Home — Essay Samples — Literature — I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings — Analysis Of The Poem I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou
- Categories: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Joseph Campbell Poetry
About this sample
About this sample
Words: 905 |
Pages: 2|
5 min read
Published: Sep 1, 2020
Words: 905|Pages: 2|5 min read
Published: Sep 1, 2020
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” was written by Maya Angelou and has the same title as her autobiography. As a result, it is clear that this title had great significance to Angelou. Angelou is a Black American who grew up in the South during the Civil Right Movement in the 20th century, and she is expressing her feeling at the discrimination she suffered during her life. This poem is known with its deep meaning of the desire of freedom, as well as its vivid language use and the structure of the stanzas. Angelou wrote this poem in 1969, which is almost the end of the Civil Right Movement (1954-1968). As we all know, the Civil Right Movement worked for the end of the discrimination against African Americans. Before the American Civil War, most of the blacks were slaves, especially in the South. After the Civil War, although Black American had freedom, only Whites had the right to vote, and some places even limited the citizenship to white only. The poem is illustrating the differences between African-Americans and White during the Civil Rights era, and it shows the depth of the feeling of living unfairly. While many African Americans were free during the time when Angelou published this poem, we can know from this poem that African-Americans were still not feeling free. Because of the color of her skin, she often felt that nobody would hear her voice, and she felt she was still experiencing slavery in some ways.
Say no to plagiarism.
Get a tailor-made essay on
'Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned'?
Get original essay
This poem has seven stanzas in total. In the first and second stanza, the author refers to nature and describing the birds fight against the orange sky, which shows the reader the appreciation to the bird in natural habitat. The third and fourth stanza is describing a caged bird beside the free bird that can barely see the sky. The author uses the word “but” to begin the third stanza, which changes the tone of the poem from satisfied and joyful to dark and frustrating. Angelou uses the metaphor of a bird struggling to escape its cage in these two stanzas, as a major symbol throughout her poem. The caged bird represents Angelou’s restriction resulting from discrimination. In the fifth stanza, the author goes back to the free bird and describing more differences between it and the caged bird. She writes that the free bird enjoying “the trade winds soft through the sighing trees”.
The Frequently Banned Books List Everyone Should Read
The next stanza talked about the real life of the caged bird again. It reveals the author’s feeling about her own dream of ending the discrimination in the United States, and all African-Americans could have the legal recognition. The author uses metaphor again of her cage that made up by discrimination and racism. Although she sang, she felt her voice was not heard in the wide world, but only by those nearest her cage.
The last stanza keeps focusing on the caged bird. “The caged bird sings with a fearful trill; of things unknown but longed for still”. This is the only repeated stanza in this poem, which is the same as the fourth, which means it is very important and significant in this poem. It implies that even though the caged bird has never experienced the freedom, but she still “sing a fearful trill” because she is created for freedom. In the first three stanzas, there is only two line of rhyme, which is “cage” and “rage” at the beginning of the second stanza.
The fourth stanza repeated “-ill” sound in its first three lines, which is also an onomatopoeia that imitating the birdsong. There are two different rhymes in the next stanza. One rhyme is “breeze” and “trees” in the “The free bird thinks of another breeze; and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the next line “And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn, and he names the sky his own”. The sixth stanza, which is also the only repeated stanza in this poem, include one rhyme-“dreams” and “scream” in the beginning two line. “But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams; his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream”.
Keep in mind:
This is only a sample.
Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.
Get custom essay
The poem is one big metaphor, saying the Black Americans are the bird in the cage. For example, the author writes in the second stanza, “His wings are clipped and his feet are tied; so he opens his throat to sing”. This text personifies the ability of twittering of bird and gives a vivid description of the caged bird. Besides, this sentence uses metaphor to compare caged bird to African Americans fighting for equality during the Civil Right Movement. The author uses the caged bird to describe the blacks, who did not have their rights and ability to do what they want. They endure the unfair treatment just like the bird in the cage. The sentence describes the bird is singing in the cage, which represents the African-Americans as well as she herself. On the other hand, it shows us that even though white people exclude the black and even caged them, they cannot stop the blacks to understand they are meant to be free, to help others and help themselves. Maya Angelou tells everyone through her poem that there are still a lot of blacks suffering the unfair treatment today. She points out the life of black people to attract people’s attention, and she hopes the discrimination toward African American could stop soon.
Works Cited
- Angelou, M. (1969). I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House.
- American Civil Rights Movement. (n.d.). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from [URL]
- Fairclough, A. (2015). Better Day Coming: Blacks and Equality, 1890-2000. Penguin Books.
- Hine, D. C., Hine, W. C., & Harrold, S. (2014). The African-American Odyssey: Volume 2 (6th ed.). Pearson.
