Question

Tell the personification i.e figure of speech in the poem I know why caged bird sings,
The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
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 fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
an the trade winds soft through the sighing 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.

Answer 1

Answer:

1 : His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream

2: The trade winds soft through the sighing trees

Explanation:

1 . As shadow is given the human quality of shouting for better poetic effect .

2. Here , trees are given the human quality of sighing for better poetic effect.

Answer 2

The personification in the poem is:

1 The 'free bird' is personified throughout the poem.

2 The 'caged bird' is personified throughout the poem.

3. The shadow of the caged bird is personified in the fifth stanza.

4. The trees are personified in the fourth stanza.

What is personification?

• Personification is a literary device in which non-human objects such as animals, objects, and abstract ideas, are given human attributes.
• It is used to compare and explain a subject's characteristics.

Personification in 'I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings'

• The examples of personification in the poem are plenty.

1. The birds - both caged and free- are personified as having desires, 'leaping', 'riding' and 'singing'. The pronoun used for the bird is 'his' instead of 'its'.
2. In the phrase 'his shadow shouts', the shadow is personified as having the human attribute of shouting.
3. Similarly 'sighing trees' is an example of personification.

Thus, these are the examples of personification in "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou.