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Maya Angelou critical analysis
An essay of maya angelou stylistic elements in poems
Maya Angelou critical analysis
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In the poem, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Maya Angelou juxtaposes two birds to demonstrate the harmful effects of oppression. One bird is allowed to soar freely through the skies, while the other is shut in a cage and can only hope to be released someday. Angelou uses this comparison to show the importance of. Throughout the poem, the author’s use of diction and rhetorical devices make her message more powerful to the reader. The free bird shows that freedom is what gives one the opportunity to pursue happiness. This idea is emphasized through the author’s use of a mirthful and confident tone when referring to the free bird. In the first stanza, Angelou creates a powerful image by stating that the bird “dips his wings” (5) as he flies …show more content…
through the “orange sun rays” (6). The word “dips” indicates that all of his movements are very elegant and harmonious. Likewise, the color orange, which used to describe the sun, brings about a feeling of optimism and enthusiasm to the reader. Later in the poem, Angelou adds to this tone by stating the free bird “names the sky his own” (25). This suggests that he is able to pursue anything that he desires without limitations and is not afraid of any obstacles that may come. He is given the chance to excel in the life and push himself to become the best that he can be. Ultimately, the free bird is used as an example of an ideal lifestyle that the oppressed could only hope for. As a symbol of the African-American people, the caged bird demonstrates that when a person does not have freedom, he/she succumbs to a life of misery.
In order to emphasize this, Angelou uses blunt diction and refers to him in a gloomy tone. He is trapped behind “his bars of rage” (11) and can only hope to be freed. By using the word “rage”, Angelou suggests to the reader that the caged bird is not only unhappy; he is infuriated that he is not allowed to fly free like the others. This idea is emphasized when the author states that the caged bird sings “with fearful trill” (16). Instead of singing a graceful melody, he sings an irritating trill and that everyone could hear. Although he fears for what would happen to him next, he continues to sing, because his voice is the only thing that has not been taken away from him. Since he has been unfairly deprived of freedom, he is forced to stand on the “grave of [his] dreams” (27). Angelou uses this metaphor to show that when a people’s freedoms are taken, they are not given a chance to achieve their goals and accomplish things in life. The caged bird will likely never have an opportunity to improve his conditions, so he is forced to live a miserable and meaningless life
forever. In this poem, Angelou demonstrates the value of one’s freedom and the cruelty of taking it. Her use of juxtaposition and other rhetorical devices help make the message more powerful and make this a truly inspirational piece of literature. Although the poem was meant to encourage oppressed groups to fight for their rights, it arouses pity to all readers and makes them realize that although this occurs on a much smaller scale today, it is still a prevalent issue in our society.
The title to me is almost ironic. In Caged Bird it talks about limited freedom in the sense that a bird that is caged cannot do the one thing it was made for, to fly. Caged Bird is almost a whole reference to how there are many limitations on freedom. I believe each stanza represents a different “time” for the bird. In the first stanza there are many action words used along with the second and third stanzas. In the first stanza it talks about how the bird is free. The author uses action words like, leaps, floats, dips, and dares. The first stanza states, “A free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wing in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky”(Caged Bird). In context I interpreted this stanza as, a bird jumps onto the wind and is gliding to where the wind may take him. Also that the bird can fly whenever he wants, the sun is orange at dusk and dawn, therefore the bird chooses when to fly. In the second stanza it states, “But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing”(Caged Bird). I think the second stanza is in reference to the time that the bird is in the cage, or a rough
Dunbar finishes off the poem with powerful lines: “But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core, But a plea that upward heaven he flings— I know why the caged bird sings!” The caged bird is depicted as battered, bruised, and beaten from his violent rebellion— praying as his last chance of freedom. The bird’s belief in its virtuous rebellion justifies the revolt, as we see the bird’s constant persistency, even as the mutiny is demoted to
Walker, Pierre A. Racial protest, identity, words, and form in Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Vol. 22. West Chester: Collage Literature, n.d. Literary Reference Center. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. .
