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The Theme of Oppression in Caged Bird by Maya Angelou

Published in 1983, Maya Angelou’s poem Caged Bird describes two opposing experiences of two birds: one bird suffers in captivity while another bird is free to live as it pleases. To cope with the circumstances, the caged birds result in singing, indicating freedom. The author employs the metaphor of two birds to paint a picture of oppression that showcases the simultaneous suffering of the birds. Particularly, the poem portrays the experiences of African American communities in society. This text explores the dominant theme of oppression as `depicted in Caged Bird by Maya Angelou.

The first demonstration of freedom is in the comparison and contrast between the free bird and the bird being held prisoner. Part of the reason behind the justification is that it passes across the message of oppression. The poet uses the term caged bird throughout the text and narrates it is trapped in a narrow cage. The bird has limited mobility and is left with no option apart from singing about freedom (Saputri, 78). Worth noting, the term “caged bird” represents an extended metaphor particularly for the African American community past characterized by systemic oppression in the United States. The poem also portrays the oppression experiences of the African American community. The term ‘caged bird” captures the overwhelming cruelty and agony of oppression of the marginalized group by speaking to the bird’s emotional suffering.

The author, Maya Angelou, employs the metaphor of the caged bird to not only show oppression but also show how physical and emotional limitations affect oppressed people. In line 10 of the poem, the speaker notes that the caged bird could barely see through the bars (Zaini and Mohsin 13). At first, it seems as if the poem will proceed to talk about how the cage stands in the way of the bird’s sight. However, the poem proceeds to talk about the bars that hold the bird captive as bars of rage. The bird is a prisoner and there exist physical bars insight which the bird rarely sees. The reason is that the bird is blinded by rage. Through showing the limits that are imposed by the bars and the emotional effect of those limits, the author makes it clear that anger and the environment cannot be separated from each other. The oppression in the cage is not enough to keep the bird captive because captivity transforms the bird robbing itself of its very self.

The poem’s main point in showcasing the bird singing is to highlight sadness that comes with the oppression. Historically, most people that defended slavery and other forms of oppression among people of color argue that song and dance was part of the black culture. It was an indication that people of color were contented and happy with their oppression situation. The notion that such music might have been an expression of emotional and cultural was ignored. The poem however disputes that the music was a symbol of contentment. On the contrary, the poem does not concede to the racist and convenient interpretation of black songs by their white oppressors. Rather, it insists that anguish forced upon African-American communities must be acknowledged.

In closing, oppression is the main dominant theme in Maya Angelou’s poem Caged Bird. The speaker uses this the metaphor of the caged bird to push the theme. Unlike the free bird, the caged bird has never tasted freedom and there is nothing that his spirit yearns for more. Maya Angelou insists that music was a symbol of emotional confinement and it is important to acknowledge the oppressions that African-American communities have gone through in the past.

Works Cited

Saputri, Gisa Maya. “Racism towards African American community as reflected in Maya angelou’si know why the caged bird sings: black aesthetic criticism.” rubikon: Journal of Transnational American Studies 8.2 (2021): 78-90.

Zaini, Qudsia, and Mohsin Hasan Khan. “Maya Angelou’s Battle with Alienation in I know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies 5.1 (2021).