I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read Rhetorical Analysis

Centfie writes, reads and analyzes poems from a psychological POV. See her book on Amazon: "Piece of Mind: Everyone has an Untold Story."

Overview

Maya Angelou's verse form entitled "Caged Bird" was inspired by Paul Dunbar's poem "Sympathy." The major theme of both poems is freedom.

Angelou's autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings exemplifies the significant of this verse form.

In the book, she explores the struggle of being blackness, a adult female, and an author. Living in America so, she felt similar a slave and her voice wasn't paid attention to.

The complimentary bird can fly, walk, and see the outside world. The caged bird can't practice all these. He can only sing.

The free bird seems as well busy to sing, as he has more pleasures to enjoy. He takes his freedom for granted. He doesn't know what existence caged ways. Yet, his ignorance of oppression and slavery is his strength.

Possibly, through the song of freedom, the person who caged the bird will tire of his constant songs and set him free. Thus, his voice is his weapon.

Unlike the gratuitous bird who "leaps on the back of the wind," "floats" and "dips" and "claims the sky," the cage restricts the abilities of the caged bird.

Withal, he keeps his freedom of expression and uses it. The bird expresses himself through singing. He is nonetheless alive and despite being a prisoner, he can still use his vox. His pharynx is free. He sings and so loudly that his voice reaches the "afar hill."

Even though he is in a cage, at that place'south no lock or cage that can restrict his vocalism and freedom of mind.

Who hears the song of the caged bird? Does he sing for his do good? Does he sing to the person who put him in a cage? Does he sing out of boredom or considering he loves to sing?

The Structure

Stanzas and Lines

The poet positioned the stanzas based on emotions, themes, and mechanical patterns. The poem has vi stanzas and 38 lines. The kickoff and fourth stanzas have a happy tone and the residuum are morose.

The poet grouped stanzas with like patterns in the following pairs: Stanza i and 2 (seven lines), Stanza iii and 6(8 lines), Stanza iv and 5(four lines).

Information technology's quite interesting how this adds musicality to the verse form and creates a rhythm. The verse form reads like music. It's like a song with a chorus and a bridge.

Hence, "Caged Bird" can qualify as a lyrical poem.

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Meter

"Caged Bird" is a gratis verse verse form with some iambic metrical pattern. Iambs are 2 syllables whereby an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. If yous read aloud you will realize the rising intonation from the unstressed to the stressed syllable.

Instance:

Iambic meter:

A gratuitous bird leaps ( unstressed -stressed)

In that location is too anapest:

on the dorsum of the wind (unstressed-unstressed-stressed)

The 4th line is a combination of anapest and an iamb.

till the current ends.

Rhyme

The rhyming scheme is "Caged Bird" is irregular since it doesn't follow an obvious pattern.

The end rhymes include these words:

cage—rage

trill—yet—colina

breeze —trees

lawn—own

dreams—scream

An instance of internal rhyme:

dawn—backyard (line 25, stanza 4)

Wording

The poet expresses human life through meaningful word choices that elicit different emotions and tones. For instance: freedom, dawn, sings, wind, leaps and complimentary bird depict happiness and enthusiasm.

On the other manus, the words: caged bird, trill, grave, shadow, and rage imply sadness and powerlessness.

The Persona and Characters

The poem "Caged Bird" seems to stalk from personal experience. Withal, he uses the pronoun "he" to refer to the bird.

The author's choice of the second person pronoun "he" and thus the third person pronoun "his" instead of the feminine to draw the bird'south song.

The persona is observing the birds and reflecting their lives to his own.

9 Literary Devices in the "Caged Bird" Poem

1. Metaphor

The subconscious message in the verse form is that it is not about a bird, but a person.

The title is a metaphor. As well, the line "the caged bird sings" is a metaphor.

It suggests more than what the pregnant of the words first glances. There is a deeper meaning to the poem. This verse form is not nigh birds, but mankind.

The dreams of the caged bird correspond the dreams of the slave. The bird sings of "things unknown/ simply longed for withal."

Things unknown to the caged bird are enjoyed by the free bird. Free people seem to have everything and live life to the fullest.

The action of the caged bird to choose to sing is as well a metaphor. Music is oftentimes cute and enjoyable. Only his state of being caged is despicable. However, when he sings of freedom maybe someone will hear his voice and open up the cage.

ii. Imagery

The speaker creates vivid imagery through descriptive words and phrases. Imagery enhances the theme and tone of the verse form.

The speaker sees the concrete appearance of the caged bird. It is locked in a cage and cannot wing because his "wings are clipped and his feet are tied." So, information technology stalks around. It shows the lack of freedom of the bird.

Then, the imagery of the free bird that leaps and floats develops the theme of freedom and a joyful tone.

The persona describes the surroundings and the actions of the birds: "Orange sunday rays," "fat worms," "dips his wing," "opens his pharynx."

These descriptions give the reader an prototype of the natural dazzler and the actions of the birds in the setting.

