Each Stanza's Explanation
1st Stanza
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.
The first few lines depict a bird
jumping "on the back of the wind" to demonstrate how free it is to
roam about and flit through the air. It glides downhill to where the wind is
calm, and the stream's movement stops as it hangs over a windy area. It
submerges a wing in the ocean of orange sunshine.
The bird is in a very calm mood. It is
free to move about whatever it pleases. It 'dares to claim the sky' because it
is so completely unrestrained and unfettered. Its only home is the whole sky.
2nd Stanza
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.
Maya Angelou compares the scenario in
this poem by depicting a caged bird. In vain, the trapped bird attempts to
escape from his cage. The cage is small, and the symbolic bars represent wrath.
The bird in the cage seemed upset about its circumstances and yearned to escape
its predicament. The caged bird, however, is unable to see outside of it.
Its wings are cut off, meaning its
independence has been removed. Wings are connected with flight, which is linked
to freedom. Its independence is violently removed when "his wings are
clipped" is used. Even if it wants to, it cannot fly and has its feet bound.
A bird tethered to the ground depicts an
image opposed to its genuine nature of flying, which illustrates that the bird
has been alienated. However, what matters most is that the imprisoned bird
"opens his throat to sing despite being in this hopeless situation."
His happiness and success in life are limited to that.
3rd Stanza
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
The bird in the cage speaks with a
trembling voice. The bird is singing about freedom, something he doesn't have.
His unattainable ambition is freedom, which he imagines. He thus sings about
it. His voice reflects his anxiety. He has never tasted independence, but he
longs to experience it independently. On slopes where others are moved to dream
of independence, his voice may be heard in the distance. The bird in the cage
sings not of melancholy but of freedom, inspiration, and optimism.
4th Stanza
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.
The free bird, on the other hand, savors
his independence. He likes to soar through the trees when the trade wind passes
through them. The term "sighing trees" possibly relates to the sound
the wind generates through the leafy branches. The trees' lack of freedom is
illustrated by the fact that they are similarly "tied" to the ground
like the caged bird.
The free bird considers the large worm
that will serve as his meal. He feels magnificent in his independence and
refers to the whole sky as his kingdom since he has the wind in his feathers,
the water and the ground under him, and the entire sky with him. The poet wants
to convey that the bird recognizes himself as the owner of the whole cosmos by
using the phrase "names the sky his own." Here, the sky is a metaphor
for the cosmos.
5th Stanza
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.
On the other hand, the caged bird is
aware that he is not soaring over the sky, that he is not free, but rather a
captive, a prisoner. As a result, he "stands on the grave of dreams."
He knows his hopes of experiencing freedom by soaring through a free firmament
are in vain. He had given up on finding freedom. His ghost "cries out in a
nightmare scream." It is worse and more pitiful than a nightmare. The bird
expands his throat to sing despite having his wings cut and his feet bound. The
bird wants to struggle through every obstacle. His melody carries a slender but
igniting optimism.
6th Stanza
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
The repeated theme that serves as a
stanza explains the bird's unwavering will to pursue his goal of freedom. The
imprisoned bird decides to sing since it is the only unrestricted freedom
accessible to him. His wings are cut, and his feet are bound, but his neck has
not yet been choked. The poet has felt this deeply, so she chooses the title
"I Know Why the Cages Bird Sings."
This might be seen as the poet's call to
action to speak out, to express ourselves despite the stronger person's desire
to silence the weaker person, and never to give up, no matter the
circumstances.
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