Text Analysis Practicum

Course Instructor: Logan Woods

Pdurariu Patricia-Georgiana
Romanian-English

The vision of racism in the poem Caged Bird by Maya Angelou

Caged Bird by Maya Angelou was first published in her book, Shaker, Why Don't
You Sing? in 1983. Maya`s poem encompasses multiple abstract themes such as hope,
freedom, liberty and also themes regarding cultural diferences between humans. Inspired by
Paul Laurence Dunbars poem Sympathy, Angelou shows in her piece of art the efforts of a
caged bird desiring to rise in spite of all the impediments. In this essay, I argue that Caged
bird is a remarkable metaphor illustrating the differences between African-Americans and
Whites during the Civil Rights era.
Differences between black people and white people always existed. The history of
Africans in the land of dream is marked by many conflicts, struggles and even war with the
whites. Africans had a hard and complicated life characterized by slavery, discrimination and
injustice. They had to endure a lot of bad treatments, admonishes and many others
oppressions. The image of the blacks in a world dominated by withes is softly used by Maya
in her poem. Thus Caged bird became an important symbol that evoque the situation of the
Africans in the USA. Using the image of a bird as symbol for the human, Maya Angelou
creates an autentic perspective about racial prejudices. While the free bird signifies the
white man, the caged one is the reflexion of the black man. Her antithesis is unique and
concentrate an important point of view about how life of the blacks was comparring with the
life of a white man. In this way Maya`s poem reveals two hypostasis that accentuate the
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diferences between races - one deals with the opportunities and liberties that a white man has
in society and the other with the impediments that a coloured man must confront with in a
society dominated by white people.
The poem begin with the representation of the whites in the United States, who have
historically enjoyed social and economic privileges that other races have not. They are
symbolised by the image of the free bird. In Maya Angelou`s vision all the liberties that a
white man has in society are connected with the idea of flying: 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 sky is infinite and its grandness can
easely be associated with the idea of freedom and with the infinite possibilities and
oppotunities that the American Dream represented. Freedom, liberty, prospects and chances,
all are destinated for the free birds - the white people.
The life of a black man is presented in antithesis. They are forced to endure a lot of
injustice. Their liberty is fenced and they can not enjoy all the liberties that whites have. They
are limited by their skin colour. This constriction takes in Maya`s poem the shape of the cage:
But a caged bird that stalks / down his narrow cage / can seldom see through / his bars of
rage. African Americans were mistreated because they were different and they were thought
as inferiors. Even black people have to endure such treatement, they could always fight
against injustice and desire liberty. Thus the song of the caged bird is a form of selfexpression which connected the blacks with their dreams and desires. A man must always
express and make his feelings and thaughts heard. He must always fight for his rights and
dignity. African Americans dreamed of a freedom without the judgements and stereotypes of
racism.
Because of a long tradition concerned with the idea of discrimination, the white people
lived by cultivating their own rights and selfish conceptions. Thus they dare to name the sky

his own. Whites have always been free to achieve success and live according to the qualities
and chances offered by the American Dream. The breeze and fat worms are metaphors
for all the hopes and opportunities that the whites had and that the blacks did not have.
The poem includes plenty of figures that suggest the situation of the blacks. The
dark and grave emphasis the impossibility of African Americans to gain the freedom
they desired. American Dream remains for them just a dream imposible to accomplish.
Angelou invokes the death, imprisonment and loss of hope to illustrate the status of the black
people at the end of 19th century. Their existance was hard and difficult and they were forced
to endure a lots of unfairness. Inspite of that challenging period African Americans continued
to hope for freedom and equality - Full of fear, entrapped in its cage, and with dead dreams,
the caged bird still sings: His wings are clipped and his feet are tied / so he opens his throat
to sing.
In conclusion, Maya Angelou succeded to create an original and irreplaceable poem
that illustrates the life of African Americans during sagregation. Her vision covers one of the
most problematic issue that our world have to confront - the racial discrimination. Thus she
not only reveals the reality of that discriminatory era but also gave to all blacks a huge support
and hope. She encouraged the to make their voice heard. Her talent and passion made her one
of the greatest artists and she will always remain in the heart of all black people.

Bibliography:

Maya Angelou- Caged bird (the poem)

http://genius.com/Maya-angelou-caged-bird-annotated
www.wikipedia.com (African-American Civil Rights Movement)