Caged Bird Analysis
The Poem
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
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 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 signing
trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright
lawn
and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stand 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.
About The Poet
Maya Angelou was born in 1928 in Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri.
She was a singer, dancer, actress, composer, a Hollywood director, a famous writer, a poet, and civil rights activist under Martin Luther King. Jr and Malcolm X.
She received different awards from the former presidents of the U.S Bill Clinton and Barak Obama.
The Poetic Meaning of the Difficult Words in the Poem
Leaps- Jumps
Stalks- Restricts (Referring to a caged bird)
Seldom- Hardly
Rage- Violent anger
Clipped- Cut
Trill- Repeated sound
Breeze- Flight
Content
The main themes of this poem are freedom and imprisonment. The poet in illustrating these makes use of a “caged bird” and a free bird in the poem.
In the first stanza, Maya describes the life of a free bird succinctly with the appropriate choice of words that express the freedom and how happy a free bird is.
Words like “leaps, floats, dips, claim” are carefully used to describe a free bird; how happy and joyful the bird is.
“A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.”
The second and the third stanzas are dedicated to the description of the life of a caged bird which symbolizes imprisonment and isolation.
Some words are also used here aptly to describe the life of a caged bird. Words like, “stalks, cage, bars, rage, clipped, tied, fearful trill, unknown, freedom.”
These words describe the agonizing condition of a caged bird and the song for freedom.
“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 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 poet is able to prove the fact that there is joy in freedom and that imprisonment or isolation is in-human.
A free bird enjoys total freedom as it jumps from one place to the other unhindered and flies freely in the sky with joy.
She also expatiates further in isolation with a caged bird that is kept in a cage with its leg tied and the wings fastened, the bird hardly sees beyond the cage.
The irony here is that the free bird does not sing, it is the caged bird that sings.
The poet is trying to educate us that freedom is a natural phenomenon that cannot be rightly taken away from somebody because the caged bird is still able to cry for freedom through song.
It sings of things unknown because it doesn’t know what could befall it at any time.
“so, he opens his throat to sing.”
In stanza three, the poet expresses the unhappiness of the caged bird despite the song. The bird is pessimistic of possible eventualities; hence the cry is heard in a far distance of freedom.
“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 poet explains further the optimism of a free bird thinking of another flight in the air and jumping from tree to tree and the sumptuous meal of “fat worm” waiting for it.
“The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the signing
trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright
lawn
and he names the sky his own.”
The poet also expresses the possible danger awaiting the caged bird and that is why the caged bird sings of freedom from the cage, its wing is “clipped” and the feet “tied.”
“But a caged bird stand 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 last stanza is the repetition of the third stanza. It is just for emphasis and to call the attention of the readers to the experience of a caged bird.
Themes
Freedom: This is seen in the first stanza where the life of a free bird is described. The bird is full of life and happy as it flies about from one place to another.
Isolation: This is also explained in the second stanza. The caged bird is isolated with its leg tied and its wing clipped. It hardly sees beyond the cage hence, it cries for freedom.
Agony: The caged bird is in agony, it is not convenient in the cage with the tied leg and the clipped wings.
As we all know that a bird is lively when it is free to fly about. Though the bird sings, the song is agonizing; crying for freedom.
Optimism: The free bird in this poem is still thinking of better days ahead. This is seen in the fourth stanza where it is optimistic of another interesting flight, fat worms to feed on. This makes the bird happier.
Pessimism: The caged bird is pessimistic because it is in danger of any possible occurrence. That is why it sings for freedom and the song is heard in a distant place.
Poetic Devices
Personification: This is in line 2, “on the back of the wind”
Line 28, “his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream”
Alliteration: There is alliteration in lines, 10, 14, 19, 23, 24, and 30.
Irony: Under normal circumstances, it is the free bird that is supposed to be singing, but the reverse is the case here; it is the caged bird that is singing.
The poet makes use of irony here to tell us that freedom is a natural phenomenon that people should enjoy and that no matter what, somebody’s freedom cannot be totally taken away from him or her.
The bird’s leg is tied and the wings clipped, but the voice is not taken away.
Repetition: The third stanza is repeated in the last stanza of the poem.
This is to lay emphasis and call the attention of the readers to the agonizing experiences of the caged bird and to educate us that freedom is pleasurable while isolation is inhumane.
Enjambment (Run-on-line): This occurs in a poem when the sense expressed in a line of the poem is not complete in that line and has to be completed in the next lines.
There is always no definite pause at the end of such lines, the lines run to each other. This is used extensively in this poem.