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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The free bird leaps
on the back of the win
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun 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 fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and is tune is heard
on the distant hillfor the caged bird
sings of freedom
The free bird thinks of another breeze
an 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
Maya Angelou is a very famous poet for her use of imagery. She uses imagery to convey the sounds, sights, smells, taste and
textures. In the poem I know Why the Caged Bird Sings there is the image of a bird that it is flying in the horizons. In the
first stanza the poet Maya Angelou defines the bird as a ;free bird; that rises on the back of the wind. The movement of the
bird gives the imagine of a bird that its shoots up to the limit of the sky.
In the poem there are very vivid images with descriptions of specific movements of the bird. The bird that is described
in the poem is Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou just like the bird worked hard till the end of the day and dared to claim what was
hers. The poet gives specific movements to the bird such as it moves ;downstream&; or ;floats; The bird in the poem is
constantly taking action, for example;dips his wings;
When you read the poem you have the imagine of a bird moving deeply their wings within the air. The reader can sympathize
with the freedom that the bird has and its ability to fly. The imagine of the orange sun rays in the sky is very beautiful
behind the flapping winds of the bird. The image that the poet produces makes the reader feel a sense of warmth from the orange
rays of the sun. The bird like a person is able to claim the sky because he dips his wings. A person in the same position
is able to claim the world because he or she dips his claws in the dirty to survive.
The descriptions of the bird in the cage lead a person to think of a person that is in a cage and does not have the ability
to see the sunlight of the day. In the poem the reader has the imagine of a person when the poet says "his feet are tied"
like it was a person. The bird like a person is afraid of the things he is not able to know. When the reader reads these lines
he or she creates an imagine of Maya Angelou trapped in caged scared because she doesnt know what to do. In her life, Maya
Angelou was in this cage at many times for example when she became pregnant with no family.
When the poet says the bird opens his throat to sing, the reader has an auditory image of sounds that the bird produces
from the cage. In the poem there is also another auditory image when the poet says that his "tune is hears" and
"his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream." The sounds that the bird emits are loud and scary. Through the usage
of imagery sounds the reader is able to create an imagine of a bird enclosed in a cage desperately screaming. In the poem
there is the presence of touch when the poet says that the winds are soft. The fact that the wings are soft is to symbolize
that Maya Angelou is soft in the outside but strong in the inside.
Furthermore, the poem creates an imagine of a bird that its flying through the skies and orange rays of the sun, and that
of a bird that it is in a caged enclosed with no sunlight, and, crying for freedom. The bird in the cage compared to the bird
outside the cage acts differently, and thinks of different breezes. In addition, the poet creates the imagine of the ;fat-
worms; that are on a garden or lawn waiting to be eaten. The ;fat-worms; is the food that the free bird is able to obtain,
but the caged bird is not.
The bird is the significance of those man and woman that are in freedom internally, and those that are trapped in their
own feelings and life complications. The poem creates images of the different attitudes and personalities in our society.
It creates an imagine of those that are free and able to reach up to their maximum potential, and those that have a set limit
to what they can accomplish. The difference between one and the other is the fact that, the one that has limits is limited
by someone or something.
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