Discussion Topic

The basis, speaker, and subject of the poem "Caged Bird."

Summary:

The poem "Caged Bird" is based on the contrasting experiences of a free bird and a caged bird. The speaker reflects on themes of freedom and oppression, using the birds as metaphors. The subject of the poem focuses on the longing for freedom and the pain of confinement.

Expert Answers

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Who is the speaker and what is the subject of the poem "Caged Bird"?

"Caged Bird" is a poem by Maya Angelou. It consists of six stanzas, of which two discuss the thoughts of the "free bird" and four the thoughts of the "caged bird." The poem is written in the third person and the speaker is not identified. The point of view is omniscient. The speaker has access to the minds and interior thoughts of both birds. The birds are presented as highly anthropomorphized with both birds having human thoughts and feelings, albeit with the caged bird being the more humanized of the two. While the free bird sings of ordinary events in the life of birds, the speaker states:

for the caged bird   
sings of freedom
While on the literal level, this poem compares and contrasts two types of birds, on a metaphorical level this is a poem about black people in the United States. The "caged bird" is a reference to slavery and to the white oppression of black people. The song of the caged bird is artistic creation, particularly the musical and literary creations, of African-Americans.
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What is the poem "Caged Bird" based on?

Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird” is based on an earlier poem by an African American author by the name of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Dunbar, who lived from 1872–1906, was the son of parents who endured lives of slavery. He became an influential author, not only through his poetry, but through his many literary works, which included poems, novels, and essays.

His poem “Sympathy,” written in 1899, provided Ms. Angelou with material for her famous poem “Caged Bird” and the title for her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The third stanza of his poem is thought to have been the most inspirational. As the son of slaves, Dunbar knew the restrictions racism put on the lives of oppressed people, and this poem expresses the emotions which resided in his soul.

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,

    When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—

When he beats his bars and he would be free;

It is not a carol of joy or glee,

    But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,  

But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—

I know why the caged bird sings!

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