstrating their superiority to every other species in the cosmos. These contrasts have effectively highlighted the disparate realities that Blacks and Whites experience in the presence of racial laws like segregation.

Additionally, Angelou employs symbolism in her poem to illustrate the degree of inequity in American culture. The phrase "fat worms" that "await free bird on a bright dawn lawn" is used in stanza 4 to allude to the abundance of options offered to white Americans. These pictures represent a happier future for them, greater work chances, educational opportunities, and career prospects. During the era of segregation, white Americans had easy access to these possibilities, particularly since the laws and regulations were on their side. The last line of stanza 4 indicates how near the whites are to obtaining those prospects, specifically defined as being "named their own." However, the 'fat worms' have a different meaning for Black people. They have a 'grave of dreams' that they stand on. As a result, they exclaim with a "nightmare scream" (stanza 5). This depressing portrayal of Black opportunities alludes to the limited and fewer opportunities for African Americans who, despite their efforts to succeed, are still marginalized by racist practices in schools, workplaces, politics, business fields, social settings, and other spheres of American life. Their hopes of achieving success, rising to positions of authority, and leading happy lives are crushed like corpses in cemeteries.

Finally, the poem by Maya Angelou conveys that racial injustice is a genuine human experience that impacts people's lives. Blacks and some other minority people are restricted in many areas of society, including education, employment, and professional advancement. It is shown by the fact that the Blacks have feet that are tied and wings that have been cut (stanza 2). Racial minorities were treated as second-class passengers on buses and in public restrooms. The gap between white people and people of colour has diminished people's chances of living comfortably, leading to poverty, a lack of self-determination, and poor self-esteem.

The poem also discusses how black Americans sing with a trembling trill while gazing longingly at faraway hills (stanza 3). This expression represents the most straightforward approach for asking for assistance when they want to be heard, similar to the old chanting types directed toward God in prayer. Black people only express their desire for liberation by singing, speaking, and writing, hoping that someone far away may hear them. Personification used in the poem has effectively highlighted the emotional and personal experience of racism and segregation.

The poem "Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou powerfully conveys a message of protest against the disparity between Blacks and Whites in American society during segregation. It reflects the feelings that were there throughout that terrible event and contrasts the oppression of Black people with White people's freedom. It is a powerful poem that calls for righting historical wrongs and teaches readers about the effects of living in a racist society using significant metaphors, personification, and imagery.