What is the main theme of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiographical account of Maya Angelou’s childhood, describes her life through the themes of racism, self-acceptance, and belonging.
What does the caged bird symbolize in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?
Angelou uses the metaphor of a bird struggling to escape its cage, described in Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, as a prominent symbol throughout her series of autobiographies. Like elements within a prison narrative, the caged bird represents Angelou’s confinement resulting from racism and oppression.
What does this suggest about the song the Caged Bird Sings?
The poem refers directly to the song of the caged bird: the caged bird / sings of freedom we read in the final verse. There is a suggestion that the bird can’t help but singhe senses what he is missing and despite his fear opens his throat to sing. Yet his song of freedom is not necessarily a joyful one.
What is the message of the poem caged bird?
The poem describes the opposing experiences between two birds: one bird is able to live in nature as it pleases, while a different caged bird suffers in captivity. Due to its profound suffering, the caged bird sings, both to cope with its circumstances and to express its own longing for freedom.
What is the subject of the caged bird’s song?
The song, “Caged Bird” is based on the Maya Angelou poem, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. Although she modifies the words, Alicia Keys stays true to the central theme of the Maya Angelou poem. The poem describes the way a trapped bird turns to singing as its only source of freedom, due to its inability to fly.