Caged Bird
By: Ritik Sharma
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 poem continued…
 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.
About the writer
Maya Angelou
 Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
 She grew up in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas.
 She is a poet, author, historian, song writer, play writer, dancer,
stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer and civil
right activist.
 She is know for her six autobiographies which start from ‘I know why
the caged bird sings.’
 ‘I know why the caged bird sings’ was nominated for a national
book.
 In 2001 she was known to be one of the 30 most powerful women in
America.
The title
 The title caged bird gives the reader the idea of a trapped bird who might
want to become free. Birds are usually free unless they are kept as pets but
after reading the poem the bird doesn’t seem as a pet therefore it brings
back the idea that it is a trapped bird who wants to become free.
Structure with meaning
 The first stanza introduces the free bird showing its characteristics. The free bird is
shown as lazy as it just floats and doesn’t want to fly.
 The second stanza introduces the caged bird. It informs that the caged bird in
not happy and yearns for freedom. It shows the bird is very limited to do things
as it is tied down to a cage and all it could do it sing.
 The third stanza emphasizes on the fact how important freedom is for the
caged bird and it is desperate for it.
 The fourth stanza shows that even though the free bird has freedom it still craves
for more. It also shows that life is a pleasure for the free bird as there are worms
which is food for it waiting for it. The free bird doesn’t even have to search for it.
 The fifth stanza shows that a cage is all destiny has in store for the bird and
getting freedom is just a dream.
 The sixth stanza which is the last stanza just repeats the third stanza which
emphasizes that the caged bird is helpless and it is not going to get freedom.
More structure
 The first two stanzas are both 7 lines each and both define the lives of two
birds living in totally different environments and leading totally different
lives.
 The third stanza may be considered as the chorus of the poem as it occurs
again at stanza 6.
 The 4th and 5th stanzas as again both 4 lines each and compare the lives of
the birds. (show on poem)
Meaning
 This poem compared and contrasts the lives and feelings of a caged bird
and a free bird.
 The poem shows the free bird can go wherever it wants to go and also
claim the sky as no other bird has a right on it. The poem also shows the free
bird as being lazy and the caged bird as being helpless. It shows that the
cages bird is yearning for freedom and doesn’t get it and the free bird has
freedom yet doesn’t value it.
 It is compared to the idea of slavery in the USA because it portrays the
caged bird as a slave and the free bird as a free white person. The caged
bird singing songs brings the idea of the slaves singing while working
especially in the fields because the songs used to give them motivation.
Language
 The poet uses varying styles is words such as those that give a sense of
freedom and those that give a feeling of trapped.
 When describing the free bird words such as floats, leaps, dares, and dips
which certainly show the feeling of freedom. This shows there is no pressure
or criticism upon the action the free bird does.
 When describing the caged bird the words choice tends to give a feeling
of being trapped. The words used were nightmare, scream, shadow, bars,
clipped, tied.
 There was some rhyme for example: lawn-own, breeze-trees, trill-still-hill,
dreams-scream, and rage-cage. There was rhyme but it only occurred time
to time.
Activity
 Now on a piece of paper write down about your thoughts of the poem
and how you interpret it and share it with the class.
tHANK-yOU