ABSTRACT

This booklet is a comprehensive and well detailed analysis

Maya Angelou’s “Caged Bird”. It was written with learners
that are preparing for external examinations in mind. I am
sure one and all would find it very useful.

Abednego Oghenechovwiere Omashone

CIE IGCSE, WAEC, NECO & UTME Poetry

“CAGED BIRD” BY
MAYA ANGELOU
A Complete Analysis
1 Caged Bird
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing 5
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage
can seldom see through 10
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings 15

with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill 20
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 25
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. 30

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
 and his tune is heard 35
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
Maya Angelou

Source:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48989/caged-bird

1.1 About the Poet

On April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States, Maya Angelou was born.
Marguerite Annie Johnson was her name at birth. She was recognized as a very adaptable
woman as she was believed to have dabbled in a number of vocations over her career. To name
just a "few," Maya Angelou's employment history includes roles as a fry cook, the first black
woman to work as a street car conductor in San Francisco, a sex worker, a nightclub dancer, a
brothel madame, an actor, director, producer, singer, poet, writer, memoirist, educator, and civil
rights activist.

After her parents split, Angelou, who was raised in a troubled household, was forced to move in
with her grandmother. Her first emotional scar was this one. She was raped by her mother's
boyfriend when she and her siblings went to live with her after a while. He was only imprisoned
by the law for a single day. Later on, he was killed. Angelou felt a twinge of regret after
murdering him because she believed she had some little role in his demise. She developed an
emotional scar from this event. A teacher named Mrs. Flowers helped Angelou discover her
talent during this most trying time in her life. Angelou was introduced to several African and
African-American writers by Mrs. Flowers. This sparked Angelou's creative side to emerge and
greatly influenced how the remainder of her life turned out.

Author Maya Angelou, who received honorary doctorates from more than fifty prestigious
institutions and colleges worldwide, is the author of over thirty books, seven of which are
autobiographical novels. The most well-known of her books is I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings, which won three Grammy awards in addition to receiving the greatest praise from critics.
During President Bill Clinton's administration, she composed the second poem ever for an
American presidential inauguration, "On the Pulse of the Morning." She was renowned for
writing vivid poems that came to life on stage rather than on paper. In addition to her work in
academia, Maya Angelou was a fervent advocate for education. She held many positions,
including Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University. Prior to their
deaths, she collaborated closely with Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. as a member of the
Civil Rights Movement. President Bill Clinton presented her with the Medal of Arts in 2000, and
President Barack Obama bestowed upon her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010. Maya
Angelou died at the age of 86 on May 28, 2014, at Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the United
States of America.
1.2 Background
Maya Angelou's poem, 'Caged Bird', explores the enslavement of African-Americans in the
United States between 1526 and 1863. The poem, published in 1983, highlights the ongoing
marginalization of African-Americans, highlighting the institutionalized racism and policies that
privileged certain races over others. The poem highlights the severe exclusion, segregation, and
job insecurity faced by blacks, as well as the ongoing disenfranchisement and exploitation by
groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Angelou's work highlights the undercurrents in society,
particularly in terms of freedom and bondage, and highlights the importance of understanding
and addressing these issues.

In the 15th century, America's first European inhabitants included adventurers, wanderers,
fortune seekers, and prodigals. Europeans viewed the punishment of being sent to America as a
better alternative to death sentences. In America, settlers sought cheap labour to build a
prosperous economy, leading to the importation of slaves from Africa to meet their labour needs.
The first Africans arrived in America not out of free will, but it has since become an attractive
destination for many Africans, referred to as a 'greener pasture'.

From 1526, Africans forced from their countries and enslaved were systematically stripped of
their cultural identity, given new names, and introduced to Christianity. These Africans,
culturally rootless and unable to identify their own country, experienced psychological
dislocation and dysfunctional families within the African-American community. African-
Americans eventually began attempts to establish their right to self-determination via the arts,
mainly through music and literature (the Harlem Renaissance), even before the slaves were freed
in 1863. (the Negro spirituals).

A number of well-known African-American activists, including Elijah Mohammed, Malcolm X,

Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and many others, brought the world's attention to African-
American suffering in the late 1950s and early 1960s in an effort to challenge the entrenched
stereotype held by white people that black people are inferior. A few others, including Maya
Angelou, have written on their desire or need for freedom and humanity. One of the most revered
poems written by an African-American is still "Caged Bird."

1.3 Setting
Maya Angelou's "Caged Bird" has an unusual setting. It is difficult to pinpoint the poem's actual
location. The poem's visuals seem to shift between a prison and a tree beside a river. It is clear
from the poem that Angelou aims to imaginatively investigate the ways in which society tries to
quell the Black spirit, represented by the bird in this poem.

'Caged Bird' is not set in twentieth-century America, but rather within the African-American
perspective of the time, highlighting the uniqueness of the poem's setting. White European
migrants found America their land, hope, and dream, while African-Americans, descendants of
slaves, felt trapped and unfulfilled in a land that lacked hope and freedom. The poem 'Caged
Bird' explores the African-American's forced uprootment from Africa, highlighting the truth of
their place in America, where they found themselves and found themselves in a chain.

In twentieth-century America, the average black person faced unhospitable conditions, while
whites lived a privileged life, where non-white individuals were considered underdogs. The 20th
century in America saw the industrial revolution, introducing inventions like railroads,
automobiles, and light bulbs, and improving white Americans' living standards. During this
period, African-Americans faced unique challenges due to limited education, limited access to
schools, jobs, and living conditions. They were expected to sit at the back of white-owned public
buses, limiting their social interaction. African-Americans were expected to defer to whites,
often not looking directly at them, and were viewed as beasts of burden to be exploited and
oppressed. The poem is situated in this environment of marginalization, prejudice, and
oppression—where African Americans are accurately compared to a caged bird.

