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Poem Analysis: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

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In her poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Maya Angelou relies on metaphor and juxtaposition to convey her theme. Through this, she focuses on comparing two birds--one that is free and one that lives in a cage. Throughout the poem itself, the only forms of punctuation come at the very end of the stanza, signalling it as a continued thought. This mimics the often light-hearted nature of birds, as they have the freedom to do as they please. The freeverse of this poem further develops this, as while the narrator chooses to repeat some structures and patterns throughout the poem, she does not limit herself to a specific, set sequence. As such, through the bird’s stories, she demonstrates that the innate natures and freedoms of a creature cannot …show more content…

The narrator creates a stark separation between the free bird and the caged bird by beginning the stanza with “but,” (27) and continues it with drastically darker imagery. A bird’s ability to escape through flight is fundamental for their survival, as it contributes to their literal flight or fight response. Birds that cannot fly can potentially experience permanent negative behavioral shifts due to their inability to act on these responses, as well. This notion is demonstrated in the shift between the caged bird’s shift from angered despondency in the second stanza, to complete and utter hopelessness in the fifth stanza. As the language matures from “stalk[ing] down a narrow cage” and “bars of rage,” to a “grave of dreams,” (26) where “his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream,” (27) the poem communicates a sense of passing time. While there is nothing to hint at the duration of the bird’s time in the cage, the bird has been driven from anger at his situation to a broken acceptance of his fate. Instead of referring to the bird as “the bird,” as she has done every other time, she calls him “a caged bird” as he “stands on the grave of dreams” (27). In this way, the narrator broadens the focus from a singular bird to all caged birds, demonstrating that his mental state is not uncommon for his situation, for all oppressed creatures face this struggle …show more content…

The two stanzas that focus on the caged bird’s song are repeated, almost like the chorus or refrain of a song. This repetition is important in demonstrating the unending and monotonous nature of the bird’s life, as even in his singing, he finds himself repeated singing the same plea for freedom each day. Despite not knowing of freedom, the caged bird continues to long for it because it's in his nature. Trapped and bound within his cage, he “sings / with a fearful trill,” (31-32) as he worries about both his future, and about what true freedom feels like. He either no longer remembers, or never knew, what it felt like to have this freedom. This is seen in how his singing is for “things unknown / but longed for still” (33-34), as “the caged bird / sings of freedom” (37-38). As such, despite not understanding what freedom is, he longs for it as its so instrumental in a bird’s nature. He does not know what life is like outside of his cage, and while he has only known this imprisonment, he continues to go back to his roots by expressing this need for something that he’s never felt. It's something that is foreign to him, and while this aspect of freedom frightens him, he cannot help but dream of

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