Lesson 1- Figurative Language

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 suns 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.

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Hyperbole
In this poem, there are several uses of hyperbole like:

"His wings are clipped and his feets are tied"
(In this line, the poet attempts to create an image of how restricted the bird is. Although its wings are not clipped and its feet are not tied, it is written this way to invoke pity for the creature that has lost freedom.)

"But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams"
(The poet uses this line to emphasise on how the bird has lost the ability to dream.)

"His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream"
(This line shows the poet trying to create the image of a bird so pained that even its shadow has to scream. This is to show the pain of the bird.)

Personification
Usages in this poem are as such:

"The sighing trees"
(The poet creates an image of a carefree life. When humans sigh, they are rarely troubled. When even trees sigh, the reader would believe that the world is trouble-free.)

Metaphor
This poem uses metaphors as such:

"Can seldom see through his bars of rage"
(This can be seen as "He cannot see through his bars. His bars are rage." As such, this states that the bars is compared to his rage, extrememly strong."

Simile
This is not applicable in this poem.

Symbolism
There are (at least) two symbols in this poem, one being the cage, and the other being the sky.

The cage, narrow and barred, is how the poet shows the "freedom" of the trapped bird. With barely no space to move and no way to escape, the poet states that the bird has no freedom.
The sky, on the other hand, is vast and free. The free bird "names the sky his own", thus showing that he has the whole sky. The poet uses this to illustrate the infinite amount of freedom the free bird has.

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The main reason why I chose this poem is because I felt that the poet is able to paint the picture of freedom beautifully and yet describe the pain of those without it distinctively. Thus, I believe that it was worth evaluating the words used that allowed the poet to describe the feelings of both birds and how she was able to compare and contrast the two to create a image in the reader's mind that is not easily forgotten. Another reason why I chose this poem is because the author was able to make me- the reader- feel the trapped bird's pain and the free bird's happiness. I had felt that the difference between the two was like the narrow cage. However, I now feel the difference of the two are vast like the sky. This ability to change the thoughts of others is something truly wonderful.