Question

What does the poet comparing and contrasting in the poem caged bird?

Answer 1

The poet Maya Angelou is comparing racism faced by Afro Americans in early 1960 by contrasting caged bird as Afro Americans and free birds as White Americans .The caged bird symbolises struggle of Afro Americans for their fight for freedom.

Answer 2

The metaphor “caged bird” reoccurs throughout the poem “Caged Bird” written by N Maya Angelou. It symbolizes the theme of the poem about the African American people who were oppressed by the Whites in their own land. The cage represents the land which belongs to the native Americans but because of the Whites’ dominance over it, the natives had lost control over it. Though in captivity, the caged bird sings the songs of freedom hoping that some of the other day it will also fly freely in the air.