Caged Bird

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
literarydevices.net/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings
December 7, 2018
by Maya Angelou
A free bird leaps on the back

Of the wind and floats downstream

Till the current ends and dips his wing

In the orange suns 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 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 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.
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.
Summary of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”
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1. Popularity: Written by Maya Angelou, a popular African American poet, the poem
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is an excellent literary piece. The poem reflects
the facts of racial segregation or social discrimination in American society against
black people. Using the metaphors of caged and free birds, Maya Angelou has
highlighted the nature of captivity and the importance of American ideals of
freedom, liberty, and
2. Criticism on Racial Discrimination: Maya Angelou has presented two birds.
One is caged, and the other is free. The caged bird represents African Americans and
their sorrowful plight compared to the white Americans. She says that the free bird
has the freedom to move anywhere in the world, while the caged bird is in captivity,
full of pain and rage. African Americans did not have the freedom to move and enjoy
life as white people before the Civil Rights Movement. The freedom of the free bird
and the alienation and captivity of the caged bird have been compared and
contrasted about both the communities, and the positive points of freedom have
been highlighted.
3. Major Themes: There are two major themes in the poem. The first major theme is
given in the first stanza which is freedom. It is given through the image of a free bird
that goes wherever it wants, ranging from enjoyment on stream to soaring in the
wind. The second theme is captivity that cripples the bird in the cage. This theme
goes on in the third stanza and tries to state that the caged bird is forced to sing a
song of freedom. Then the free bird again comes into view in the fourth stanza and
enjoys life on trade winds, trees and in the width and breadth of the sky. Next
stanzas describe the caged bird’s fear while it is trying to sing a tune for its freedom
during its bondage.
Analysis of the Literary Devices in “I Know Why the Caged Bird

Sings”
Maya Angelou has used various literary devices to enhance the intended impacts of her
poem. Some of the major literary devices have been analyzed below.
1. Alliteration: Alliteration is a literary device in which a series of words begin with

the same consonant sound. This poem is rich with alliterations and its examples can
be seen in the repetition of /s/ sound in “seldom see through” and then /w/ sound
in “worms waiting” and then again /sh/ sound in “shadows shouts.”
2. Assonance: Assonance is the use of vowel sounds in quick succession. The poem
has a couple of assonances, for example, /i/ sounds in ‘distant hills’ and ‘sings with
fearful hills’.
3. Consonance: Consonance means repetitive sounds produced by consonants
within a sentence or phrase. In the lines “But a bird that stalks down” /b/ sounds
have been repeated and in the same way, /d/ sound is repeated in “trade winds.”
4. Imagery: As imagery pertains to five senses, this poem is full of different images.
“free bird” and “back of wind” images for sight and feelings. Similarly, there are
some images such as “orange sun rays” is for sight, and “throat to sing” is for
hearing.
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5. Metaphors: There are two major metaphors. The first metaphor is of the free bird
that is for the white Americans or free people, while the caged bird is the metaphor
of African Americans and their captivity in the social norms.
6. Personification: Maya Angelou has used personification such as “sighing trees” as
if trees are feeling sorrow. Also, she has personified the bird by changing its
pronoun from ‘its’ to ‘his’.
7. Symbol: Maya Angelou has used different symbols to show racial discrimination
and social construction against her community. The caged bird is a symbol of
imprisonment, while his song is a symbol of freedom.
This analysis shows that this poem has used literary devices to point out the importance
of freedom before the Civil War era and even now.
Analysis of the Poetic Devices in “I Know Why the Caged Bird

Sings”
Although most of the poetic devices are part of literary devices, yet some devices are only
used in poems. The analysis of some of the major poetic devices used in this poem is given
here.
1. End Rhyme: End Rhyme is used to make a stanza melodious such as in the first
and second line the third stanza the rhyming words are “trill”, “still” and “shrill”.
2. Internal Rhyme: The internal rhyme is rhyme within a line such as in the line
“waiting on a dawn bright lawn” two words “dawn” and “lawn” rhyme with each
other.
3. Repetition: The poetic, as well as the rhetorical device of repetition, emphasizes a
point through repetition such as “A free bird thinks” and “The caged bird sings”
which have been repeated in the poem several times.
4. Stanza: The poet has used stanzas with a different number of lines with no regular
rhyme scheme.
Quotes for usage from “I know why the caged bird sings”
1. These two lines can be used on the occasion of a speech given about freedom or
liberty.
“A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream till the current ends.”
2. These two lines can be used to make the people realize about the wildlife and the
value of freedom for the birds.
“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still.”
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

A free bird leaps on the back

Of the wind and floats downstream

Till the current ends and dips his wing

In the orange suns rays

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage

His wings are clipped and his feet are tied

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill

Of things unknown but longed for still

The caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

The sighing trees

Lawn and he names the sky his own.

But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams

His wings are clipped and his feet are tied

The caged bird sings with

A fearful trill of things unknown

Tune is heard on the distant hill

For the caged bird sings of freedom.

Summary of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”

Analysis of the Literary Devices in “I Know Why the Caged Bird

1. Alliteration: Alliteration is a literary device in which a series of words begin with

Analysis of the Poetic Devices in “I Know Why the Caged Bird

“A free bird leaps on the back of the wind

and floats downstream till the current ends.”

“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill

of things unknown but longed for still.”

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