I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Questions & Answers

Answer: Maya Angelou’s poem ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ describes the state of two birds, where one is free and ‘floats’ and ‘dares to claim the sky’, while the other is caged in his ‘bars of rage’.

The first and the fourth stanzas show the delight of the free bird experiencing freedom, whereas the rest of the stanzas concentrate on the plight of the caged bird. Angelou puts greater emphasis on the lamentable state of the caged bird, and contrasts this with that of the free bird.

As the poet depicts in the poem, the free bird floats on the back of the wind, dips his wings in the orange sun rays and claims the sky as his own. He thinks of another breeze through the trees and dreams of good eatables like fat worms waiting on bright lawn. He lives in a colourful, bright and dreamy world.

On the other hand, the caged bird walks sadly inside his narrow cage and tries hard to see through the bars of his cage. His wings are clipped and feet are tied. He lets out his ‘nightmare scream’ to express his agony, anger and fear. Sometimes, the caged bird opens his throat to sing. He sings of freedom and hope.

Answer: The caged bird has no freedom. His feet are tied and wings are clipped. He stalks down the narrow cage and can seldom see through the bars of the cage. In this condition, all his dreams seem to be unachievable in his life. He has probably given up on his dreams of liberty and flying freely in the sky. His dreams are now ‘dead’. That is why the poet says that the bird ‘stands on the grave of dreams / his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream‘.

Answer: ‘Fearful trill’ refers to the song of the caged bird. ‘Trill’ means a quavering or vibratory sound, especially a rapid alternation of sung or played notes.

It was fearful because of all the uncertainty of his life, whether he would be free someday, whether he will get the unknown things that he longs for like a smooth and free ride on the back of winds that the free bird enjoys.

Answer: In the poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, the free bird referred to is the White American community while the ‘caged bird’ refers to the Black African Americans.

Through the portrayal of the free bird in the poem Angelou essentially indicates to the privileges that the White Americans enjoyed. The free bird “dares to claim the sky” and even “names the sky his own”. This signifies how the White people could do whatever they wished to. They even made rules according to their will and devoid the African-American people of their basic rights, as indicated through the portrayal of the caged bird. Angelou, with the metaphor of birds, represents the inequality of justice seen in the society of her time which differentiates between the African-American community and its White American counterpart.

Answer: The caged bird can “seldom see through his bars of rage”. Literally speaking, the bird’s cage is so tight with bars used frequently that he can hardly view the outside of the cage and hence he is angry. But metaphorically it indicates to the limitations put on the African-American people who were forced to live a miserable life in complete contrast to their white counterparts.

Answer: The line occurs in the fourth stanza of Angelou’s poem “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” where she compares the situations of a caged bird with that of a free bird.

In the above quoted line, fat worms waiting on a bright lawn means that opportunities are always present at the hands of the free bird. He even doesn’t have to find foods here and there. He gets anything and everything at will.

This is to indicate the privilege that the white people of America enjoyed over the African Americans who used to lead their life like the caged bird in the poem.

Answer: The caged bird’s ‘shadow’ gives a sense as if it is powerless or even dead (figuratively). The scream or cry is coming from its shadow instead of the bird itself. This is probably to mean that no one pays any heed to the desperate cry of the bird confined in the cage. Who would care to hear the call of a shadow?

‘Nightmare scream’ is the shout of the caged bird who is having a frightening dream (nightmare) of never getting his freedom from his confinement. He has probably given up on his dreams of liberty. That is why the poet says that the bird ‘stands on the grave of dreams (His dreams are now dead!) / his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream‘.

This is to create a contrast of the caged bird’s life to that of the free bird who ‘names the sky his own’.

Answer: The above-quoted lines taken from Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird” speaks of the lack of liberty suffered by a caged bird. It indicates to the distressed life of the African Americans in contrast to their White counterparts.

The bird’s wings are clipped and feet are tied. It refers to the limitations put on him. But he doesn’t give up hope. He opens up his throat to sing. This song is actually a medium of protest as well as an expression of hope. This is the only way open to the caged bird and he utilizes it to communicate to others who are in similar condition.

Angelou thus depicts the miserable life of the African American people when there was nothing left except the voice to sing of hope or to raise a voice against the ill-treatment they received.

Answer:

The caged bird’s song is heard from the distant hills because it sings of freedom, it sings of hope and wants to inspire others. The song is strong enough to be heard from a long distance.

and his tune is heard
on the distant hills
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

Answer: 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.

Answer: The poet repeats the above quoted lines to emphasize the distress of the caged bird, to remind us of the confined state he is in. This is to create a sharp contrast with the freedom and enjoyment of the free bird.

Answer: The caged bird sings while he is locked in a cage. His wings are clipped and legs are tied. He can seldom see through the ‘bars of rage’.

The bird is essentially deprived of freedom, rights and justice. He is fearful with the utmost uncertainty of his life. He has never experienced freedom and so doesn’t even know how it tastes. Locked in the cage, he is both saddened and angry at the same time. Sometimes, he is hopeful too. He hopes to get what the free birds are enjoying someday and so he opens up his throat to sing of freedom.

Answer: A literary piece is always open to different interpretations. Though Angelou’s poem originally indicated the distress of African Americans in comparison to their white counterparts, the imagery of birds may symbolize any oppressed section of the society.

In a patriarchal society women enjoy lesser freedom than men. In many societies, at least in Angelou’s time, women had no right to education and outdoor jobs. They lived within the house like the caged bird in the poem, having no freedom and no opportunity to realize their dreams. So, it won’t be wrong to interpret the caged bird as a reflection of the status of women in the society.

Answer: Maya Angelou’s poem ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ describes the state of two birds, where one is free and ‘floats’ and ‘dares to claim the sky’, while the other is caged in his ‘bars of rage’. The first and the fourth stanza shows the delight of the free bird experiencing freedom, whereas the rest of the stanzas concentrate on the plight of the caged bird. Angelou puts greater emphasis on the lamentable state of the caged bird, and contrasts this with that of the free bird.

Angelou, with the metaphor of birds, represents the inequality of justice seen in the society of her time which differentiates between the African-American community and its White American counterpart. Angelou was a representative of the African-American community and actively participated in the Civil Rights Movement. So, In many ways the poem ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ can be considered as the poet’s personal expression.

In the poem she essentially indicates to the privileges that the White Americans enjoyed through the portrayal of the free bird. The free bird “dares to claim the sky” and even “names the sky his own”. This signifies how the White people could do whatever they wished to. They even made rules according to their will and devoid the tribal people of their basic rights, as indicated by the portrayal of the caged bird. Maya Angelou has thus successfully depicted this white supremacy in her poem.

Answer: The line “The caged bird sings for freedom” from Maya Angelou’s poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” suggests that even though the bird is confined, it still expresses itself through song as a symbol of longing for freedom and as a form of resistance against its captivity.

On the other hand, the free bird in the poem might not sing for freedom because it already possesses it. The free bird is unrestricted, able to fly and explore without limitations. Therefore, it may not feel the same urgency or desire to sing for freedom because it already enjoys the privilege of liberty. Instead, the free bird might sing for other reasons—joy, expression, or simply because it can.

In essence, the contrast between the caged bird and the free bird highlights the themes of oppression and liberation. The caged bird’s song symbolizes the resilience and spirit of those who endure adversity, while the free bird represents the privilege and ease of those who live without constraints.

Answer: The implied comparison made in the above quoted lines is between wind and water stream. The free bird leaps on the back of the wind, as if it is floating itself on the back of a whirling current of water.

Answer: 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.