“I know why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou

The rime I chose to analyze was I know wherefore the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. I chose this verse because even at commencement exercise read, I noniced that there was a deeper meaning behind this poem and I instantly connected to it. The poem compares the heart of a light raspberry bush and how different it is from the life of a batting caged fowl.The abandon bird has the energy to be big and do what it pleases, while the caged bird is limited as to what it nooky and cant do. As I read this poem, I was confused as to why Angelou decided to print ab forth birds, but by the eradicate of the poem, I understood who the birds were supposed to be representing.After reading the poem I made the assumption that there were two birds, a easy bird and a caged bird. The caged bird had clipped wings and his feet were tied (Angelou), so he solitary(prenominal) had the big businessman to sing, whereas, the free bird had the opportunity to disappear anywhere he wanted, an d eat whatever he pleased.In the world-class stanza, lines 1-3, Angelou describes the adventures of the free bird when she says, A free bird leaps on the bear disclose of the wind and dips his wing in the orange suns rays. These lines help me, the reader, limn a bird flying across a horizon, and just how free the bird is. Reading gain ahead, Angelou says, And dares to claim the sky as his own. This line helps me advertise understand the extent of the emancipation the free bird has.The snatch stanza Angelou describes the life of the caged bird, and how his wings are clipped and his feet are tied. The imagery in these lines helps me picture just how trapped the caged bird is. The caged bird has been stripped of its natural ability to fly and walk. Because of these restrictions, the only when thing left for the caged bird to do is sing. mistakable to the second stanza, in the third stanza, Angelou describes the singing of the caged bird, saying it is fearful shingle. She as well says, his tune is heard on a distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.Through these lines iodin can infer that the caged bird is singing is very(prenominal) loud, and through this trill one can hear the fear as well as the desire to be free. As the poem goes on, Angelou once again emphasizes her point on how trapped the caged bird is. Line 19 says, A caged bird stands on the grave of dreams (Angelou).To me this line means that the caged bird is so confined to the caged life, that he has given up on all his dreams and buried them in a grave because he knows he will belike never get the chance to achieve them.. However, I was confused as to why the caged bird continued to sing about being free if he had already given up on his dreams.Did the caged birds struggles describe Angelou struggles? Something that seemed kindle to me in the poem was how the caged bird sang a fearful trill of things unknown (Angelou). The caged bird has never been free, and has never experie nced freedom, but stock-still desires it. This led me to believe that even though the caged bird doesnt know just now what it feels like to be free, he knows that anything will be better than the originator he is in now.After reading the poem for a second clock, I wondered why Angelou decided to write about this topic, and if the birds represented something deeper. With further research I found out that Maya Angelou wrote this poem in 1983. During this time, segregation and racial differences between blacks and whites were still prevalent in America.Using this information, I concluded that the free bird used in the poem refers to the ascendent white race, while the caged bird represents the oppressed black race. I can also infer, that since Angelou is a black women, she is referring to herself as the caged bird described in the poem. At this particular time utmost, whites were given to a greater extent freedom and more rights compared to the blacks.The black people were segre gated against and werent given the equivalent opportunities the whites were given. Due to this, one can infer that Angelou, being black and a woman, wasnt given the aforementioned(prenominal) opportunities, and therefore felt trapped like the caged bird. She felt as if the only thing she had the ability to do was use her fathom and speak out about what was happening to her and how it made her feel. This is also why Angelou decided to write this poem.It was a path for her to use her voice to get her message out and express how she feels trapped in a golf club that is dominated by white males. The life of the privileged white male is representing the life of the free bird. The free bird can claim the sky (Angelou) and eats blue worms (Angelou) while the caged bird is not only enslaved in the narrow cage (Angelou), but has also been stripped of the ability to fly. Similarly, the black people during this time period, have been stripped of their fundamental rights as human beings, and are being oppressed by the whites. Singing, or writing, is the only focus to validate their existence.The only right that these blacks posses is the right to use their voice and express themselves. In gain to being apart of the black minority, Angelou was a women. Women were given even few rights as compared to men, and often were looked down upon all over there world. Her voice was used as a way to demand attention to channelise the world the challenges she has to face as a black women.The poem I know why the Caged Bird sings is symbolic of the hardships Maya Angelou had to face during the time period when the black community was discriminated against. Angelou knows why the caged bird sings because she is the caged bird. She didnt possess the same freedom as the white people, and at the same time, the caged bird didnt possess the same rights as the free bird. Singing about freedom was the only way the caged bird could express its feelings, and writing was the only way Ange lou could express her opinions.This poem is very meaningful to me because like Angelou I too often feel like the caged bird. I feel trapped in a society where I am a part of a minority group. sometimes I feel as if my beliefs and opinions are overlooked and my feelings are not taken into account equally. This poem shows me how using your voice in ball club to express your thoughts can be a very effective way of commuting an idea, just as Angelou has done.