Critial analysis of the poem 'caged bird' by maya angelou through the the theme of freedom

This is a critical analysis of the poem 'Caged Bird' by Maya Angelou though the theme of freedom.

1. Critical Analysis of the Poem ‘Caged Bird’ by
Maya Angelou through the Theme of Freedom













By: Husain Necklace
Al Jamea Saifiyah Arabic Academy

2. Introduction
In this poem the readers can assume that Maya Angelou depicts herself through
juxtaposing the two kinds of birds: one is caged and the other is free. By delineating the actions
of both of these birds, Maya Angelou portrays to her readers how she feels – since she considers
herself as caged – and how she dreams about feeling – which is depicted through the free bird. In
a sense, she wholly dreams about freedom and so the entire poem can been seen through that
lens.
Hence, this particular paper will analyze the poem through the perspective of freedom,
along with that, it will also focus on a few primary literary devices such as: tone and choice of
words. The paper will construe all of this in order to exemplify the manner in which Maya
Angelou embeds her thoughts of freedom into her poem and into her writing for her readers and
the society at large to understand and discern.
For that very purpose, the paper has been divided into the following sections:
1. Section one – ‘choice of words’
2. Section two – ‘tone’
3. Section three – conclusion

3. Section one – ‘Choice of Words’:

In the opening stanza of the poem, Maya Angelou uses words such as ‘leaps’, ‘dips’,
‘dares’, ‘claims’, and ‘floats’ in order to explain to the reader the characteristics of a free bird and
what that bird is capable of doing and achieving. The readers can feel a sense of longing through
these words and structure, as if Maya Angelou aspires to be that bird one day, to leap through the
tyrannical society, through their customs and their rules and to ‘claim the sky’. In this sense, one
can understand that the ‘sky’ here would allude to the sense of freedom; a place with no sort of
boundaries, cages, or restrictions.

Moreover, she uses the word ‘dare’ in order to ‘claim’ the sky. If put into historical context,
one could contemplate why she uses these two particular words: ‘dare’ and ‘claim’. It is because
in her time, even though the African Americans were no more slaves, yet to the white society they
were still no better than slaves; no better than their workers who to them didn’t seem to matter that
much. Because of this, the African Americans had a lot of restrictions and rules confining them.
Hence, Maya Angelou uses the word ‘dare’ to suggest that freedom can only be ‘claimed’ by those
who ‘dare’ to defy the society and claim it for themselves and their people; who rises above the
oppression and takes a stand against the evil; and history testifies to this concept that freedom is
not merely given, instead it has to be claimed.

Moving on, when Maya Angelou describes the caged bird she uses words such as ‘bars’
of ‘rage’, ‘clipped’ and ‘tied’ to express his dire situation. Here the readers are easily capable of
discerning that Maya Angelou is clearly referring to her situation by this and to the situation of
their people. That they are confined within the ‘bars’ of the discriminating society, and that their
wings of dreams are constantly being ‘clipped’ by the elites of that society while every day their
hands and legs are being ‘tied’ up in constraints and jurisdictions and new unnecessary laws. Since
their entire body – as in the entire group of African Americans – are tied up, they have no other
choice but to open their ‘throats’ and ‘sing’.

The word ‘sing’ alludes towards a multitude of explanations. One very significant amongst
them is the song of freedom which the entire society of African Americans chants. This is evident

4. because Maya Angelou makes it clear for the reader in the last line of the last stanza when she
writes: ‘sings of freedom’. Therefore, the readers are capable of understanding the unity of the
society and their coming together in order to claim their freedom. Also, it must be their own way
of saying to the tyrannical society that no matter how much you bound us in constraints, no matter
how many dreams of ours you clip away, there will always be amongst us those who will ‘sing of
freedom’; and as per history, so they did and through that they claimed their freedom.
Therefore, in this way Maya Angelou uses her words in order to express the theme of
freedom in her poem.

Section two – ‘Tone’:

Maya Angelou exhibits her longing for freedom in this poem through her tone as well. This
can be understood in the third stanza when she uses words such as ‘fearful’, ‘longed’, ‘caged’ and
‘freedom’ in order to express her tone of sadness.

She depicts the caged bird – in a sense herself – and expresses how she longs for freedom.
How she sings of the things ‘unknown’ which she ‘longs for still’. In a way, this could refer to the
confining rules which bound her and her people and how she longs to be free of these shackles and
‘leap’ for the sky.

Moreover, she uses oxymoron’s such as ‘caged’ and ‘freedom’ to express to the reader how
she longs for the latter but is instead stuck with the former.

Furthermore, while delineating the freedom of the ‘free bird’ the readers notice fully her
tone of envy for the bird who can do as he wishes – who can act according to his will and not care
about what the others may say or comment. She states that: ‘the bird thinks of another breeze’,
through this one can understand her envy for the bird who can ‘think for itself’; who can think of
freedom and who can imagine. In a sense, the freedom of imagination is just as important to her
as her freedom as a human being.

5. Hence, in this way Maya Angelou uses the element of tone in her poem in order to further
express the theme of freedom.

Conclusion
The following analysis have be ensued according to the perspectives of the author of the
paper. There are, surely, a various nuances and perspectives through which this fantastic poem can
be further analyzed and approached. However, the author of the paper chose this approach as per
his thinking and methodology.