What does ‘things unknown’ signify in Maya Angelou’s poem ‘I Know why the caged bird sings’?
The caged bird is singing of freedom and hope. ‘Things unknown’ refers to the fact that the bird has never enjoyed freedom before and so has no idea as to what it tastes like. Though he is singing of freedom that he has longed for all his life, it is something completely unknown to him.
The ‘unknown things’ refer to the things the caged bird has never known or seen before. It sings about freedom as it never got an opportunity to soar high in the sky and explore the world. The world outside and the beauty of nature were still unknown to the caged bird.