Symbolism In The Birds

Birds: Evil, Hopeful, Peaceful or All?
Humanity finds itself, at one time or another, struggling with fear, chaos, and hope. In the song called “Black Bird” by Lennon McCartney, the black bird represents having hope in the midst of hard times. By visually analyzing Women with Raven (1904) by Pablo Picasso, the observer is able to compare the woman and the raven and see their physical similarities. In “The Birds” by Daphne du Maurier, the birds are portrayed as war-like destroyers. By critically analyzing the symbols, language, and nature of these texts, the universal human significance of birds is conveyed: birds are generally war-like and evil in nature and only in certain circumstances portrayed as comforting and hopeful.
The song “Black

Bird” by Lennon McCartney contains powerful symbols of birds. This song was written during the civil rights movement in America (1968), and the lyrics express the struggle of African Americans. In this song, the bird is black and faces repression. The term “black bird” was British slang for black girl during the 1960s (e.g. Morales, John, The Beatles - Blackbird [Song Meaning], Reddit). Thus, one can infer that the black bird symbolizes the African American experience during the civil rights movement. For example, in the first stanza it writes, “Black bird singing in the dead of night take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise” (McCartney 1-4). The black bird, which represents African Americans, is singing in a “dead” place and has broken wings. This creates a depressing and restrained atmosphere. Typically, birds are able to fly and symbolize freedom, but in this case, the black bird has no freedom and is “waiting for this moment [of freedom] to arise [or be granted]” (McCartney 4). Similar to the black bird singing, African American slaves would sing songs to past the time and lift their spirits in rough times. Also, the phrase “Black bird fly, black bird fly Into the light of the dark black night” is repeated twice in the song (McCartney 9-10). The light represents hope in the midst of the dark black night, or difficult times. This is significant because it encourages the black bird to fly and have hope even though it may be hard. In other words, African Americans are urged to have hope during their sufferings and trials. Without the presence of the black bird, the audience may not be able to understand the meaning of the term “black bird,” which is slang for black girl. Also, one may not be able to understand specific abstract ideas that are connected with the qualities of a bird, such as flying and hope.
Woman with Raven (1904) by Pablo Picasso depicts a woman, whose body posture is similar to that of a bird, gently holding a black raven.

In this painting, the woman is lovingly stroking the raven; she has a ghost white face, wide, skeletal shoulders hunched over an extended neck, a pointed nose similar to a bird’s beak, and thin, long fingers. The woman’s physical qualities are like a bird and suggests an affinity with the raven she embraces. The raven she is holding is comforting to her, and the expression on her face seems to be in another realm that is away from her everyday life. Moreover, this painting was drawn during Picasso’s Blue Period (e.g. Bacigalupi, Don, Woman with a Crow, EMuseum). The intense blue background of the painting brings focus to the woman and the raven. Also, it reflects Picasso’s material circumstances at the time and the poor living conditions of the people in his neighborhood. The presence of the raven allows the observer to closely compare the women’s physical characteristics with the raven she is holding. Without the raven, the viewer may not be able to visually grasp how the women is embodying a

raven.
In “The Birds” by Daphne du Maurier, a farmhand, his family, and his community are attacked by flocks of birds and seabirds. Throughout “The Birds,” the family is crowded inside their house while hordes of vicious birds attack the whole town. As the birds were attacking Nate’s house, he notes, “There were… birds that by nature’s law kept to their own flock and their own territory, and now, joining one with another in their urge for battle, had destroyed themselves against the bedroom walls, or in strife had been destroyed by him” (du Maurier 293). The birds are portrayed as malicious destroyers and are constantly fighting a battle. Relentlessly, the birds harm and victimize the town and largely out-number the humans. The birds’ nature is similar to that of post World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. This novella was published in 1952 when when some Americans were still psychologically suffering from World War II, and the Cold War between the western democracies and the east Soviet Union was still progressing. During the Cold War, there was fear in the air and the east and the west were fighting for superiority. After analyzing the historical background and context of the birds’ nature, one can infer that the birds symbolize chaos and the battle for domination. Furthermore, the birds possess a war-like nature. For example, the birds have “…piercing eyes… [and have] the instinct to destroy mankind with all the deft precision of machines” (du Maurier 325). The description of “piercing eyes” and an “instinct to destroy mankind” creates an image of an animal with no soul and characterizes the birds as pure evil. Having qualities, such as being evil, destructive, and chaotic, suggests that the birds also symbolize war. Without the presence of the birds in this novella, there would be no plot and the war-like, fearful, and chaotic atmosphere of the text would not be conveyed. Also, if the birds were absent from the plot, the nature of post WWII and the Cold War would not be portrayed.
The evil, comforting, and hopeful nature of birds is conveyed through the powerful use of symbolism and language in “Black Bird,” Women with Raven (1904), and “The Birds.” The sense of chaos and war is connected to the symbolism of birds and is reinforced in “The Birds.” The concept that birds represent hope and offer peace and comfort is reflected in the song “Black Bird” and in the painting called Woman with Raven (1904).

The idea that part of human nature is similar to the qualities of a bird encourages an individual to reflect how they are. This is significant because it speaks deep in the heart of human experience and makes one ask why human and birds are both evil, war-like, and

hopeful.