Task 1: Identify

With two different coloured highlighters, highlight any words, phrases or

descriptions in the poem that relate to:
1. The caged bird or captivity
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
2. The freebird or freedom
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and dares to claim the sky
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and he names the sky his own.
Task 2: Comprehend
Summarise what happens in each stanza. Each stanza’s summary should be one
sentence long.
 1st Stanza: The fire bird has the freedom to fly move freely , claim the
sky.
 2nd Stanza: A bird inside a cage with no freedom to move and can just
open his throat to sing.
 3rd Stanza: The free bird thinks of all the things that can have and even
owns thee sky
 4th Stanza: The caged bird think of his dream that will never come true
because of his situation
 5th Stanza: The caged bird even with fear still sings for freedom and it is
heard on the distant hill.

Task 3: Explain
What are the differences between how the caged bird sees and experiences the
world and how the free bird sees the world?
 The free bird floats on the back of the wind, dips its wings in the orange
sun's rays, and claims the sky to be its own. ... Sometimes the caged bird
opens its throat to sing.
Task 4: Caged vs Free
Provide extended answers the following three questions:
a) What is a “FREE BIRD”? Explain what this could be a metaphor for.
 The first is a free bird for white Americans or free men, whereas the
caged bird is a symbol for African Americans and their imprisonment in
societal standards. Personification: Maya Angelou utilized
personifications such as "sighing leaves" as though the plants were
expressing sadness.
b) What is a “CAGED BIRD”? Explain what this could be a metaphor for.
 Every party of poor citizens may be a caged pigeon. This may involve
men. The cage may reflect culture, physical obstacles, anxiety, depression
or some sort of self-defeating actions, with the bird's song reflecting the
inner self searching for something better in life.
c) What connections can you find between these two ideas and our big question:
How can we rise above obstacles to achieve our dreams? Answer in a
paragraph.
 The poem “Caged bird” is an eye opener for all of us. It depicts about the
situation of people in the world. The free represents the people with
freedom and the caged bird represents the oppressed people.
 The Caged bird teaches as one thing in life and that is nothing is
impossible if you believes and fight for what you want to have in life. We
need to believe in ourself and never give up even in the most difficult
times in our life. Just like the caged bird let others hear our voice. Have
the courage to make our dreams come true.
Extension 2: Privilege and Dispossession
The free bird “names the sky his own”. Why would he do this, and what
is the importance of ‘naming’
something? The caged bird “sings of freedom”. Why would he do this,
and why would the free bird not
do the same? How do their different positions result in different ways of
viewing and interpreting their
world?
Answer these questions in a response that is at least two paragraphs long.
Draw parallels between the
imagery of the ‘caged’ and ‘free’ birds and real-world examples in order
to illustrate your ideas.

The free bird names the sky his own because the free bird has the
freedom . He has the power to own everything in this world. The caged
bird sings for freedom because he cannot do anything but to use his voice.
The free bird did not do the same as the caged bird because they are in
different situation in life.
___________________________________________________________
Naming the sky is like having your dreams in life and claiming it to be
yours. Naming something is important because it shows that you have the
will to have it. On the other side, singing for freedom is what we need to
achieve our goals and dreams in life. We need to have the courage to
achieve it.