A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream till the current ends
and dips his wing in the orange suns 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.
Those poems that you write are so interesting and I hope you write for ever those beautiful poems.
It’s kind of obvious what this poem is talking about.. Prejudice, Discrimination, Racism, Fight for Freedom, Longing for freedom, Human rights, I mean really if you just read it, it would all come to you and I think this is really un-necessary because (forgive me) only an idiot wouldn’t understand what this poem is about! I mean just read it!!And Brain you’ve really made a lot of effort to comment and I really admire what you’ve written but I’d like to thank Philip for giving me ideas for my essay =) thnx a lot
u r an amazing poet! maybe u need do sum more! 😀
This poem is touching.
I know why the caged bird sings is a beautiful expression…I see the caged bird as one with confidence and self esteem issues…Ms Angelou shows me that he can sing, be heard and fly high…beautiful inspirational and windsome. T.Y
i had to memorize this poem for english >:[
this is the most awesome poem i ever read, it has some power that touches one’s felling, wow!!!!!!!
The poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou is poignant poem that revolves around the theme of freedom. This piece declares that even though there are social injustices and inequalities within life, hope and faith in the American Dream can overcome the obstacles of isolation and seclusion. It is a tale of sorrow and desire that captures the lives of two contrasting birds. While the free soars the open sky, the caged bird’s “wings are clipped and his feet are tied” (Angelou, line 6). The ungrateful free bird never needs to worry about its future, however, the caged bird can only hope and sing for a fruitful future. When reading, the reader realizes that Angelou believes in equality for all of mankind and she truly knows why the caged bird sings.
Through the use of a lyrical poem, Angelou conveys to the reader a story of a hopeful caged bird and an unappreciative free bird. In the first line of the poem, Angelou utilizes assonance, the repetition of a vowel sounds, in saying “A free bird leaps on the back of the wind” (Angelou, line 1). Angelou also writes the poem as an enjambment because each stanza is one continuing sentence portraying the life of the caged bird to the life of the free bird: “A free bird leaps on the back of the wind/ and floats downstream till the current ends/ and dips his wing in the orange suns rays and dares to claim the sky” (Angelou, lines 1-3). Moreover, Angelou uses alliteration when saying, “shadow shouts on a nightmare scream”(Angelou, line 15). Throughout the poem, Angelou writes two stanzas containing three lines followed by a refrain, which she does twice. In doing so, she evokes hope and suggests to the reader that the refrain is the most powerful stanza in the poem. When Angelou says, “The free bird thinks of another breeze/ and the trade wind soft through the sighting trees/ and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and he names the sky his own” (Angelou, lines 11-13), the reader discovers the “AAB” rhyme scheme. However, in the refrain, Angelou uses an “AAAB” rhyme scheme. The last word of the refrain breaks off from the rhyme with the last word being far from the original rhyme: “trill, still, hill, freedom.” The non-rhyme represents the caged bird’s potential to break away from those accepted ideas that white is the dominant race and perhaps rise to that desired level of equality and justice. By switching between the life of the free bird and the life of the caged bird, the reader can clearly see the difference between the two bird’s lives. With Angelou’s use of a lyrical poem and sophisticated rhyme, the reader can appreciate the poem’s deeper meaning.
