Similarities between chief Seattle's speech and Maya Angelou's poem I know why the caged bird sings.
Answers
Essentially both of them are strong opinions against white supremacy and racism. Both the poet and the orator are victims of such racial discrimination.
Both Seattle’s speech and Maya Angelou’s poem referred to the atrocities of whites and the favoritism of white over Blacks and Native Americans.
EXPLANATION:
Seattle's speech is seen as a clear plea for protection of the rights and traditions of the Native Americans. Seattle opposed the racist mentality of White People and their way of cynical natural development. He warned us that Western civilization is progressing rapidly and urged us to protect nature. And that is why the speech of Chief Seattle is so applauded Seattle speaks of the deplorable condition of his people. He remembers once Native Americans had filled all the land, but now few in their tribal lands are left. They are about to be extinguished. In reality, they no longer need the vast land. Seattle says that between White Americans and Native Red Indians there's so much cultural difference that it seems impossible to be a merger or a shared understanding between the two. After all, they are two separate races of different origins and different destinies. All the love and care of God have gone to the white people. The tribes are robbed of God's love, direction and security and at last their meagre existence. The ashes of their ancestors are sacred to the tribal people and they visit their rest to show their respect for them. But the White people have no affection for their ancestors as Seattle claims. Without remorse, they walk far from their tombs. Seattle also claims the religion of the White people, i.e. Christianity is written on stones that are never forgotten by humans. It is not just felt through the heart. For the whites they have a rather robotic and synthetic religion because they don't value the world and their ancestors. But the religion of the native people is "our ancestors ' traditions — the old men's visions’
Maya Angelou’s poem reflects the feeling of the speaker being caught up in racism and oppression. The poem compares the free bird (white Americans) to the caged bird (blacks) to explain the way the caged bird lives. Angelou, with the metaphors of birds, describes the disparity in the culture of its day that differs between the Afro-American and white American cultures. She also highlights the essence of independence and slavery by comparing the two with birds as the metaphor in her poetry. The caged bird never even gazes at the sun, while the free bird loves the sky. It was often the way Angelou felt in life. She was limited to enjoying the freedom that her human right should have been. The speaker then admits that she has so many aspirations which died because her white counterparts never gave her the opportunity to do anything that she could. The cage was made up of discrimination and racism, and while she sang, she felt that her voice was never heard in the wider world but in that cage at it’s closest. She had been denied this throughout her lifetime and has been the victim of caste, sexual harassment and understands the significance of care and love. The poor Black people who have suffered so much under the racist white people is what she is talking about. The free bird refers to the free, white person in the poem, while the prison bird refers to the black community that is not free, dangerous or treated as slaves .
To know more
Difference between caged bird and free bird in Maya Angelou's poem
https://brainly.in/question/9767840
In Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird,” what does the cage represent
https://brainly.in/question/4016487