1.4 Subject Matter/ Summary

Angelou explores the situation with the imprisoned bird and the free bird in this poem. Some of
the limitations and rejections that Maya Angelou herself experienced due to the colour of her
skin served as inspiration for this poem. She most likely used her very personal experience with
overt racism in American society to help her express such a wide range of emotions in the poem.

The poem metaphorically depicts the life of an average African-American in the United States,
comparing and contrasting two birds: one free and the other caged. Through the depiction of the
caged bird, the poet foregrounds the various impediments and obstacles that make it almost
impossible for African-Americans to assert their rights to freedom in a racially stratified society.
Birds symbolize whites in the United States, while the caged bird represents African-Americans,
symbolizing their freedom and unrestricted movement. More broadly, the imprisoned bird may
stand in for any individual whose freedom is curtailed due to a variety of social, political, and
economic factors.

1.4.1 Stanza 1 (Lines 1-7)

The poet describes a happy, liberated bird that makes use of the natural elements in these lines.

The poet's accurate depiction of a bird taking in its natural surroundings conjures up a striking
picture of freedom and rebellion. The poet indicates right away that there are birds that are not
free by prefixing the word "bird" with the adjective "free." The poet so instantly dispels that
notion by exposing the audience to the harsh truth of existence, which is that certain birds are not
free. The literary character shows the audience everything a free bird is capable of doing in these
lines. It can 'leap' (line I), 'float downstream' (line 3) and 'dip its wings in the sun rays' (line 5)
while daring to 'claim the sky'(line 7).
This bird is only able to accomplish all of this because it is free. Here, the poet expresses the
force of freedom figuratively. There is a difference in settings in this one stanza. Lines 1 through
5 show how the free bird overcomes many barriers and soars across streams and currents. In
addition, the bird soars through the sun's beams in lines 6-7. As a result, the bird can go over
whatever challenge it faces as it is free. The bird can "leap on the back of the wind" even when
the wind opposes him (lines 1-2). In this stanza, every challenge the bird faces transforms into a
"stepping stone to higher splendour" since no challenge is insurmountable. The poet highlights in
these lines that because the bird is "free," it can soar, leap, and take control of the sky.
Throughout these lines, words like "leaps," "floats," and "dips" are purposefully chosen. The
force of the bird's movements is better expressed with the aid of these phrases. The bird,
relishing its independence, is full of life and vitality.

1.4.2 Stanza 2 (Lines 8-14)

The description of another bird opens the second verse. The stark contrast between this verse's
topic and the previous one's makes it all the more powerful. This verse presents us with a vision
of fury and bondage, in stark contrast to the preceding stanza's picture of freedom and pleasure.
This confined space that encloses the bird on all sides is its confinement. Terms like "narrow
cage" and "clipped... bound" put the idea of servitude and extreme restriction front and center.
The bird has had its wings chopped, preventing it from ever taking to the sky as its instrument of
flight. Its limitations are so great that the bird's feet are tethered to further limit its movement
even inside the cage, which keeps it from flying. Still, the bird can raise a song in spite of its
pitiful plight.

It is significant to observe that the coordinating conjunction "but" opens the first line of this
verse. In other words, it's employed to combine grammatical constructions of the same rank. This
can be alluding to the two birds in a symbolic way. The poet conveys to the reader that these two
birds are equal by using this term. Given the opportunity, both are equally good as their ranks are
equal. But 'but' also denotes contrast, though. So, the 'but' informs the reader right away that even
though these birds are equally capable.

There is one little but important distinction between the two. The poem describes "a bird that
stalks/down his tiny cage" in lines 8–9. The first distinction between the two is this. Despite
having the same strength as the other bird—the ability to soar just as high, float just as quickly,
dip his wings, and even claim the sky—the second bird is unable to accomplish these feats due to
his cage.

The lyrical character proceeds to depict the bird, revealing to the audience that "his wings are
clipped" (line 12) and "his feet are tied" (line 13). The severity of the second bird's captivity by
its owner is depicted in this image. A colloquial phrase that is frequently used is "to cut
someone's wings." This phrase describes the limitations imposed on an individual's freedom or
authority. It is not, however, an idiomatic phrase in this poetry. The poet portrays an actual bird
in the cage that has had its wings chopped off. Any bird's two wings are essential to its look
since they allow it to fly. A bird could not raise itself and soar without its wings.

The very things that have been severed are these mobility aids. The poet compares a man's need
for freedom to a bird's longing for wings in a figurative sense. In addition to the fact that the
caged bird cannot fly, the poem emphasizes that it is unable to roam around freely. A bird can
still walk and trot around without wings, but this bird's feet are bound, so it isn't even able to use
that ability. The bird's feet and wings symbolize freedom, but its life is stripped of these
freedoms. In line 14, the bird sings, symbolizing African-Americans' use of music and literature
to overcome pain and overcome oppression in America.

The poet symbolizes the harrowing experiences of African-Americans in the US, who faced
physical, economic, and social restrictions. Music forms like Negro spirituals, rap, rhythm, blues,
jazz, and soul emerged due to their healing abilities.

1.4.3 Stanza 3 (Lines 15-22)

The bird, imprisoned, expresses its longing for freedom through a song with a 'fearful trill', a
quiver or vibration in its voice. This fearful trill signifies heightened fear or anger, allowing the
bird to channel these emotions into a song, expressing their need for release.

The bird's desperate cry for release is heard on a distant hill, contrasting with the poet's earlier
image of a joyful, free bird, which does not sing.

