Oppression In Maya Angelou's Caged Bird

Freedom is a powerful thing, enough so to completely change a person, until you can no longer recognize the oppressed being they were before. In the poems, “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, and “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou, the portrayals of a free and caged bird exhibit stark contrast, which shows the truth of this statement. The traits seen in each bird are often seen in people too. In Rosa Parks’ autobiography, “My Story,” she displays several distinctive characteristics of each bird. Before taking her stand against oppression, Rosa Parks would have identified best with the caged bird; oppressed, tired, beaten down, and helpless. However, with her courage and motivation, Parks unlocked her metaphorical cage and became an inspiration to others who wished to be free- the perfect picture of a free bird. The free bird is a symbol of what the oppressed wish to be. He is adventurous and carefree, content to live his life as it is.

Before Parks took her part in the civil rights movement, she was closest in character to the caged bird. Before, she would have stood, just as her fellow bus-riders did- “The man in the window seat next to me stood up, and I moved to let him pass by me, and then I looked across the aisle and saw that the two women were also standing.”(Parks, 4) However, as a consequence of being beaten down so often, Parks snapped. She finally realized the futility of following the rules of inequality if she was ever to expect a change. At this point, she began to more closely resemble the free bird. Parks’ account goes: “No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in. The driver of the bus saw me still sitting there, and he asked was I going to stand up. I said ‘No’.”(Parks, 6) At this point, she has changed from being a puppet of the oppressor to defender of the oppressed. Though she began helpless and ignored, Parks soon found her way to freedom and