I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Summary by Maya Angelou

Hello Everyone and Welcome to this Summary of Desiderata by Max Ehrmann, Presented to you by Beaming Notes.

Voice-Over and Narration : Anushree Sen

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The poem begins with a spirit of freedom and joy. The opening
lines describe the liberty of a free bird that can move anywhere it wants with no restrictions. The bird has the freedom to move as freely as the wind moves. It flies in the direction of the current. It seems like the bird has immersed its wings in the orange sun rays. The sky has become its habitat and it is bold enough to claim the sky as its own. It flies like it owns the whole sky.
The next stanza immediately contrasts the freedom of
the free bird to the restricted life of the caged bird. The
poet uses the word “stalk” to describe how the caged
bird looks through its cage to intensify the sense of fear
that arises from leading a restricted life. He can almost
never clearly see through the bars. The bird lives is a
limited space. His wings are clipped and his feet are tied.
Wings symbolize the freedom of flight and the freedom
of movement. The caged bird is denied its natural right.
The bird is angry and frustrated at his situation and he
desires to escape but he is helpless. His freedom is
forcibly taken away and he is no other choice than to
open his throat and sing. This seems to be the only
source of joy and refreshment in his life.

Even through the caged bird tries to sing, his voice
quavers as he full of fear. He longs for freedom which is
something he never had. He does not know what
freedom feels like but still there is a part of him that
eagerly wants to break free from the shackled existence.
The longing in his voice is so intense that it is heard at
faraway places. The pathetic situation of the enslaved
bird is depicted in his yearning desire for freedom.

In this stanza, the poet goes on to highlight the
unrestricted life of the free bird that “thinks of another
breeze”. The free bird has the freedom to enjoy and fly
through the soft wind that passes through the branches
of the “sighing trees”. This image is the epitome of
liberty and freedom. The free bird then thinks of the fat
worms that seem to be waiting to be consumed by him.
The bird seems to name the whole sky its own as it
experiences the utmost freedom to rule the sky and go
anywhere it wants. This stanza brings up the idea that
when you are at peace, the entire world is yours.

The cage has now become the grave of the bird’s
dreams. He is imprisoned and forced to exist in a dark
and confined space where there is no scope to dream.
His condition is worse than a nightmare. The bird’s cries
for freedom resemble the screams of someone having a
nightmare. There is a strong sense of pity, helplessness
and sadness in the bird’s song. We observe a repetition
of the lines “his wings are clipped and his feet are tied/
so he opens his throat to sing”. This repetition serves to
intensify the sense of tragedy in the bird’s captive life.The poem closes with the refrain in which the bird
dreams of his freedom from his monotonous existence.
The final stanza is a repetition of the third stanza which
serves to stress on the sorrowful condition of the caged
bird. However, this repetition also emphasises on the
bird’s dedication to keep hoping. He chooses to sing for
freedom as this is the only kind of freedom that is
available to him. He does not lose hope and and
continues to dream of the day when he will be a free
bird.

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