Analysis Of Dr. Angelou

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Still, I had questions, questions which hindered the progression of my final project. The questions that kept playing over and over in my mind were how do I express my passion for the words expressed in the chosen art form of my favorite poems? How do I communicate my thoughts to be consistent with the required framework? My immediate reaction was to give up, give in to my weariness, give in to my frustration and just quit. The problem with quitting is that I abhor quitting on any level. Quitting for me would lead to anxiety and even more frustration. Then I had an epiphany and realized that all my selections were about a mindset. A mindset consisting of an active mental state of transcending—refining and redefining processes or surrendering—a …show more content…

Angelou’s poem is encompassed in a metaphor of mental, emotional and spiritual transcendence. [“leaps on the back of the wind…bars of rage…thinks of another breeze”]. I believe the subject of the poem, a bird, is synonymous with a gender-neutral use of the pronoun his. The speaker uses "his" throughout the writing. The comparison and contrast of mental states are presented in the personification of a “Free bird” and a “Caged bird.” The author’s use of free verse is provisioned to present a descriptive analysis of two mental paths, without the limitation or need to follow a regular scheme. The path of an active mindset relates to the ability to always refine or redefine choices. A closed mind, the other path, is related to the stagnation in life choices which are bound by anger, frustration and an inability to progress. The two paths of vivid imagery speak to the overall contentious behavior during a volatile period of drastic change. The “Free bird” in the first stanza is visualized as a bird flying, unencumbered. [paraphrased: an active mind moves quickly on the surface of force or influence. Gracefully moving in the direction of an opportunity until the continuous movement (force or influence) ends. Then having gained experience as a highly valued asset, with character and courage one captures the attention of the force or influence to excel beyond that which was deemed …show more content…

The poem opens with iambic pentameter but the metrical foot consistently changes after the first line. Angelou uses six stanzas written in five quatrains and one tercet. The poet uses enjambment consistently to expand upon the vivid description between the two birds. The speaker projects the ostentatiousness of the human mind by using alternate end rhyme (downstream/wing and trill/still/hill) and slant rhyme (his wings are clipped... opens his throat to sing). The last two lines of the 2nd stanza (couplet) and the entire 3rd stanza is repeated in the 5th and 6th verses to amplify the significance of the perils of a closed mind, a mental state filled with darkness. The poem provides insight into the direct relationship of using choice to transcend (“free bird”) and excel to unlimited possibilities (“the sky”) versus using a choice which mentally stagnates (cages the mind) and results in mental strain (“his tune is heard on the distant hill…sings of freedom”). The outstanding aspect of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is the exceptional use of personification. The author’s personification of a bird (wild/free vs captivity) to compare and contrast to the cognitive operation of the human mind is provocative, compelling me to reflect, daily, on my life

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