Post 5: Chapter 6

"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings"

by Maya Angelou

A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind   

and floats downstream   

till the current ends

and dips his wing

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 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.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and 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.

Born in St. Louis in 1928, Angelou grew up in a segregated society that she worked to change during the civil rights era. This poem was written because Maya Angelou, who refused to speak for much of her childhood, revealed the scars of her past in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the first of a series of memoirs. Through a series of personal events, feelings, and thoughts, Maya Angelou was able to captivate her readers.   Maya grew from being the insecure little girl in Arkansas to the strong woman who realizes that she can trust herself and will be able to keep moving forward. 

The poem is put together by having different symbols and descriptions to give the reader a sense of what is actually going on. 

I love how she incorporates this because you can feel the pain in her heart and know what some of the things and problems that not only her but other people growing up in that era had to deal with.