The poem describes a caged bird singing a haunting melody, expressing its resilience and
longing for things beyond its confines. The bird sings 'Of things unknown/ but longed for still',
highlighting the unexplored places and opportunities beyond its confines. The poem highlights
the bird's ability to express itself, even amidst its confinement, and the unrestricted nature of its
voice and spirit.

The poem's line 20 references African-American speakers, poets, and activists like Martin Luther
Jnr, who fought for freedom. The caged bird's song of 'freedom', while being held captive,
symbolizes the poet's longing for freedom, which may lead to the acquisition of things once
beyond reach.

1.4.4 Stanza 4 (Lines 23-26)

The poem describes the pleasures of a free bird, including trade winds, sighing trees, and fat
worms. The tone of the first and third stanzas conveys liberty and delight, while the second and
fifth stanzas convey sorrow and confinement, allowing the reader to fully recognize the
difference between the two birds.

The poem emphasizes the bird's freedom and its ability to distinguish between different types of
breezes. The bird's freedom allows it to think of trade winds, highlighting its numerous places it
has been. This indirectly highlights the bird's freedom of thought and movement, highlighting its
adaptability and adaptability.
The poem highlights the freedom of a bird, expressing its ability to choose its food and choose
the best, unlike a caged bird. The bird's freedom of choice contrasts with the caged bird's reliance
on the sky, demonstrating its ability to name the sky its own.

1.4.5 Stanza 5 (Lines 27-30)

In stanza 5, the poet compares the free bird and the caged bird, contrasting the first line with the
last line of the 3rd stanza, which is dark, sinister, and filled with images of death and bondage.

The free bird, unable to achieve its dreams, stands on their grave, expressing grief and pain. The
powerful line conveys a sense of heartache, misery, and lamentation, making the bird's life a
nightmare of broken dreams and clipped wings.

The caged bird's mournful song symbolizes the torment faced by black people in America, who
were severely restricted in society and often neglected their own goals, leading to the loss of
many dreams and a lack of recognition.

The poet compares the pathetic situation of a caged bird with that of a free bird, highlighting the
radical changes in perception of life when a person lacks freedom.

The poet views the cage as a barrier that hinders dreams and potential, limiting growth and
resourcefulness, rather than allowing them to emerge into reality.

The poem describes a caged bird that only allows 'nightmares' to enter, revealing its shadow as a
reflection of its true self. The bird's wings are clipped and feet are tied, limiting its movement
even within the confines of the cage.

The bird's feet and wings are chained and its wings cut, suggesting that even if it escapes, certain
portions of its body have been compromised to keep it back. The cage itself might stand in for
the outside factors that prevent the bird from moving freely. There is some internal brokenness in
the bird.

The bird, however, has a strong, unwavering spirit as it uses the one thing that could not be
imprisoned—its voice—to establish its rights to self-definition. The bird in the cage, according
to the poet, opens his "throat" to sing. The word "throat" is used instead of "mouth," implying
that the confined bird's song is an attempt to be understood and that it wants to be heard.

1.4.6 Stanza 6 (Lines 31-38)

The caged bird, fearing freedom, expresses its yearning through song, despite its limitations and
restrictions. Despite the unknown nature of liberty, the bird sings a loud song of freedom,
making it a beacon of hope on a distant hill.

The stanza also attains the status of a refrain and gives the poem a musical quality. This refrain is
symbolic because it indicates that the poem is a song, sung by the caged bird to draw attention to
its plight. This poem is a song of freedom. One would notice that this refrain starts with the
words 'the caged bird'. What this entails is that the cage has become part of the bird's personality
just like freedom is part of the free bird's identity.

Despite the end of slavery in America, African-Americans still face injustice and marginalization
due to racism. The 'caged bird' represents the enduring socio-political factors, such as the
abduction of ancestors from sub-Saharan Africa and the inability to return to their ancestral land,
preventing them from leaving America and returning to Africa.

1.5 Themes
1.5.1 Discrimination in society
The author conjures up two very different visions of freedom and bondage in this poem. A bird is
seen in the first and fourth stanzas contentedly taking in its freedom in the vast outdoors. It
"dares to claim the sky" and uses the wind to help it fly. The bird is completely free to take to the
skies and travel anywhere he pleases.

Rather, the bird in captivity' stalks in its tight cage,' imprisoned by 'bars of wrath.' The
imprisoned bird has "his feet tethered" and "wings clipped," in contrast to the happy bird that
soars to any location it pleases. Maya Angelou conveys the notion of freedom and bondage by
contrasting these images.

The birds have symbolic meaning. The imprisoned bird symbolizes African-Americans in
American culture, while the free bird depicts white people. White people received full
constitutional rights and were free to take use of all their advantages.

However, the majority of Black people's rights, especially fundamental human rights, were taken
away from them. The Black community in particular experienced extreme oppression in this
culture. Many of the social comforts and privileges that were readily available to White people
were not available to them.

Consequently, they led difficult lifestyles. There was a sharp difference between the lifestyle of
the whites and that of the blacks in the American society. The whites lived privileged, luxurious
lifestyles while the blacks were treated as the dregs of the society. This is reflected in the poem.
While the free bird thinks of ‘another breeze’ and feeds on 'fat worms,' the caged bird 'stands on
the grave of dreams' and 'shouts on a nightmare scream.'

The expression, 'fat worms' vividly depicts the abundance and privilege that the whites enjoyed
when compared to the blacks. The bird feeds on 'fat worms', not sickly or stringy ones. This
expression connotes abundance, as opposed to the caged bird, which has nothing of the sort. The
caged bird's 'wings are clipped’, and so it cannot soar, it cannot take to the skies like its
counterpart.

