Review of Maya Angelou’s poem ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings’
Review of Maya Angelou’s poem ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings’ I request the readers to read the poem first from the link https://www.poetrysoup.com/famous/poem/i_know_why_the_caged_bird_sings_111 and my review later. Thanks. A caged bird is expected to be silent. It is too depressed and lost to sing. Correct? But she sings, nonetheless. Maya Angelo knows why. The poem compares the zeal of a free bird with the haplessness of the caged. Its wings have been clipped, besides the confinement. Subtly, there is one more comparison in this poem. It compares two classes (or races?) of human beings too. The affluent and well-educated on one hand and the marginalized on the other. Clipping of wings itself is a metaphor; the path to knowledge, skills and future are closed for those caged in poverty and confined to ignorance. So, their vision is crippled. There is no scope for their dreaming anything. All they are sure is there won’t be an end to this injustice. While the caged bird still has som...
