Cage Bird by Maya Angelou

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 sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
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.

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.

Analysis :)

This poem uses two contrasting images in order to show a theme. One is a free bird, and the other is a caged bird. While the free bird enjoys the wide sky, the caged bird is unable to escape from the cage. And yet, the bird sings in order to express his feelings and thoughts. The word “dare” in the first stanza seems to note the difference between a free bird and a caged bird. In the second stanza, cage seems to represent limitations that the caged bird is unhappy to have since it says “bars of rage”. However, the decision to open up his throat to sing, which bars cannot completely block, indicates the caged bird’s firm determination to refuse to be submissive.

Repeating parts such as “his wings are clipped and his feet are tied, so he opens his throat to sing attempt to emphasize its importance. As “his tune is heard on the distant hill,” the freedom is not near but still there is hope. It is like a wish that the caged bird is looking forward to.

Contrasting images such as the sighing trees, fat worms, and his shadow shouting on a nightmare scream seems to portray how desperate the caged bird is for freedom. The poem ends with the stanza same as the third one, emphasizing the author’s point once more.

Thoughts :)

I chose one of the poems from Maya Angelou because I loved her poem called “Still I Rise” that we read in class the other day. I loved how she used various methods to portray hidden meanings. In this poem, I think this poem also has a lot of hidden meanings behind, which is the reason why I chose this poem to analyze.

First of all, I loved the way how the author managed to compare the life of a free bird and a caged bird in order to show what blacks feel about the whites. I love the analogy here. A free bird refers to a white man, and a caged bird refers to a black man more likely.

I am truly glad to have the opportunity to read her poems because these poems are making me like poetry that I have been avoiding for my life :)