The cage, described as narrow, which holds the bird captive, preventing free movement. The Caged Bird (Allegory) The title of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is derived from Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s poem “Sympathy.” In this poem Dunbar tells the story of a caged bird that wants to reach the beauty of the outside world but is trapped within “cruel bars.” The bird is enjoying his flight in natural atmosphere or habitat. The caged bird watches the free bird live a life of adventure and freedom. It desires with all its heart to escape its plight. He uses the caged bird to symbolize the oppressed black minority. It is quite ironic that even though the title of this poem is “caged bird”, the poet describes the free bird first. This cage defines the bird and strip its identity, as indicated by the fact that the bird is referred to as the ‘caged bird‘ for a major part of the poem. The poem is a contrast between a caged bird and a free bird. 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 is a symbol of freedom and happiness and these well chosen verbs are especially meaningful because they contain joy … The caged bird sings of freedom, of fear, and things unknown. Angelou’s writing style exemplifies this the most, as it identifies the caged bird as the main character of the poem. The caged bird is seen to be angry with its situation. In the second stanza, the poet immediately introduces the caged bird. In his poem “Sympathy”, Dunbar writes, “I know what the caged bird feels” (ll. A bird, by nature, wants to be free and in its natural habitat, a bird can go wherever it pleases. The poem draws the comparison between the free bird and the caged bird to show what the kind of life the caged bird is meant to live. The cage is narrow and its metaphorical bars are of rage. It is in the literature discipline and for quite some time has been used for studying. She depicts the caged bird watching the free bird by writing, “But a bird that stalks / down his narrow cage” (Angelou 8-9). Maya Angelou wrote this poem during the Civil Rights Era, the period when black activists in the 1950’s and 1960’s fought for desegregation of African Americans. One may also ask, what does the caged bird symbolize? Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow. Here, poet Maya Angelou contrasts the situation by presenting the image of a caged bird. Here in the third stanza, Angelou describes the caged bird’s song. The poem ‘Caged Bird,’ has been authored by the famous and talented poet Maya Angelou. The poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou tells the story of two birds: one bird has the luxury of freedom and the second bird lives its life caged and maltreated by an unknown tyrant. In the first stanza Maya Angelou breathes life into her description of a 'free bird' by using verbs like 'leaps','floats', 'dips'. ‘Dips his wings’ means that the bird is free and uses his wings the way he wants. Angelou alternates the focus of the stanzas between the free bird and the caged bird. Question 1 : Describe the life of the free bird as described by the poetess Maya Angelou. When looked at literary, the poem describes the differences that are conspicuous between a bird that flies freely and that which is caged/ restricted to a specific area. The caged bird tries to go after his cage in vain. 1, 7). Symbols are also used very prominently in the poem. She does this in order to create a drastic contrast between the life of the caged bird and the free bird. Answer : The free bird as described by the poetess is enjoying his freedom fearlessly. 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