Symbolism In Maya Angelou's Caged Bird

In Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird”, we straightway as the readers can tell from the title “Caged Bird” that the poem involves boundaries forced upon the bird inside due to the cage it’s in. Throughout the poem the bird in the cage is compared to a bird with freedom, this in depth symbolizes the struggles African Americans had during the era of white superiority. The free bird represents a person who is living a fortunate life and is free to do as he or she wishes, while on the other the caged bird signifies someone who has limits and cannot do anything. Maya Angelou also comes from a background of racial prejudices and discrimination so this is what she tries to convey throughout the poem.
There are many themes explored in this poem such as the misfortune and survival of the unfittest. Maya introduces the free bird to us before the …show more content…
During this time all freedom and opportunities were taken away from all African American people and in the end they knew it was crucial to make their voices heard and to sing for their freedom. Maya uses “fat worms” as a metaphor for opportunity and even though the “clipped wings, tied feet” and “bars of rage” disheartened the caged bird it never stopped singing, this symbolizes the African Americans fighting back for their freedom simply through their voice.
Overall the poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou uses many literacy terms such as alliteration and also repetition. The metaphors used from poem are used well and creatively, it would have been hard to know what Maya Angelou was talking when comparing the caged bird and the free bird if it wasn’t for remarkable background and her fame from her book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. Maya could have also used different ways for us to interpret the poem and not just through a free bird and a caged