In the same vein, while the whites had the confidence and, more importantly, the permission of
the society to breathe life into their dreams, the blacks did not. Hence, just like the caged bird
who 'stands on the grave of dreams', the blacks were forced to watch their goals and aspirations
fade into obscurity. In the same vein that the caged bird 'shouts on a nightmare scream', the
blacks made attempts to fight for themselves, to express their dissatisfaction with the status quo.
However, they were nothing but shadow(s) in the society. They were unseen and unheard, and
so, for a long time, their agitations were simply dismissed or met with force.

1.5.2 Man's desire and longing for freedom is instinctive

This theme is also evident in the poem. Despite being cloistered in a claustrophobic space
practically all its life, 'the caged bird sings of freedom.' The caged bird is unfamiliar with
freedom, so 'it sings with a fearful trill.' Its sad song has undertones of fear because it does not
know exactly what freedom is, or what its implications are. This idea is mirrored in the third
stanza, where the bird sings of 'things unknown but longed for still.' By implication, the poet
suggests that the yearning for freedom is instinctive. The inference from this idea, therefore, is
that it is unnatural for a man to put his fellow man in bondage. However, this is what obtained
for many years in the American society. Blacks were carted away from their homelands to
plantations in Haiti and other parts of the world. Many of them survived a tortuous journey, only
to get to their destination and realize that they were doomed to live as slaves to white masters.
After many years, slavery was abolished in the American society, but the blacks continued to
lead lives characterized by oppression and hardship, and they continued to yearn for freedom.
This longing is one of the things that the poet seeks to represent in the poem. It can be inferred
from the poem that the desire for freedom in man is instinctive. In the third and last stanzas, the
poet states that the bird 'sings of things unknown but longed for still. ' In the same vein, the
African-Americans sought to be liberated from their oppressive status in the society. Even
though they had never enjoyed freedom and all its perks, they continued to fight for it. They
understood that, as humans, they deserved to be free to live their lives and bring their ideas into
reality.

Thus, the poem foregrounds the importance of freedom to the reader. First of all, freedom is
essential because it serves as a form of identity. The first line says, 'A free bird leaps'. The bird is
identified as not just a bird but as a 'free bird'. This can also be seen on the identity given to the
caged bird. His identity becomes 'caged bird' simply because it is in a cage. Apart from being an
identity, freedom is a unique level of existence. It is a place where anyone who possesses a sense
of purpose and direction can achieve many successes. No problem or obstacle would be
insurmountable. This is why the free bird effortlessly 'leaps on the back of the wind' (line 2).
This is why it is the free bird that 'dips his wings on the orange sun rays and dares to claim the
sky' (lines 5-8). Freedom, according to this poem, makes it possible for a person to achieve
seemingly impossible feats. Freedom can also be a catalyst for defining what people remember
and what people forget. Freedom can also change the entire story of a people or race. The poet
seems to imply that with freedom, it is possible to restructure and revise history as well as
determine the future. Likewise, the lack of freedom means that other people would be
responsible for determining the trajectory of one's journey through life. The story of the African-
American in the US begins and ends with the issue of slavery. Whenever the story of the
African-American is narrated, it is predicated on the historical past that deals with slavery, a
story that has been determined largely by non-black narrators. Unfortunately, the inability of the
African-American to 'own' the rights to his own story means that other people have determined
for him his identity, his name as well as his economic and social status. Thus, the yearning for
freedom that would facilitate the creation of a new positive identity for the African-American is
at the centre of this poem. However, it should be stressed that the theme of a longing for freedom
is universal and from the perspective of Angelou, it is only right that all humans should be free to
assert their rights to self-determination, using their own personally sourced criteria. When
critiqued from this perspective, the poem possesses the quality of universal applicability.

1.5.3 The theme of limitation

By contrast, another theme that runs through this poem is the theme of limitation. It is almost
interesting that themes of freedom and limitation are both important to the poet. This theme is
important and significant because wherever there is freedom, it is usually at the expense of
others, who are in slavery. In this poem, the theme of limitation foregrounds the enslavement of
African-Americans for more than 300 years. The words 'caged', 'cut' and 'tied' all represent
different types of limitation. Lines 8-11 say: 'But a bird that stalks/down his narrow cage/can
seldom see through/his bars of rage'. The bird, in this poem, is limited in its inability to fly, even
though it is a bird. The word 'bird', -especially if it is a flying bird, collocates with words like
'fly', 'flew', 'perched', 'landed' and so on. A bird hardly ever collocates with 'stalks' and this marks
the beginning of the theme of limitation.

The poetic persona emphasizes this bird's limitation by telling the readers that it is in a 'narrow
cage'. It is used in the possessive to show that it is specifically for this bird — 'his narrow cage'.
A person does not willingly lock himself in a cage as a cage is not a comfortable place. A cage is
a contraption that physically limits whatever has been caged to the space within the cage. Yet,
even in the space within the cage, the bird's ability to move around is still limited because the
cage is described as a 'narrow cage' (line 9). The caged bird is narrowed down in space, in
dreams, in life, in opportunities and hope. The idea of the narrow cage is to make him 'narrow',
both externally and internally. At the metaphorical level of interpretation, such narrow space
suggests the restriction of opportunities to excel in different spheres of life. Line 10 also
indicates that the caged bird 'can seldom see through his bars of rage'. This implies that the caged
bird is also limited in its ability to see into the future and shape its destiny.

