Maya Angelou’s poem ‘The Caged Bird’ has been an autobiographical portrayal of her extremely traumatic childhood. Written in 1969, it tells of her life up to the age of 17. The bird in the cage is a symbol of all African-Americans and their fight for freedom. It symbolizes the struggle of being a black author whose words are not heard, and of one who longs for freedom. 
 
In today’s world too, there are still many people who are the victims of political and social injustice. Still, in most societies, women are not allowed full freedom to pursue their dreams and wishes. People are still ill-treated based on their social class, colour, caste, religion or ethnicity. Those people who feel suppressed are hoping to get liberty some day like that caged bird. The bird in the poem represents their agony and pain of living under such circumstances.