3. Juxtaposition

The poem compares two birds in unlike situations. Slavery is in contrast to freedom. The caged bird and the free bird take different points of view.

Each bird expresses diametrically reverse emotions and actions. The free bird is joyful and energetic, in contrast, the caged bird is sorry and lethargic.

The complimentary bird enjoys life, but in the verse form, he does not sing although he is capable of singing. The free bird does not sing of liberty because freedom is normal to him. The free bird knows no fright. His torso has not been clipped or tied.

However, the caged bird sings with fear and knows the value of liberty. His freedom of motion has been taken away by whoever put him there.

4. Personification (or Anthropomorphism)

Trees are given human qualities when the poet describes them as "the sighing trees."

Another instance of personification is "on the back of the wind." The air current doesn't accept a back. Humans normally carry their children on their backs. This metaphor shows how the gratis bird is confident and feels secure in his freedom.

5. Repetition

Repetitive lines create rhythm, musicality, and emphasis.

This stanza is repeated twice in the verse form:

The caged bird sings
With fearful trill
Of the things unknown
But longed for still
And his melody is heard
On the afar hill
For the caged bird
Sings of freedom.

25 Literary Techniques of Repetition with Poetic Examples

6. Symbolism

This verse form uses symbolism by including various objects or characters that take a meaning. symbolism strengthens the imagery.

The appearance of the caged bird is a symbol of captivity. The complimentary bird is a symbol of freedom.

The objects in the poem also have their ain meanings. They include the heaven, sun rays, air current, wings, narrow cage, bars, throat, hill, and many more than. Yous can group these symbols into the theme they stand for.

7. Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds occurs several times:

A free bird leaps (line one)

The free bird thinks of another breeze (line 23)

eight. Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of sentences occurs several times:

But a bird that stalks (line 8)

can southeldom due southee through (line 10)

9. Enjambment

This is the use of incomplete clauses or sentences in a line. This verse form uses this technique a lot.

Stanza one is a good example. It'southward a complete sentence that ends with a period at the cease of the stanza. However, the poet has broken the sentence into a dependent clause that breaks at the end of the line and continues on the next line.

A free bird leaps
on the dorsum of the air current...

Sometimes information technology takes hardship to find out your abilities and strengths.

Themes

Freedom and Slavery

The predominant theme of the poem is freedom. The first line depicts this by introducing "the costless bird." And the reverse theme is "slavery." A caged bird in captivity "sings of freedom." The caged bird was created for freedom every bit a gratis bird.

Still, it is in an unnatural state of affairs, trapped in a cage. Not simply is it trapped, but its body has been mutilated as well.

Despair and Promise

The caged bird is in a state of despair. Being tied upwards in the cage compromises his movement. He is hopeful that it volition transform into a gratuitous bird.

That is why he sings of the anticipated liberty. Freedom seems out of reach, and his "tune is heard" in the distant colina. This tells u.s. that the bird is hopeful ane day he will fly over to the distant loma just like his voice.

Fear and Courage

While the free bird finds it piece of cake to fly and enjoy his freedom by challenge the heaven, the caged bird lives in fear.

Still, he is courageous enough to proceed singing and utilise the power of his throat to fight for his freedom.

Adversity and Good Fortune

Sometimes it takes hardship to find out your abilities and strengths, like the caged bird. Sometimes y'all relish the skillful fortune of using all your abilities, like the free bird.

The caged bird uses his voice to the fullest to help him through hard time, but the free bird has time to savor himself with his free body. This can also explicate the theme of power and powerlessness.

Atmosphere

The word choice and imagery in the verse form develop the mood and tone of the poem. The prevalent image is that of the caged bird versus a free bird. They are in different settings, have unlike behaviors, and appearances. Consequently, the words used to describe these birds ready different moods as follows:

Mood

The stanzas describing the gratuitous bird have a blithesome and peaceful mood. But the caged bird brings out a melancholic and somber mood, although it's also hopeful through the song. Also, the poet describes the caged bird's acrimony, "can seldom see through his bars of rage"

Tone

The tone is set by the observer who knows why "the caged bird sings." It's wistful but also switches from a negative to positive tone when describing the different birds.

© 2022 Centfie

Centfie (author) from Kenya on December 05, 2020:

Thanks, Pam. I am glad you enjoyed it.

I don't remember in that location'due south a wrong or right way to interpret poetry unless the poet specifies.

Pam Morris from Atlanta Georgia on November 26, 2020:

Centfie, Lovely Analysis of the Poem "Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou. I like how you depict the difference between a costless bird and a caged bird. I love that the subconscious message in the poem is that it is non near a bird simply a person who has been through a lot of hardship to observe her abilities and strengths. (Maya Angelou). I hope I read and receive the right message and analysis of your Verse form. Give thanks you for sharing.

ayalabuis1975.blogspot.com

Source: https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-I-Know-Why-the-Caged-Bird-Sings-by-Maya-Angelou