Apart from this, it is also blinded by the anger born out of its impotence and powerlessness to
change the direction of its life. Its natural state has been made unnatural; since it is unable to fly
or walk. It is limited not just in space but by its body and by itself, and these only add to its
frustration. Therefore, it is the bird's unwillingness to be limited in spirit that makes it still search
for freedom through its voice.
The free bird enjoys a blissful and luxurious lifestyle because it is placed under no restrictions
whatsoever. On the contrary, the caged bird's life is characterized by misery, rage, and agony.
The bars that keep the caged bird locked in are described as 'bars of rage.' Its cage is 'narrow',
which connotes an enclosed space. The cage represents the oppressive society, while the bird, as
mentioned earlier, symbolizes the oppressed African-American blacks in the society. The effects
of severe restriction are portrayed in the poem. The bird spends its life pining for freedom. As a
result of the fact that it has no other means of expressing itself, it sings a song of freedom, a
mournful, unhappy song that is 'heard on the distant hill’

Therefore, the adverse effects of physical, psychological, economic and spiritual limitations
serve as a significant thematic focus in this poem. Restrictions turn dreams to nightmares, push
agile and hitherto vibrant human beings to their untimely graves and prevent great potentials
from ever becoming actualized. For Maya Angelou, the various forms of limitation are not just
the suppression of the African-American; it is the suppression of the numerous innovations and
developments that could have risen out of that group of people, whose potentials have been
stifled by years of oppression.

1.5.4 Music as a channel of emotion, action and independence

The poem also exemplifies music as a channel of emotion, action and independence. Music is
also presented as a form of therapy. Emotions such as anger, pain, love and fear and the likes can
be transformed into different types of art forms, thereby creating genius and a cathartic effect in
the artist. These art forms could be music, visual art, writing, dance, acting and so on. In this
poem, the poet describes the condition of the caged bird in detail, telling the readers about its
clipped wings and its tied feet. In the face of all these terrible things done to the caged bird, it
resorts to singing. The poet describes the song as having a 'fearful thrill' and containing
yearnings for 'things unknown'. This shows the emotive capacity of music. Here, the music
carries all the fear, pain, and anger of the caged bird within it and releases these emotions as he
sings.

The most pungent and vital aspect of this theme finds expression in lines 19 and 35. The poet,
these two lines, says that the caged bird's 'tune is heard'. Beyond creating a channel through
which the caged bird can be purged of its emotions, the music also creates a channel through
which its voice can be heard. Examples of this can be seen even in the lives of African-
Americans during the period of slavery and after the emancipation of slaves in America. The
slaves assigned to strenuous labour in the cotton or tobacco fields usually used work songs to
take their minds off the rigour and stress of the work assigned to them by their white masters.
Some of these work songs apart from asking for God's help were usually filled with jibes at the
white slave masters, and this often made their work bearable. The songs served as a means of
emotional stability for men who had been beaten severely by their owners, for women who had
been raped repeatedly by their owners or for children, who had been taken from their slave
parents and sold into slavery. Most of the slaves turned to religion and the hymnals that spoke of
a better world waiting for them in heaven. These songs later evolves into soul, rhythm blues, jazz
and a host of other types of music, each expressing the individual and collective experiences of
the African-American people, containing the sad (blue) experiences they had to go through or
lively tunes that people could dance to and forget their sorrows.

Nevertheless, it is in the evolution of rap, with the likes of Notorious B.I.G., Big Daddy and
Tupac Shakur, in the 1990s that music took on a more visceral, scathing posture in a thick
mixture of metres, rhythm and rhymes that could provoke entire cities to protest. For the
African-American, music became more than just an expression of emotion but a provocation into
action. This is still reflected in the twenty-first century in the songs of African-American
musicians like Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Kanye West, to mention but a
few.

1.5.5 The benefits of limitation

It might seem ironic, but this poem also expresses the benefits of limitation. It is cogent to note
that for one to rise above limitation, one must be limited in the first place. Freedom, indeed, has
good qualities but it is the obstacles and oppositions in life that bring out the genius in man. The
description of the free bird shows that it is enjoying freedom. It leaps and soars and floats, but it
is only doing that which is in its nature to do. In reality, although the bird is free, its freedom
makes it a mediocre and a myopic bird. It will never try to go beyond its natural abilities, and it
would never value the freedom that it already has. On the other hand, the caged bird has been
oppressed since the beginning of its life, and this makes it value the things he has and wishes to
have. It is the limitation of the caged bird that leads it to sing. The caged bird is caged, but in its
limitation, it realizes that it can sing. Although the caged bird is in a restricted space, it has made
its voice to be heard. Its weakness, that is the lack of freedom, has propelled it to achieve
something that the free bird, for all its freedom, can only hope to achieve.

It is important to note that African-Americans have been able to overcome many of the obstacles
that have come their way to become people worthy of reckoning in the American society. They
are well represented in different fields: education (Maya Angelou), civil rights movement
(Martin Luther King Jr), music (Tupac Shakur and Beyonce), literature (James Baldwin), law
(Thurgood Marshall), military (Daniel James Jr), film making (Tyler Perry), politics (Barrack
Obama) and health (Ben Carson), among many other professions. If these African-Americans
had not come from a group of people that had been marginalized for so long, they might not have
been inspired to work hard to strive to be the best in their different fields of endeavour.
Sometimes, freedom comes with comfort that can stand as a bane to development, and this is
why the free bird does not seem to have a care in the world. The caged bird uses its limitation to
attain a kind of freedom while the free bird is limited by its freedom. Perhaps, this is why it is the
caged bird that is immortalized in the mind of the reader through the title of this poem.