In perhaps her most notable work I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings “Angelou’s account of her childhood and adolescence chronicles her frequent encounters with racism, sexism, and classism at the same time that she ...
Angelou, Maya. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. Quotations Book. n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014
Furthermore, Maya Angelou’s poem, ‘Caged Bird,’ there is a heavy usage of imagery to contrast the lives of the free and caged bird. For example, the first stanza includes vivid details about how free and easygoing the free bird’s life is. The text includes, “A free bird leaps/ on the back of the wind/ and floats downstream…” “...and dips his wing/ in the orange sun rays/ and dares to claim the sky.” Evidently, this bird can openly travel through the wonders of the world, such as streams and beautiful skies; there seems to not be a care in the world. However, the reader gets a peek into the life of the caged bird, who has a multitude of challenges and sorrow. These circumstances are first shown in the second stanza, but there is a more intense picture in stanza five, “But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams/ his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream/ his wings are clipped and his feet are tied/ so he opens his throat to sing.” There is an obvious switch in mood that is projected from the author, as the caged bird has lost its dreams and had many obstacles preventing it from breaking
Maya Angelou’s excerpt from her book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” reveals the challenges facing a young black girl in the south. The prologue of the book tells of a young Angelou in church trying to recite a poem she has forgotten. She describes the dress her grandmother has made her and imagines a day where she wakes up out of her black nightmare. Angelou was raised in a time where segregation and racism were prevalent in society. She uses repetition, diction, and themes to explore the struggle of a black girl while growing up. Angelou produces a feeling of compassion and poignancy within the reader by revealing racial stereotypes, appearance-related insecurities, and negative connotations associated with being a black girl. By doing this she forces the
In the poem "Sympathy," Paul Laurence Dunbar describes how he knows "what the caged bird feels." In the first stanza, the main idea is longing, with the speaker introducing readers to a beautiful, almost magical landscape, describing the "bright" sun, wind stirring "through the springing grass," river flowing "like a stream of glass," etc. By using sensory details to create such bold imagery, the reader is enchanted by the setting. However, it's assumed that because the bird is caged, it's retained from all this beauty and freedom. This creates a mood with a sense of loss and longing for all that freedom has to offer, because if the bird were free, it'd be able to enjoy these wonders like all other birds. Furthermore, it begins to create the sense of sympathy we feel for the bird, which could relate to sympathy for African-Americans during this time. Dunbar was the son of slaves, and
In the poem there are two birds, one is caged and is forced to watch the other free bird. “But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.” The caged bird in Maya Angelou’s poem is forced to watch the free bird from his cage. This caged bird can’t beat his wings, fly, or move, he can only sing a song that is a cry for help. The caged bird can’t do much about his situation, he is trapped and disabled. “ But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.” the caged bird cannot fly anymore because his wings are clipped. Even though he can’t fly the bird still opens his throat to sing. The caged bird in “ Caged Bird” is not as free as the bird in “Sympathy” because if this bid is free he can fly and do whatever he wants. But the bird in Maya’s poem cannot, he isn’t truly free, there is more hope for the other
In Dunbar’s poem, “Sympathy,” Dunbar repetitively states how he knows how the caged bird feels. He is able to associate his life experiences with the caged bird, who is suffering and wishes to be autonomous. This is shown when Dunbar states: “I know what the caged bird beats his wing… I know why the caged bird sings (Lines 1,8,15).” Evidently, Dunbar sympathizes with the bird’s emotions and desires to be free. Dunbar pity’s the caged bird instead of writing about how it would be like to be free. The quote shows how Dunbar is aware and can relate to what the bird does. On the contrary, in the poem “Caged Bird,” Angelou writes about the comparison between the caged and free bird. The way Angelou writes about both birds lifestyle is a manifestation of her views of her trials. Maya Angelou states: “The free bird thinks of another breeze/ and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees… But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams… his wings are clipped and his feet are tied (Lines 20,21,24,26).” In this quote the author writes how she was feeling imprisoned due to the racial issues between the whites and African Americans. Just like the caged bird, ANgelou relates to it because she too feared to speak her mind without being punished. Moreover, in “Sympathy,” Dunbar relates his segregation issues and lack of freedom to the caged bird
