Caged bird

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
withfearful 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 softthrough 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 screamhis 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 distanthill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom
Maya Angelou

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

In this poem, Dr. Angelou speaks of a caged bird and its desire to be free. It is
The title of thepoem already seems to say a lot. It shows the narrator may have had an experience like a caged bird. Dr. Angelou is an African- American who had encountered the brutality of racial discrimination inher childhood. She lived in a time where there African-Americans were restricted by unfair laws and the oppression of society. Knowing this, the poem’s mood seems to darken and give the feeling ofbeing trapped in a cage of prejudice. The entire poem is seen as a metaphor. The poem does constant shifts from the free bird to the caged bird, allowing giving a greater difference between them.The free bird soars the ocean skies while the caged bird can only see “his bars of rage”. These shifts are mainly composed of happy enjoyable imagery while the caged bird has depressed and...