1.5.6 Life is evil

The poet creates a moving image of bondage and confinement. Unlike its counterpart which flies
without a care through the open sky, the caged bird 'stalks/down his narrow cage.' It is held in its
prison with 'bars of rage' which also prevent it from seeing the outside world clearly. Besides,
lines 12-13 further strengthen the image of severe restriction in this stanza. In these lines, we
learn that the bird's 'wings are clipped/and his feet are tied.' The bird is not only locked in a
stifling enclosure; its wings are also clipped to prevent him from ever spreading them even in the
cage. His feet are also tied to make movement a difficult and tedious activity. Thus, the image of
complete and ruthless bondage is created. However, in the fourth stanza, the image of
contentment and bliss is created. The free bird 'thinks of another breeze' and 'fat worms'. Its life
is one of leisure and pleasure. It has no worries, no cares. It simply flies wherever it chooses and
eats whenever it wants to. A completely contrasting picture is painted in the fifth stanza. The
metaphor 'grave of dreams' (line 27) and the personification, 'his shadow shouts' (line 28) paint a
dark, moving picture. This image contrasts sharply with the one presented in the preceding
stanza, and it is this contrast that makes the poem so powerful. The caged bird grieves for all the
things it never got to do and all the places it was never allowed to go. In line 28, it expresses its
anguish in a 'nightmare scream.' This description allows the reader to feel the caged bird's intense
sorrow and grief.

1.5.7 The beauty of nature

The poet uses clear, vivid descriptions of nature to create mental images of the free bird. In the
first stanza, nature is presented in all its glory and beauty. The movement of the bird as it 'leaps
on the back of the wind' allows the reader to appreciate its freedom as it flies, unshackled, around
its natural habitat. Furthermore, the description of the 'orange rays of the sky' foregrounds the
beauty of nature. Thus, the image of freedom and the beauty of nature are created in this poem.

1.6 Language and Style

1.6.1 Diction
Maya Angelou's diction in this poem is first of all imagistic. She makes use of words that convey
images such as 'leaps', 'wind', 'floats downstream', 'orange sun rays', 'wings are clipped', 'feet are
tied'. All these expressions create visual imagery in the mind of the reader. She also makes use of
auditory imagery that creates sounds and ideas of sounds in the mind of the reader. Examples of
this can be seen in words like 'sing', 'fearful thrill', 'tune', 'heard', 'shouts', 'screams' and so on.
Tactile imagery is also incorporated into the poem and makes the reader feel the things spoken
about in the poem. For example, when the poet says, 'in the orange sun rays' (line 7), the reader
can see the sun rays in the mind's eye and feel the heat of the imagery of the sun rays pierce
through his skin. Besides, when the poet makes mention of 'winds' and 'breeze', the reader can
almost feel the air blow through their skin. These descriptions allow the reader to experience
what the poet speaks about in the poem.

The poet's use of words is also delicately hinged on eliciting an emotional response from the
reader. The words are emotionally charged and stirring. For instance, line I I describes the cage
as having 'bars of rage'. This description projects the depth of frustration and anger that the caged
bird feels. The extent of the caged bird's captivity is heightened and emphasized by the poet's use
of words like 'clipped' and 'tied'. This is further compounded by the absence of the perpetrator of
these actions. The reader feels angry and sad by the extent of the evil things done to this caged
bird, but there is no person present in the poem on whom the reader can vent his or her emotions
on, and this leads to an increased charge of emotions as the reader goes through the poem. At
other points in the poem, the reader feels the fears and pains of the caged bird, and this helps him
or her to relate better with the frustration and anger that the bird feels.

1.6.2 Storytelling style

The style of the poet in rendering this poem is a descriptive, storytelling style. It is reminiscent of
the oral tradition that was an integral part of the African-American community during the period
of slavery.

The poem gathers more life in an oral rendition than in its written form. It reads more like a
spoken word than just an ordinary poem. Each word is chosen with care so that the voice can
rise, fall and accentuate every word spoken. This rhythm shows the poem's links with the oral
tradition. It also gives the poem a story like feature and makes it comprehensible. The refrain
corroborates the oral qualities of this poem by giving the poem the musical call and response feel
that can be found present in many folktales.

1.6.3 Imagery
The poem contains different types of imagery. The poem contains visual imagery. Examples of
this within the poem are 'grave' (line 27), 'nightmare' (line 28), '...orange sun rays' (line 6), 'dawn
bright lawn' (line 25), 'tied' (line 13 and 'clipped' (line 12), among others. These visual images
help the reader to see what is in the mind of the poet through the words that have been used.
Images created in the mind deeply affect the emotions of the person in whose mind they are
created. Thus, through imagery, the poet can create an experiential as well as emotionally
charged reading of the text. The poem also contains tactile, auditory and kinaesthetic imagery.
Examples of these forms of imagery within the text include: 'leaps' (line I, kinaesthetic imagery),
'stalks' (line 8, kinaesthetic imagery), 'soft' (line 24, tactile imagery), 'heard'; ' sings'; 'thrill';
'screams' and 'shouts' (lines 19, 15, 16 and 28, auditory imagery). These other forms of imagery
give life and authenticity to the visual images already in place.

The reader can almost feel, touch, hear and see the things that have been described within the
text. These imagistic tools also lend the poem a realness and rawness that stirs the emotions of
the reader.

1.6.4 Figurative devices

The poem also contains other figurative devices within it that give it a flavour reminiscent of the
oral tradition merged with the more rigid art of contemporary poetry:

1.6.4.1 Personification
The poet makes use of personification. For instance, in line 24, the poet says, 'and trade winds
soft through the sighing trees'. Trees cannot sigh, but this use of sighing which is a human
attribute to describe trees is used to show how alluring the feel of the breeze is to the extent that
even trees seemed to sigh. The breeze is emphasized as something that could elicit an almost
human response from non-living things. Personification is also found in line 28 when the poet
tells the readers, 'his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream'. Shadows cannot shout. This
personification of the shadow is used to emphasize how disillusioned the caged bird has become.
It could also be a symbolic representation of the caged bird being a shadow of his former self.
On another note, it could be a symbolic representation of the African-American and the black
skin since the shadow is black.

