The poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou contrasts what life is like for a free bird compared to the life of a caged bird. The poet uses a wide range of negative expressions in order to highlight how suppressed the caged bird’s life is, compared to the life of the bird who lives in freedom. For example the lines “his wings are clipped and his feet are tied," clearly emphasizing the lack of freedom to move in stark contrast to the free bird, who “leaps ... and floats.”

These negative descriptions culminate in the author subtly suggesting that the caged bird has in fact lost his will to live. This can be most clearly seen in the fifth stanza, namely in the line “but a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams.” Here, the poet tells the reader very clearly that the caged bird has no dreams left. He does not have any hope that his life might ever change. The caged bird accepts that he is unable to leave his cage, and he has had to resign himself to the fact that he will never be able to leave his prison. He will never experience the life in freedom that he is longing for.

This death of hope implies therefore also the death of a reason to live—which leads to the conclusion that without a reason to live, the bird has also lost the will to live.