Through the use of diction and figurative language, Angelou portrays two opposite lives in the same society. In the first stanza, Maya Angelou uses imagery to show the reader how the soul is always alive and filled with excitement when it is free and unbounded from impulsiveness. Angelou uses strong images to invoke such thoughts of being imprisoned as well. When Angelou expresses the free bird “Leaps on the back of the wind” and “dips his wings in the orange sun rays,” she enriches the reader’s sense to reflect on the thought of being free and alive. Angelou’s choice of diction reflects that simple, natural elements of nature represent a visual playground for the bird. These words that are transcribed by Angelou give the reader a colorful feeling of happiness. In the next stanza, however, Angelou writes in depressing and stark voice. These images and metaphors are completely opposite from those of the first stanza. “Narrow cage”, “bars of rage” and “wings are clipped” express a feeling of terror and fear. The irony and paradox shown in this stanza are displayed in magnitude because of the pleasant images in the first stanza. “Bars of rage” is a metaphor that represents the imprisonment of innocent slaves throughout history. This unpleasant dissimilarity provokes a feeling of melancholy. “Grave of dreams”, also a metaphor, creates a sense of sorrow because the imagery echo’s itself to despair and misery. The irony that extends the poem is the tragic fact that the bird still “sings of freedom”. In the last stanza “The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still” represents that even thou it is inescapable, its dreams and future are still there edging the fact that they might seem impossible. The poem is a contrast between freedom and enslavement in a single society. While the free bird lives a life of ignorance towards its freedom as it simply “leaps on the back of the wind and dips his wing in the orange sun rays,” on the contrary, the caged bird can hope for freedom. The caged bird personified as the plight of African Americans and other discriminated groups, while the free bird that “thinks of another breeze and fat worms waiting,” symbolizes any wealthy or free person. Throughout her social and political analogy, Angelou presents to her readers a poem that provokes motley emotions.
When looking at “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” it is evident that the American Dream of freedom is the underlying theme. While there are those who take their freedom for granted, there are others, trapped and segregated, that “sing of freedom.” Angelou wrote this poem in response to the discrimination and segregation that African Americans faced since their arrival in America. She speaks of the two different birds to convey the message that even though there may be isolation between groups, one is never more dominant than the other, and therefore they have a right to freedom and hope. She is so passionate about the terrible situation because Angelou is the caged bird, and she feels that with her cry for free she will be free. Angelou believes that there are social inequalities and unfair discriminations in America, which contrasts with the common view of the American Dream. However, throughout the poetry piece, Angelou instills in her readers the sense of hope and freedom that is an endless part of the true American Dream. So while the caged bird “sings with a fearful trill of things unknown” and the free bird “thinks of another breeze,” it is apparent that the American Dream is attained by those who have hope.
this poem really touched my heart and opened my eyes to how life really is. This was poem put it in words that no other could have. Its just plain and simply beautiful.
Im doing a couple paragraphs on a poem of my choice and I absolutly love this poem. Its beuatiful and it compares to how the two bird live differently. 🙂 I love your poem!:D
this poem made me cry!:( its beautiful and sadly kind of true. it should hav been number three in the top 40 >:|
I wish to comment Maya for the wonderful poem. I am trying to write an English paper about a character who has great influence in the lives of many especially the minority.
Going through Maya’s work, I couldn’t find anthing better than this. It very inspiring……..
A social and political analogy can clearly be drawn from the poem. However, it also illustrates Maya’s very personal feelings about herself. As a young child, Maya felt she was very different from others. She srruggled with deep pain from being rejected and abandoned by their parents. Touts and negative comments of others caused her believe she was ugly and unworthy. And she was a victim of secual abuse. The caged bird is Maya. As you read her autobiography entitled “I Know Wy the Caged Bird Sings” I believe you will begin to understand even deeper the personal analogy to the poem.
i smile and watch as the bird sings still, singing of freedom, through notes so shrill up with that free bird, on the hill.
Since the poem is just so beautiful and moving, I would just like to take it lightly, and concentrate on the feeling it gives me,not how it was written or what it technecally means. because to me a poem is written to bring a feeling to the reader’s heart of what the writer wants the reader to feel.
All birds deserve to be free. Maya Angelou’s “I know why the caged bird sings” is a tale of sorrow and desire. Throughout the poem Angelou recounts the life of a free bird and the life of a caged bird. The free bird lives a life of ignorance towards its freedom, simply dreaming and drifting without any cares at all. The caged bird lives a desolate life, trapped within its iron prison. The poem conveys Angelou’s feelings about the plight of the African-American people, one of injustice and the problems they face within society.