He begins and ends the second stanza with “I know why the caged bird beats his wing.” The use of the word “know” here, is almost in answer to a halfhearted secret. As if in response to an idle wonder as to why a bird might fly against the bars of its cage. Perhaps a wonder of a captor as to why its prey attempts escape at its own peril. This question hangs idly for the captor because it is clear that the bird’s attempts to fly through the bars cannot succeed. Dunbar ends by declaring the heart of the miscommunication between bird and captor. The concept of man and bird being one is sealed as the third stanza again repeats the metaphor. “I know why the caged bird sings.” When he says “know” a third time he is more declaring that the captor does not choose to know. The captor prefers to see the bird rejoicing in its condition, rather than admitting to himself as Dunbar demands, that the bird’s song is a lamentation towards the freedom to which the bird knows it belongs. These three phrases not only reaffirm Dunbar’s oneness with the bird but simultaneously describe the movement from longing for freedom to beating wings to singing as one in the same. The caged bird, like Dunbar, feels his wings beaten and can do little more than sing, as Dunbar might pray for assistance. The metaphor of a caged bird representing Dunbar’s masked bondage can be seen through the
The book thus explores a lot of important issues, such as: sexuality and race relations, and shows us how society violated her as a young African American female. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou clearly expresses the physical pain of sexual assault, the mental anguish of not daring to tell, and her guilt and shame for having been raped. Her timidity and fear of telling magnify the brutality of the rape. For more than a year after the rape she lives in self-imposed silence, speaking only very rarely. This childhood rape reveals the pain that African American women suffered as victims not only of racism but also sexism.
I chose these three poems because the subject matter appealed to me and I believe that the poems convey their meaning very effectively. Upon researching the poems, I discovered that Caged Bird was in fact inspired by Sympathy, which accounts for the similarities in language and imagery, as outlined below. All three poems deal with the subject of freedom using the imagery of birds; On Liberty and Slavery is narrated as a human plea for freedom, and makes reference to birds in that context, whereas Caged Bird and Sympathy both use the imagery of caged birds to explore the theme of loss of freedom. The symbolism of birds is used to depict freedom, as birds are essentially without constraints; in comparison to the limitations of humans, they have limitless possibilities. When a bird is caged, however, it loses that potential and is restricted not by its own limitations, but the limits set by another.
In the “Caged Bird” Angelou’s comparison to the caged bird was African-Americans in the society they were living in. She symbolized the bird with African-Americans experiences. In the second stanza the poem states “But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing”. This is comparison to African-Americans in their society. When African- Americans were enslaved they use to sing songs to uplift their spirits because that’s all they could do. They were physically bound and mentally brain-washed. The songs was there way of showing they still had fight left in them. In the fourth stanza it states “The free bird thinks of another breeze and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn and he names the sky his own”. This is saying the while African-Americans were enslaved and oppressed they watched Caucasians be free and do as they pleased. Although at the time African-Americans never experienced freedom they yearned for it. They knew it had to be better then what they were enduring. Racism is considered the cage around the caged bird, and it means not getting treated fairly with jobs, medical treatment, and even get
Throughout I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, racism is a frequent obstacle that non-whites had to overcome. When Maya is young, she doesn’t recognize the racism and discrimination as well as her grandmother does. As Maya gets older, she begins to recognize and take notice to the racism and discrimination towards her and African Americans everywhere. Maya may not recognize the racism and discrimination very well at her young age, but it still affects her outlook on life the same way it would if she had recognized it. The racism and discrimination Maya faced throughout I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, affected her attitude, personality, and overall outlook on life in a positive way.