1.6.4.2 Metaphor
The poet also makes use of metaphor in line 11, '...bars of rage' and line 27, '...the grave of
dreams'. The poet's use of 'bars of rage' is contrasted with the bars of iron that make up the cage
where the bird is trapped. The expression also conveys the anger, bitterness and frustration of the
caged bird. The poet says that the caged bird can hardly see through these metaphorical bars of
rage. This could be Maya Angelou's indirect way of exposing the limiting effects of ill-nurtured
anger and fear. They can blind a person from looking beyond present impediments and focusing
on the numerous possibilities available when such obstacles are surmounted. In line 27, the poet
compares the cage to a grave of dreams. This carries much depth. The cage in this instance is not
seen as just something limiting a bird. It is shown to be something that on a deeper level can
limit dreams, hopes and aspirations. This means that all the abilities and capabilities of this bird
are stuck with it in the cage. The cage kills the bird's dreams, and it becomes the grave in which
many lofty ideas are buried.

1.6.4.3 Irony
Irony is another figure of speech that is used in this poem. The title of this poem is 'Caged Bird',
yet the poem begins with 'the free bird...'. From the title, one would expect to only see the
description of the happenings in the life of a caged bird. However, the poem contains both the
actions of a free bird and a caged bird. In lines 21-22, the poet says, 'for the caged bird/sings of
freedom'. It is ironic that the caged bird sings of freedom when it is caged. In fact, it is also ironic
that while in captivity the bird celebrates and sings for its freedom. It is ironic that the caged bird
which is caged is the one heard and acknowledged even in the distant hills. It is ironic that the
free bird is never heard. It is ironic that while the free bird is free, it is only leaping and enjoying
the breeze, but it is not adding value to life. It is the caged bird that sings and is heard. Although
his obstacles inhibit him, they also push him to make himself heard through his resilient spirit.

1.6.4.4 Alliteration
The poet also employs the use of alliteration as evident in the following examples:

(i) 'but ... bird' (line 8)

(ii) 'seldom see...' (line 10)

(iii) 'worms waiting. .. ' (line 25)

(iv) 'shadow shouts' (line 28)

1.6.4.5 Symbolism
This poem is also replete with symbols. The caged bird and the free bird do not just refer to
birds. Due to the context of the setting, both in time and place, references to freedom and
captivity cannot just be taken at surface value. The free bird is a symbolic representation of the
whites in America the caged bird a figurative representation of African-Americans sane country
for the African-American, is a cage. It was not home, and most of the white people within it were
cold, hostile and unfair. The poet describes the cage as a 'narrow' cage. Even within this 'cage'
called America, the African-American was further narrowed-to specific places within the
country. Places like Harlem, Boston, New Orleans, Chicago and a host of other places were
predominantly populated by African-American people who were made to feel unwelcome in
several mostly white-dominated cities throughout the vast country, that is, the United States of
America. The fact that the caged bird's wings are clipped and its legs tied shows that even within
the cage, it has also been incapacitated.

This is a symbolic representation of the brutal reality that was left for the African-American
since the fifteenth century. They were initially not allowed to be educated. Those found with
books were severely punished, and other whites who tried to educate them were sanctioned.
When they were finally allowed to be educated, they were restricted to specific schools. Jobs
were also specific to race; some jobs were just not meant for 'coloureds' as they were called.

The fact that the caged bird sings is also symbolic. In the poem, singing is the last resort of the
caged bird after every other thing has been taken from him. Singing is what leads the caged bird
into being heard. Singing, here, is expressed as a symbolic representation of a form of freedom
— freedom of speech — to speak or rather, sing and be heard. It is also a symbolic reference to
the African-American’s continuous search and fight for freedom through music. Genres of music
such as jazz, soul, work songs, rhythm and blues, reggae and rap are commonly associated with
African-Americans. They are even regarded as African-American innovations. For the average
African-American, music is not just a fusion of words and sounds; it is a means of expression
and a tool for propagating social change. Even the poem 'Caged Bird' is written with the
musicality and rhythm that characterized hymnals and early African-American poetry. In recent
times, the clamour of most African-Americans has been that 'Black Lives Matter'. Different
songs have been composed to attack the injustice by arms of the law against citizens, all because
of the colour of their skin and the stereotypical worldview encouraged by society.

Now, the caged bird is free but getting shot down by those unhappy with its freedom.

1.6.5 Repetition
The third and sixth verses are repeated, thus serving as a refrain. This adds to the musicality of
the poem while emphasizing the idea that despite never experiencing what it means to be free,
the caged bird still sings a wistful song of freedom. This repetition also conveys the message that
the desire for liberty is instinctive. No matter how complete a person's bondage is, the longing
for freedom will never be destroyed.

1.6.6 End rhyme

End rhyme is found in stanzas three and six:

'trill' 'still' and 'hill' are used to create end rhymes in these stanzas.

Tone

The tone is reflective. The poet presents two contrasting images of freedom and restriction in
order to send powerful message.

1.6.7 Mood
The mood changes from one stanza to the next. In the first and fourth stanzas, it is joyful,
ecstatic. In the second, third, and sixth stanzas, it is depressing and mournful.

1.7 Structure
'Caged Bird' is a 38-line poem, made up of six stanzas of which two constitute a refrain. The first
stanza contains seven lines; the second stanza contains seven lines, the third stanza comprises
eight lines, the fourth stanza contains four lines, the fifth stanza contains four lines while the
sixth stanza contains eight lines. The stanzas of equal lines share a connection. The first two
stanzas of seven lines contain the initial description of the two birds. The two stanzas contain
thirty-three words each. Stanzas four and five contain the second description of the two birds.
They both have four lines each and thirty-three words each. This equality between the two
stanzas is not a coincidence. It is a structurally symbolic representation of the equality between
these two birds. They are both equally capable, but one is caged while the other is free. The third
stanza and the sixth stanza are made up of eight lines and thirty-one words each. They are
precisely the same thing and attain the status of a refrain because of the musicality they give the
poem. This gives the poem a trace of oral tradition and foregrounds the power of music which is
what the entire poem revolves around. Thus, this poem can also be classified as a song.

