He only opens his mouth to sing, but no one can stop him from doing so. Other poems talk about the theme of why a caged bird would sing. This poem was written by the same uthor and was titled “Caged Bird”. Hire a Professional to Get Your 100% Plagiarism Free Paper. Scholar Liliane Arensberg calls this presentation An… Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Even though the context of the poem relates to the state of the black Americans in the wake of stark racial discrimination practised by the whites, the metaphor of the ‘caged bird’ is applicable to all those who are denied equal rights and opportunities to grow. but longed for still I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings literature essays are academic essays for citation. blacks continued to struggle to find their place in a country still How to Crack Your CompTIA 220-1001 with Practice Tests? Rhyme Stanza 3 Stanza 5 She describes her mother as “a hurricane in its perfect power”. Maya was raped by her mothers boyfriend and had to go through all the trauma that came with that.She and her brother Bailey had to be unexpectedly raised by their grandmother because their mother Vivian left them. She internalizes the idea that blond hairis beautiful and that she is a fat black girl trapped in a nightmare.Stamps, Arkansas, is so thoroughly segregated that as a child Mayadoes not quite believe that white people exist. Bates, Rheanna. Angeles to San Francisco. Alliteration – It is the close repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words. In the world Maya grows up in, beauty is narrowly defined as being white, with blond hair and blue eyes. the preacher gives a thinly veiled sermon criticizing whites’ charity, No such freedom is available to an encaged bird. I. Racism Maya Angelou herself experienced the worst forms of racial discrimination in America. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Themes". The caged bird, thus, represents the entire African-American community that was subjected to social, cultural and religious discrimination and were denied the right to freedom. However, like the caged bird, she refused to give up and expressed, Analysis of “I know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, Summary and Analysis of “Crossing the Bar” by Lord Alfred Tennyson. so he opens his throat to sing. Louis to Stamps to Los Angeles to Oakland to San Francisco to Los Maya Angelou and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; The Struggle for Self: Oppression's Effect on Identity It refers to two birds : one trapped in a cage, and the other free, swaying and flying with the wind. for the first time. In Angelou’s times, African-American people did not feel free as there were still many restrictions on them in society. The title of the. Flowers says that although Maya does good work in school, she needs to talk; Mrs. The poet hoped that the voice of the oppressed would be heard faraway, as it can never be suppressed. Here the poet makes the reader participate in the delightful experience of freedom of the bird. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Obviously, it deals explicitly and implicitly with the problems related to race, gender, slavery and freedom. Bailey, and Daddy Clidell, she feels that she belongs somewhere Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Daffodils Poem Summary in English by William Wordsworth, The Patriot Poem Summary in English by Robert Browning.