Question

Compare the life of the caged bird with that of the free bird and show how the theme of freedom and enslavement is brought out in the poem

Answer 1

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.
 
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. I hope it helps you!

Answer 2

The poem “I know why the caged bird sings” emphasizes the difference between the caged bird and a free bird.  

Explanation:

In her poem “I know why the caged bird sings”, Maya best describes the state of a two birds where one is caged and the other is totally let free. The caged bird is caged in his ‘bars of rage’ while the other floats and dares to hit the sky. In this poem, she describes the plight of a caged bird and the ‘delight of the free bird’ experiencing freedom as well. In few stanzas, the poet depicts how the free bird lives in a colorful, bright and dreamy world where all its dreams get fulfilled.  

On the other hand, the poet portrays the unfulfilled dream of the caged bird as the feet are tied, wings are clipped, walks inside the narrow cage. And hardly sees the outside world through the bars of the cage. The caged bird lets out its nightmare scream to express his fear, agony, and anger. Thus the poet compared the life of a caged bird and the free bird to emphasize the theme of enslavement and freedom.