Caged Bird

A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind

and floats downstream

till the current ends

and dips his wing

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

 

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

 

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hills

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

 

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through singing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn

and he names the sky his own.

 

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

 

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

This poem is a reflection of the times in which Maya Angelou grew up. The free bird is a representation of the white individuals flying free, while the caged bird represents the African Americans who were left struggling without any freedom. Despite the birds entrapment, the bird believes that one day things will change and it will someday be flying with the other birds.

Literary Devices: 

1. Personification: "The caged bird sings"

2. Denotation: "The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard"

3. Epithet: "The caged bird"