In the first two stanzas, there are end rhymes, but they are not exactly regular: 'cage' (line 9) and
'rage' (line 11). In the third stanza, there are three successive rhyming words in alternate end
rhyme: 'thrill' (line 16), 'still' (line 18) and 'hill' (line 20). However, the fourth and fifth stanzas
are arranged in couplets, that is, two rhyming lines each for the four lines each. For example,
'breeze' and 'trees' (lines 23-24), 'lawn' and 'own' (visual rhyme) (lines 25-26) and 'dreams' and
'scream' (lines 27-28), amongst others. This adds to the musicality of the poem and lends it a
rhythmical flow that is symbolic of the caged bird's song upon which the entire poem is
predicated.

1.8 Model Examination Question And Answer

Examine the theme of irony and express its significance to the poem 'Caged Bird'
It is usually said that life is ironic, paradoxical, antithetical and anything but normal. Indeed,
such is life. 'Caged Bird' by Maya Angelou exemplifies this theme. The first indication of irony
in this poem is the title 'Caged Bird'. When one imagines a bird in reality or even in thought, one
hardly imagines a bird in a cage. Instead, a person's imagination presents a bird, soaring through
the sky and enjoying immense freedom. However, the poem's title, 'Caged Bird', immediately
kills this kind of imagination.

In line 1, the poem begins with the words, 'A free bird leaps'. Here, the poem shows the first
irony of life. Even though it is natural for a bird to be free and fly, some particular birds have
been denied this freedom. The lack of freedom by the caged bird separates it from the free bird.
It also reminds the reader of a famous quotation taken from Orwell's Animal Farm, which states
that 'all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others'. All birds ought to be free, all
humans ought to be free, but life is such that some creatures find themselves in an unnatural state
of physical restriction for no fault of theirs but just because of the wickedness of others.

The stanzas that follow tell the readers of a 'caged bird' that 'sings'. It is ironic that a bird that is
caged which his entire body and movement restricted by bars of iron has a voice that it uses to
demand for his freedom. The poet says that the voice of the caged bird is heard on 'distant hills'
(lines 19-20).

These are hills that the caged bird can never go to by virtue of his captivity, but his voice has
gone to these places. However, this is not as ironic as the subject of the caged bird's song — the
longing for freedom. In this case, the irony lies in the fact that it is a 'caged' bird that sings of
'freedom' when one would expect it to be complaining about its captivity. It is a subtle but
succinct message. The poet's position is that no one should languish in pain and SOITOW.
Instead, it is imperative that those who feel that they are being oppressed should rise above the
oppression and hate and make the most of every situation.

Furthermore, the significance of all these ironic statements and situations comes to play when
one meditatively thinks on the ideas projected by the poet in this poem. Irony is used to show
that life is sometimes unfair but as the saying goes, 'what does not kill you makes you stronger.'
The irony of life is that its unfairness is sometimes the only means to make things fair. The only
way to build things sometimes is to break them first. The bird needed to be caged to find its
voice. It also needed to find its voice before it could be heard. The obstacles that push it down
are the same obstacles that raise it. On the other hand, it is the freedom of the free bird that keeps
it in an illusion of freedom and which prevents it from being creative.

In summation, if life were a figure of speech, it would be irony. Life is hardly predictable, and
this characteristic is what makes it life and what makes literature the most accurate reflection of
it.
Nonetheless, irony is not without reason. It has a significance of its own. Sometimes, the ironies
of life help one learn, sometimes they help one unlearn; sometimes they pull one down, and
sometimes they' raise one. Maya Angelou's 'Caged Bird' expresses this philosophy to its utmost.

1.9 Revision Questions

1. Highlight the symbolic significance of the structure of Maya Angelou's 'Caged Bird'.
2. Maya Angelou's diction in 'Caged Bird' is emotionally charged. Discuss.
3. How does setting affect Maya Angelou's 'Caged Bird'?
4. Caged Bird' has a titular significance, elaborate.
5. With emphasis on language and style, discuss 'Caged Bird'.
6. How is freedom ironic in Maya Angelou's 'Caged Bird'?
7. Examine the theme 'irony of life' using 'Caged Bird' by Maya Angelou.
8. Analyze the poet's use of figurative devices in 'Caged Bird'.
9. ' Caged Bird' is a reflection of the life of the African-American in twentieth-century America.
True or false? Discuss.
10. Discuss the poet's diction in 'Caged Bird'.
11. Attempt a contrastive analysis of the free bird and the caged bird in 'Caged Bird'.
12. Poetry employs emotive language. Examine this using 'Caged Bird' by Maya Angelou.
13. Discuss the poet's use of rhyme and rhythm in 'Caged Bird'.
14. Examine irony as a symbolic, figurative device in 'Caged Bird' by Maya Angelou.
15. Based on your knowledge of Maya Angelou, how does her life influence the content of the poem
'Caged Bird'?
16. Does the poem ' Caged Bird' have a universal appeal? Support your answer with poetic
references.
17. Examine the significance of music in 'Caged Bird'.
18. Is Angelou's 'Caged Bird' a descriptive or narrative poem? Discuss.
19. Elaborate on the poet's use of symbols in 'Caged Bird'.
20. How does 'Caged Bird' relate to contemporary issues in America and the world at large?