I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou

The free bird leaps on the back of the wind

and floats downstream til 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 never 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

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” Explication and Analysis

I. Subject and Theme • Subject: the difference between a free bird and a trapped bird • Theme: Maya Angelou suggests that oppressors cannot silence the cries of the oppressed.

II. Voice

Tone: carefree/entitled vs. trapped/defiant The free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky. carefree = green entitled = blue trapped = red defiant = purple 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 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

Speaker of the Poem: • Anonymous third-person speaker

III. Diction: Concrete vs. Abstract

III. Diction: Concrete vs. Abstract The free bird leaps on the back of the wind 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 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

Key words • “Fearful”--has two definitions (see saying and suggesting) • “Throat”—the bird does not open its mouth or beak, but its throat. This indicates that the song comes from deep within.

IV. Saying and Suggesting

Denotation • Fearful: 1. Causing fear; terrible; dreadful 2. Full of fear We usually think of definition #2, but the first definition opens up the possibility that the bird’s song is one to pay attention to because of its fierceness.

Connotation • There are no associated shadings of words that create subtle nuances. Except for “fearful” with its two denotations, the language is fairly straightforward.

V. Imagery

V. Imagery: free vs. trapped The free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky. free = yellow trapped = hot pink underlined = kinesthetic italics = auditory 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 free = yellow with fearful trill trapped = hot pink of the things unknown kinesthetic = underlined but longed for still auditory = italics 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 free = yellow with a fearful trill trapped = hot pink of things unknown kinesthetic = underlined but longed for still auditory = italics and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom

VI. Figures of Speech (Devices)

Device: Personification • • • The free bird dares to claim the sky The free bird thinks of another breeze The free bird names the sky his own The caged bird can seldom see/ through his bars of rage

Device: Implied Metaphor(s) The free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky. free bird = free person/oppressor But a bird that stalks caged bird = oppressed person 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 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

Most Important Devices: 1. Implied metaphor: while personification also plays a small role, the implied metaphor dominates the poem.

Most Important Devices: • Implied metaphor: while personification also plays a small role, the implied metaphor dominates the poem.

VII. Sound Alliteration: His wings are clipped and his feet are tied So he opens his throat to sing (X 2) and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worms waiting on the dawn-bright lawn His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream

VII. Sound Onomatopoeia: • Trill: the caged bird sings with fearful trill • Sighing: the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

Rhyme The free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays e and dares to claim the sky. a b c b d f But a bird that stalks g down his narrow cage h can seldom see through i his bars of rage h his wings are clipped and j his feet are tied k so he opens his throat to sing. l exact = green half = red eye = purple internal = yellow

The caged bird sings with fearful trill of the things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. m n o n p q The free bird thinks of another breeze r and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees s and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn t and he names the sky his own. u

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 n and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom m n o p n p q v w x l

VIII. Poem Structure

Juxtaposition and Shifts The free bird leaps on the back of the wind 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 his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. Third and sixth stanzas could be considered a refrain 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