I know why the caged bird sings

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

The free bird leaps
on the back of the win
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

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 sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and is tune is heard
on the distant hillfor the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
an 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.

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 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.




Theme of the poetry “I know why the caged bird sings” basically is the restricted freedom: portraying the people who are refrained from their freedom to “the caged birds” and “the free bird”. Poetry’s traits that emphasize the theme could be categorized into two classes: rhetorical traits, structural traits. Predominant and continuous use of assonance throughout the poem reflects the long suppressed bird, the people; yet, by breaking the assonance at the last line, the aberration from the structure, establishes fresh sentiment which resembles freedom, the theme of the poem. In addition, through implicit comparison and personification such as “the cage bird”, it further enables author to depict abstract ideas through visual actions like singing of the bird. In case of structural traits, parallelism is used to establish rhyme in the stanzas that deals with “the caged bird”; this standardizes the poem which readers could infer this to the domesticated caged birds, a bird without freedom. However, by breaking the structure slightly as the poem develops, author indirectly implies singing and wailings of the caged birds are attempt to find their own freedom.