Repetition also occurs on the line level: The last three lines of the second stanza (“his wings are clipped and / his feet are tied / so he opens his throat to sing”) repeat exactly as the last two lines of the fifth stanza.
#CAGED BIRD RING OF RARE ORIGIN FREE#
The omniscient speaker shifts between the perspectives of the free bird and the caged bird, a repetition that establishes the juxtaposition between the two birds’ experiences and invites the reader to compare them. Interestingly, Angelou also uses enjambment in the second stanza, but puts the device to different effect: rather than enhancing a sense of freedom, enjambment in the second stanza emphasizes the caged bird’s claustrophobia and desperation.Īnother device Angelou uses to great effect in “Caged Bird” is repetition in various forms. The effect of Angelou’s lineation is to make the language itself seem to float along the same wind current on which the free bird glides. The first stanza, in which the free bird takes flight and drifts on the wind, is a single sentence extended over seven lines. The effect of breaking the rhythm-making it slightly off-balance-is that Angelou captures in her language the “fearful trill” being described.Īngelou also uses enjambment-the continuation of a clause or sentence over multiple lines-to enhance the images she describes. For example, the third stanza begins with what would be four lines of iambic dimeter were it not for the introduction of a fifth syllable in the second line (“with a fearful trill”). However, as the poem is written in free verse, Angelou often breaks with the iambic rhythm to subvert the listener’s expectation of how the line will sound. Angelou establishes rhythm in the first line through the use of iambs, which creates a stress pattern of a short syllable followed by a long syllable: e.g. The poem also uses an inconsistent rhyme scheme that combines occasional end rhymes, slant rhymes, and internal rhymes. In terms of form, “ Caged Bird” comprises six stanzas of free verse. The result is an allegory for the comparative experiences of white Americans who take their freedom and privilege for granted and Black Americans who face systemic racial and economic oppression, and yet because of this oppression, have a deeper and truer knowledge of what freedom is. Through juxtaposing the symbolic experiences of two birds-one free and one caged- Maya Angelou explores themes of freedom, oppression, and resilience.
The speaker concludes the poem by repeating that the song reaches a distant hill because "the caged bird sings of freedom." The caged bird sings a song that is fearful of the things the bird does not know but for which it longs. The sixth and final stanza is a word-for-word repeat of the third stanza. The fifth stanza shifts back to the caged bird, whose perch is "the grave of dreams" and whose "shadow shouts on a nightmare scream." Because his wings are clipped and his feet tied, he opens his throat to sing. Stanza four returns to the free bird, who contemplates the arrival of another strong wind and thinks about the fat worms which await him on lawns in the morning. The caged bird's tune reaches a distant hill because it is a song yearning for freedom.
In the third stanza, the speaker says the caged bird sings a song infused with a fear of the things the bird does not know but longs for nonetheless.
The flight-limiting cage, wing clipping, and tied feet prompt the bird to sing. Imprisoned, the caged bird stalks his cage and feels rage over having clipped wings and tied feet. The second stanza introduces a comparison of the free bird to a caged bird. The speaker describes the free bird's flight as "dar to claim the sky." The bird revels in its freedom, feeling the warmth of sun rays on its wings as it flaps them. In the first stanza, the speaker describes a bird taking flight and gliding on a wind current.
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