The poem compares the inequalities of life between the free bird and the caged bird. The poem describes how the free bird “thinks of another breeze…and the fat worms waiting” Angelou intends this to represent the white people of the USA. They have few problems in the world and live an easy life. While the caged bird “stalks down his narrow cage and can seldom see through his bars of rage” Life is an entirely different matter for the caged bird. Rather than focusing of the luxuries of life he must simply summon the will to keep wishing for a better existence. This comparison shows the cruelty of life, one living in relative ease while another just as deserving lives in desperation.
The caged bird is trapped within a seemingly inescapable jail, doing all that he can to achieve his goal of freedom and happiness. However he is given little chance “his wings are clipped and his feet are tied” There are not many options for the caged bird, so he “sings with a fearful trill of the things unknown but longed for still.” Even though there is a slim chance to become free he tries anyway, for the caged bird will never give up hope as long as he still has some kind of voice. The caged birds determination to keep trying no matter how bad things allow him to hope that some day he may have freedom.
Angelou uses two birds to represent both ideologies in the poem, that of freedom and that of entrapment. Birds represent freedom and the free bird “leaps on the back of the wind…and dips his wing in the orange suns rays” This conjures images of freedom for the bird and is the ideal life of a bird in general. As a contrast to this the caged bird “stands on the grave of dreams…his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream” His dreams of freedom are lost and he has little more to do than despair. This convinces the reader that a bird should not live without freedom. Both of these birds are the same creature however, so both should live with freedom.
“I know why the caged bird sings” portrays two opposite lives in the same society. It shows the unfairness of life and particularly represents the problems African-American people face in the White dominant society of the USA. It shows that even though both birds are essentially the same creature, they live with unequal standards despite both being worthy of freedom and happiness.
Here is what I thought of the poem after reading and studying it. It is not so much an analysis of the poem, but an analysis of the devices used to convey the thesis of the poem.
Maya Angelou is one of the major American authors of the 20th century who is best known for her autobiographical writings. Her past years encompasses the Civil Rights Movement, which was largely influential in her writings at that time and up until today. The Civil Rights Movement in the United States was a political, legal, and social struggle by black Americans to gain full citizenship rights and to achieve racial equality. It was also first and foremost a challenge to segregation. During the civil rights movement, individuals and civil rights organizations challenged segregation and discrimination with a variety of activities. Maya Angelou wrote “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” in response to this movement.
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” declares how there will always be social injustices and inequalities within life. By relating to society as she experienced it during that time, Maya Angelou compares the white people to a free bird and the black people to a caged bird. The free bird is allowed to roam anywhere and do as he wishes; however, the caged bird is forced to be confined to his boundaries and sings of freedom. The caged bird’s singing symbolizes its hope that one day they will rise to a level of equality with the rest of society.
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” possesses a passionate tone. The poem speaks about the unfairness and social injustices people must endure as they continue through life. Angelou describes how the free bird “leaps [and] floats on the wind and dares the claim the sky” and the caged bird “stalks in his cage” being “blind to the bars of rage.” She provides the juxtaposition of the free bird to the caged bird to show the injustice faced by many using words that evoke a sense of energy. This sense of energy alludes to the fact that Angelou is unsatisfied with the way society treats people and is eager to correct its faults. She then goes further to speak of the caged bird’s song and how it “sings with a fearful trill of the things unknown” because it “longs for freedom.” The fact that the caged bird longs for freedom proves that the African-Americans have not yet attained the freedom they deserve. Freedom in this sense does not necessarily mean that the African-Americans are enslaved. Maya Angelou is referring to the mid-1900s when the African-Americans were not treated with equality as the white people, much less respect. It is the act of segregation that limited the opportunities the African-Americans had to improve their lives, thus preventing them from growing with the rest of society, and therefore following up to today. Her taking on of a passionate tone is in attempts to influence people to make the necessary changes within society for a better life for the African-Americans.
