Student Question

Which line in stanza 5 of "Caged Bird" contains alliteration and what is its effect?

Quick answer:

In stanza 5 of "Caged Bird," the second line contains an example of alliteration in the phrase "his shadow shouts." The contrast of the repeated sh sound, a consonant associated with silence, and the words "shouts" and "scream" allow Angelou to show the tension between the inner desires of the caged bird and its repressed, captive existence.

Expert Answers

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In Maya Angelou's poem "Caged Bird," she employs many literary devices to convey the meaning of the text. In the fifth stanza, there is an example of alliteration in the second line within the phrase "shadow shouts":

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream.
In repeating the sh sound here, Angelou achieves several effects. Firstly, sh is a sound often associated with stillness and silence. We "shush" people to make them be quiet. The usage of this specific sound in the alliteration of the line emphasizes the restrictions placed on the caged bird and the limitations of their captivity.
However, Angelou deliberately introduces this sound alongside the words "shouts" and "scream." While the phrase "his shadow shouts" literally sounds like a shushing, it is describing something loud and raucous: a shout, a scream. Angelou contrasts the silence and stillness that is imposed on a caged bird with the ferocity of the desire and pent-up energy within the bird. Even the phrase later in the line, "nightmare scream," sounds like something hellish and shrieking, but when paired with the "shushing" sound, it shows the repression of that scream. The shrieking scream now is more like the moment in a nightmare when you try to scream and can't, the terror of being unable to express yourself.

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