I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
Assignments
I. (i) The white race is referred to as a free bird in the poem because of the domination and
oppression they inflicted upon the African Americans from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth
century.
(ii) The free bird flies on the wind as if it were lighter than the wind in the beginning of the extract.
It’s freedom is compared to the confinement of the caged bird. The bird’s unrestricted movement
emphasises its joy and freedom. The bird floats carelessly in the sky without any inhibitions as if the
sky belonged to him.
(iii) The implied comparison is made between free bird and the caged bird.
(iv) “The Orange sun rays” reflect the free and lively atmosphere that the bird flies in. Moreover,
with the help of the colour imagery of orange rays, the effect heightens, as orange is a colour
associated with glow and happiness.
(v) The free bird and its movement in the natural habitat is unrestricted. The free bird flies as if the
sky belonged to him. This is how he dares to claim the sky. The free bird represents the White race
because they enjoyed all the freedoms that are meant for every human being.
II. (i) The first stanza of the poem is about the unrestricted movement of the free bird. What follows
next, is a stanza standing in stark contrast to this. By using the word “but” to begin this stanza, the
poet prepares the reader for this contrast. The bird in this stanza is not free but one who “stalks
down his narrow cage.”Contrast is used to heighten the effect of differences between these two
types of birds, i.e., the free bird and the caged bird.
(ii) The “narrow cage” is a reference to the restrictions on the life of the caged bird. The caged bird
can “seldom see though his bars of rage”. The bird’s vision of freedom is absent. It is caged,
imprisoned and thus is filled with rage.
(iii) The bird is caged and his vision of freedom is limited. The caged bird rarely gets a glimpse of the
sky. He can almost never see through the bars. The bird’s helplessness fills him with rage.
(iv) The caged bird is enslaved to such an extent that its wings are clipped and its feet are tied.
Under such circumstances, the only option it has is to open its throat to sing.These lines are
significant as they not only reflect the bird’s helplessness and distress but also its strength. The bird
used its singing as a means of expression. Its singing is thus symbolic of its rebellion against
oppression. This song divulges its hope and its inner strength.
(v) The free bird is an indirect reference to the White race that dominated the African-American
under the Jim Crow Laws.The caged bird refers to the entire African-American community that was
subjugated and enslaved by the white community. Moreover, the caged bird could also be
metaphorical reference to the poet, Maya Angelou. Refer to Autobiographical Element, under
Critical Remarks, Page 109.
III. (i) The circumstances which forces the caged bird to sing are his
Maya Angelou
Assignments
I. (i) The white race is referred to as a free bird in the poem because of the domination and
oppression they inflicted upon the African Americans from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth
century.
(ii) The free bird flies on the wind as if it were lighter than the wind in the beginning of the extract.
It’s freedom is compared to the confinement of the caged bird. The bird’s unrestricted movement
emphasises its joy and freedom. The bird floats carelessly in the sky without any inhibitions as if the
sky belonged to him.
(iii) The implied comparison is made between free bird and the caged bird.
(iv) “The Orange sun rays” reflect the free and lively atmosphere that the bird flies in. Moreover,
with the help of the colour imagery of orange rays, the effect heightens, as orange is a colour
associated with glow and happiness.
(v) The free bird and its movement in the natural habitat is unrestricted. The free bird flies as if the
sky belonged to him. This is how he dares to claim the sky. The free bird represents the White race
because they enjoyed all the freedoms that are meant for every human being.
II. (i) The first stanza of the poem is about the unrestricted movement of the free bird. What follows
next, is a stanza standing in stark contrast to this. By using the word “but” to begin this stanza, the
poet prepares the reader for this contrast. The bird in this stanza is not free but one who “stalks
down his narrow cage.”Contrast is used to heighten the effect of differences between these two
types of birds, i.e., the free bird and the caged bird.
(ii) The “narrow cage” is a reference to the restrictions on the life of the caged bird. The caged bird
can “seldom see though his bars of rage”. The bird’s vision of freedom is absent. It is caged,
imprisoned and thus is filled with rage.
(iii) The bird is caged and his vision of freedom is limited. The caged bird rarely gets a glimpse of the
sky. He can almost never see through the bars. The bird’s helplessness fills him with rage.
(iv) The caged bird is enslaved to such an extent that its wings are clipped and its feet are tied.
Under such circumstances, the only option it has is to open its throat to sing.These lines are
significant as they not only reflect the bird’s helplessness and distress but also its strength. The bird
used its singing as a means of expression. Its singing is thus symbolic of its rebellion against
oppression. This song divulges its hope and its inner strength.
(v) The free bird is an indirect reference to the White race that dominated the African-American
under the Jim Crow Laws.The caged bird refers to the entire African-American community that was
subjugated and enslaved by the white community. Moreover, the caged bird could also be
metaphorical reference to the poet, Maya Angelou. Refer to Autobiographical Element, under
Critical Remarks, Page 109.
III. (i) The circumstances which forces the caged bird to sing are his