Though it is simple, the poem’s diction contributes to imagery about living life. The first of these would be the contrast between a “free bird” and a “caged bird.” Birds symbolize freedom. Because both African-Americans and whites are being portrayed as birds, theoretically both should share equality and freedom; however, the African-American bird is caged while the other is not. By simply juxtaposing both birds, Angelou describes how not all people are treated equally. She goes further to illustrate how the free bird “leaps on the back of the wind” and “dips his wings in the orange sun rays.” Upon reading this is an image of the bird traveling to anywhere he would like without bound, and a person would experience a wondrous sensation and happiness for the bird to be so free. However, Angelou immediately contrasts the second bird in his “narrow cage” of “bars of rage” with his “wings clipped.” Compared to the free bird, the caged bird’s life and situation would seem pitiful and unmatched. Such words evoke a feeling of dread and horror. It leads readers to question how life could be so unfair and cruel to the bird, or the African-American. Maya Angelou intended for readers to question what they have in life, so that they would understand that life could be unjust to their advantage or disadvantage, and try to correct that.
Where the first two stanzas make it clear to readers that life is unfair, the next three stanzas elaborates on this idea, and attempts to evoke feelings of sadness and pity for the caged bird. Maya Angelou chooses to have the caged bird stand on “a grave of dreams” while the free bird “names the sky his own.” The situation the caged bird is in creates such poignant grief because the connotation in a grave of dreams brings the images of a dismal and desolate world. The connotation of “grave” is especially moving because it intensifies the idea that the caged bird will forever be captured with no opportunity to improve and make itself a better life. By telling of how the caged bird still “sings with a fearful trill of the things unknown but longed for still,” it increases the sense of hopelessness and grief. People then respect the caged bird’s determination to dream, live, and succeed even when it is placed into a world of injustice and inequality. When people begin to respect the African-Americans, Angelou’s hopes for the African-American would be fulfilled.
The poem’s language is symbolic, but the complex syntax and composition arranges the words in a way relevant to the thesis through repetition. The direct repetition of the third stanza for the last stanza is important to the poem’s thesis. By repeating such a stanza with the caged bird singing for freedom, it emphasizes that things have not changed for the caged bird; however, it still continues to keep hope. Singing is often equated to hoping, as many African-Americans did sing in the early past when they were enslaved. Singing for freedom is transcribed to hoping for freedom. With hope, there is a possibility that one day the African-Americans would rise to a level of equality with the world. There is one line where its alliteration heightens the effect of dismay of the caged bird. Its “shadow shouts on a nightmare scream” explains how the bird’s dreams have become a nightmare with the wretched world it has to live in. He can only “open his throat to sing” for his own good. It represents the terrible life an African-American would have had to go through despite his determination.
Maya Angelou writes each stanza as one sentence portraying the life of the caged bird versus the free bird. By alternating between the life of the free bird and caged bird, readers can clearly see the difference between the two birds’ lives. This provides the chance to balance the caged bird’s life with the free bird’s by seeing how one can help the caged bird achieve the freedom of the free bird. Without any determination, the caged bird will only retain its hope for the possibility of a better life. Angelou indicates that there is in fact hope for the caged bird due to the rhyme scheme of each stanza. It follows that the first three phrases of each stanza adhere to a strict rhyming without change and symbolizes the caged bird being forced to follow accepted ideas in society. However, the last phrase of each stanza breaks off from the rhyme with the last word being far from the original rhyme: “trill, still, hill, freedom.” The non-rhyme represents the caged bird’s potential to break away from those accepted ideas that white is the dominant race and perhaps rise to that desired level of equality and justice.
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” was an accurate portrayal of the lives African-Americans lived back in the mid-1960s, and in some cases it is still a fairly accurate description of the lives some people live today. In many ways it is impossible for the world people know today to live with total equality and fairness. With people come feelings and opinions, and it is also accepted that there are no perfect people. Many have tried to make the world a better a better place for all, but ultimately, one can only persevere and hope for the best.
this poem is so sad and i like the fact that its ambigious in the way that it can be related to both human and animals, i thought of it more as animals, i study animals and learn about them being caged up and it makes me sad 🙁
Zach, she wrote because of her childhood there was a time where she did not speak for 4 years because of issues with her family and she writes saying that the the bird is a symbol of her and now that she is free from that drama she can sing
Why did Maya Angelou write this poem? Does anybody know exactly what she means? And no, please no comments from drama queens who think that the poem was written specifically for them.