Line by line explanation of the poem i know why the caged bird sings
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The poet begins by referring to the flight of a free bird, who springs free from the ground to fly in the direction of the air current. It looks as if the bird had immersed his wings in the orange rays of the sun covering the sky. the free bird flies as if the sky belonged to him.
In the next stanza expounds the conditions of the caged bird who is constantly watching down his cage. He can almost never see through the bars. His vision is limited. He is enslaved; his wings are clipped and his feet are tied. Under such circumstances, only option he has is to open his throat to sing.
The caged bird quavers while singing of the things unknown. He realizes his condition but still longs for freedom. the poet revels that the bird's cry for freedom is heard at a faraway place.
The stanza goes back to the unrestricted movement of the free bird. The free bird thinks of another breeze. The poet also mentions the fat worms that are waiting on a lawn at sunrise to be consumed by him. It appears as if the bird had named the sky his own, since there are no other birds to contest with him.
The fifth stanza depicts the bird in its cage, the cage that has now become the grave of the bird's dream. The poet describes the bird's cries as that of someone having a nightmare. Once again the caged bird sings of freedom.
The final stanza is a repetition of third stanza which emphasis the distressing condition of the caged bird....