About Maya Angelou:
Maya Angelou, first, an American
activist who continued her fight against racism, who fought for civil rights
and social justice alongside Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (both were
the activists) was a writer, a poet, and a memoirist (a person who writes about
his/her own life and life’s inspiring events). Her writing was an instrument to
raise awareness of social justice and racial inequality. Her traumatic
childhood, her struggles in adolescence and the victory over them is seen in
her writings. Mostly, the themes of her writing were resilience, identity and
Afro-American experience. She is best known for her autobiographical work, ‘I
Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.’
About the poem: Caged Bird
Maya Angelou’s ‘Caged Bird’, as the name suggests, is about
the contrast between freedom and confinement (bonded, caged). Maya Angelou
belonged to the time when the United States was going through issues such as extreme
racial discrimination faced by Afro-Americans. They were not given the same
treatment in society the way white Americans were given. In this way, they
were living the life of a bird inside the cage. The poem also tells the readers
about the desire for freedom and the hope that one day the caged bird too would
be free.
Meaning of the poem:
Stanza 1:
When a bird is free, it can fly anywhere it wants because
that is what freedom is all about. It can fly across the sky, so high that
it would feel like it is dipping its wing in the ocean of the orange sky. For a
free bird, the sky belongs to her. Similarly, for a person who is not bounded
by social injustice, the sky is the limit. Such a person can do whatever he
wants and can actually live his life.
Stanza 2:
Contrasting to the bird that flies, the bird who is kept
inside the cage, for such a bird, the small cage is its world. It can through
the bars of the cage. It has the wings but it cannot fly. Such wings are of no
use to the bird. They are almost like the clipped wings (though actually they are not clipped).
The bird in the cage has wings, has feet, but unfortunately, they are not used
for what they should be used. That is why they are seen as clipped wings and tied
feet. As this caged bird cannot fly through the sky, this bird sings from
inside the cage.
Stanza 3:
When the other free birds sing, they sing melodious; as if
there is happiness and joy in their voice. However, when the caged bird sings,
there is a weird shake of fear in their songs. The song has tone of ‘unknown
fear’ to it. But the bird still sings. The bird’s song is heard across the
hill. This bird is singing the song of freedom; it is expressing the need to be
free from the cage; the need to be happy and joyful; the need to be alive,
because being in cage is as equal to being dead.
Stanza 4:
When we look at the free bird, it is living its life to the
fullest. It keeps on changing breeze for taking flights. It listens to the
sounds of the wind that passes through the tree leaves. It looks for the fat
worms to eat; the worms that are scrawling slowly on the lawn. Such a free
bird, always thinks that the sky belongs to it.
Stanza 5:
The bird inside the cage is scared. For him, the cage is a
grave of dreams; a grave where all its dreams of ‘flying free’ are dead and buried.
For caged bird, its own shadow is scarier that the nightmares. Because there is
no hope for the caged bird to be free. So, in order to express itself, its misery,
the bird sings.
Stanza 6:
When the other free birds sing, they sing melodious; as if
there is happiness and joy in their voice. However, when the caged bird sings,
there is a weird shake of fear in their songs. The song has tone of ‘unknown
fear’ to it. But the bird still sings. The bird’s song is heard across the
hill. This bird is singing the song of freedom; it is expressing the need to be
free from the cage; the need to be happy and joyful; the need to be alive,
because being in cage is as equal to being dead.
Analysis of ‘Caged Bird’:
“When a lion will know how to read and write, every story
will stop glorifying hunters.” This African proverb tells us the importance of
being educated and being expressive. For those, whose real voices cannot be
heard, their voices are forever imprints through their literature. That is the
power of pen.
Maya Angelou presents the Afro-American community (the Black
community) of the contemporary time as ‘the caged bird’. The bird has not been
caged on its own, but by the people who are in power. The people who are in
power dominates and supress the lives of black people. Such racial
discrimination leads to inhuman treatment to the supressed people.
The Black community was also presented as the ‘uncivilized’, ‘uneducated’
and ‘not suitable to be the part of the mainstream world’ by the white people.
However, it was one of the tactics used by the white people to keep the black
community a mental slave. ‘Caged Bird’ is lesser caged by the steel bars, but
it is caged more by its mentality that it cannot be free ever.
The caged bird is used as a metaphor to represent the lives
of the black community. The black people, just like any other human on the
earth, too have the power to excel, power to prove themselves, power to be good
in each and every field. What they all need is freedom; especially social
freedom. Once they are free, they too would enjoy what life is, for them too,
the sky would be a limit.
When a person feels supressed, when he feels that he too deserves
a better life, he sings the songs of hope and freedom. Similar way, Maya
Angelou’s ‘Caged Bird’ sings the songs of freedom; the songs that it wants the
others to listen to.
In this poem, the ‘caged bird’ symbolizes the ‘black
community’ that is enslaved, and the ‘free bird’ symbolizes the other human
beings that enjoy freedom. The entire poem is a strong metaphor for the contrasting
lives of black community in the United States and the white people.
Themes of ‘Caged Bird’:
1. Oppression and Freedom: The poem draws a sharp contrast
between a caged bird and a free bird. The caged bird represents those who are
oppressed and restricted, particularly African Americans during times of racial
segregation and discrimination. The bird in the cage symbolizes a life filled
with limitations and suffering.
2. Inequality and Racial Discrimination: The poem addresses
the injustices faced by African Americans, as they were denied their basic
civil rights and freedoms due to racial discrimination. The caged bird's
singing "with a fearful trill" reflects the fear and apprehension
that accompanied the struggle for freedom.
3. Desire for Freedom: The caged bird longs for the freedom
that the free bird enjoys. It yearns for the opportunity to "claim the
sky" and to experience life without constraints. This longing for freedom
is a central theme of the poem.
4. Resilience and Hope: Despite its confinement, the caged
bird sings to express its longing and hope for a better future. The song
represents the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The
bird's song is a testament to the enduring desire for freedom and equality.
5. Universal Themes: While the poem is grounded in the
specific context of racial inequality in the United States, its themes are
universal. It speaks to anyone who has experienced oppression, discrimination,
or the desire for personal or collective freedom.
In essence, "Caged Bird" is a powerful and
evocative poem that uses the caged bird as a symbol to address themes of
inequality, freedom, and the human spirit's resilience. Maya Angelou's work has
resonated with people from all walks of life, as it speaks to the universal
desire for equality and the longing for personal liberation.