- McWhorter, D. (2011). What the Negro Wants. Oxford University Press.
- Morris, A. D. (1999). The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement: Black Communities Organizing for Change. Free Press.
- Ransby, B. (2003). Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision. The University of North Carolina Press.
- Sale, K. (1997). The Fire Next Time: The Emergence of Social Conservatism from the Rights Revolution to the New Left. University of North Carolina Press.
- Sitkoff, H. (2008). The Struggle for Black Equality (2nd ed.). Hill and Wang.
- Wolters, R. (2013). Race, Riots, and Roller Coasters: The Struggle over Segregated Recreation in America. University of Pennsylvania Press.
This essay was reviewed by
Dr. Charlotte Jacobson
Cite this Essay
- APA
- MLA
- Harvard
- Vancouver
Analysis Of The Poem I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou.(2020, September 01). GradesFixer. Retrieved July 23, 2024, from https://htracer.gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/analysis-of-the-poem-i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-by-maya-angelou/
“Analysis Of The Poem I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou.” GradesFixer, 01 Sept. 2020, htracer.gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/analysis-of-the-poem-i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-by-maya-angelou/
Analysis Of The Poem I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou. [online].Available at: <https://htracer.gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/analysis-of-the-poem-i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-by-maya-angelou/> [Accessed 23 Jul. 2024].
Analysis Of The Poem I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou [Internet]. GradesFixer.2020 Sept 01 [cited 2024 Jul 23].Available from: https://htracer.gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/analysis-of-the-poem-i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-by-maya-angelou/
copy
Keep in mind: This sample was shared by another student.
Let us write you an essay from scratch
- 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
- Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours
Write my essay
Get high-quality help
Dr. Karlyna PhD
Verified writer
- Expert in: Literature
5
(812 reviews)
“Dr. Karlyna followed all my directions. It was really easy tocontact her and respond very fast aswell.”
+120experts online
Hire writer
Learn the cost and time for your paper
Paper Topic
Number of pages
EmailInvalid email
By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email
"You must agree to out terms of services and privacy policy"
Get an estimate
No need to pay just yet!
Related Essays
Looking at the Link Between Past and Future in Metropolis and 1984 Essay
5.5 pages / 2475 words
Big Brother Loves You: Forced Collectivism in 1984 Essay
3 pages / 1393 words
Dystopia as parody of Paradise Essay
3.5 pages / 1498 words
The episodes of Christmas as highlighted in "A Christmas Carol" Essay
1.5 pages / 674 words
Remember! This is just a sample.
You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.
Get custom essay
121 writers online
Still can’t find what you need?
Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled
Related Essays on I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
Decoding the Metaphors in Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' Essay
Maya Angelou's autobiographical masterpiece, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' is a rich tapestry of language and metaphor. Throughout the narrative, Angelou employs metaphors that serve as powerful tools to convey her [...]
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou Essay
Maya Angelou's memoir "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is an important piece of literature that explores themes of identity, racism, the power of literature and education, and resilience. In this essay, we will provide an [...]
Oppression and how to deal with it in “I know why the caged bird sings” Essay
As much as we like to think we forge our own identities, much of who we are is determined by outside forces. Oppression is a powerful force in shaping the identities in Maya Angelou’s memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings [...]
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: the Struggle of Black Women in Marginalized Community Essay
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is incredibly unapologetic. From her early childhood to her late teens, Maya already confronted many challenges in her life. These early challenges included moving away from her [...]
Maya Angelou and Her Poem I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Essay
Maya Angelou, a prominent writer and renowned civil rights activist, left an indelible mark on the world through her unwavering commitment to her beliefs, unyielding perseverance, and unwavering optimism. Her multifaceted [...]
A Christmas Carol as a Moral Maxim Essay
Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” is set in Victorian London and tells the story of the transformation of a wicked, miserly Scrooge into a benevolent humanitarian via supernatural intervention. The invited reading persuades readers [...]
Related Topics
Animal Farm EssaysEthan Frome EssaysLyddie EssaysPride and Prejudice EssaysBartleby The Scrivener Essays
Where do you want us to send this sample?
By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.
450+ writers and
researchers
1.5+
millions essay
17000+
topics
Be careful. This essay is not unique
This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before
I Need a Unique PaperOrder a custom essay from our writers and get it on time
Download this Sample
Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts
Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.
Order Now
Thanks!
Please check your inbox.
We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!
order now
Get Your
Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!
Get custom essays
We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.
We can help you get a better grade and deliver your task on time!
- Instructions Followed To The Letter
- Deadlines Met At Every Stage
- Unique And Plagiarism Free
Order your paper now