Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Summary by Maya Angelou
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Summary About the Poet
Maya Angelou (4 April, 1928 – 28 May, 2014) was an American poet, story teller, actress and an important figure in the American Civil Rights Movement. Her memoir, ‘I know Why the Caged Bird Sings’, made a literary history as the first non-fiction best-seller by an African-American woman. Her volume of poetry, ‘Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water’ fore I Die’ (1971), was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. She had gone through a lot of roughness and disparity in her life, which is reflected in her writings.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Summary
Angelou, with the metaphor of a caged bird, represents the social differences of her time, between the African- American community and the White-Americans. She illustrates truthfully, both, the feeling of freedom and of captivity through a bird that is free and a bird struggling to fight against adverse surroundings. The free bird is referred to the free White people and the caged bird whose wings are cut off and feet entangled, refers to the Black community.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Explanation of the Poem
Stanza 1. A free bird leaps
On the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
Explanation: The opening lines of the poem describe the actions of a free bird. He takes a jump and hovers himself over the wind and travels along with the current, relishing in the sea of orange sunlight and proclaiming its freedom. Here, the ‘free bird’ refers t < the people who enjoy the right to take their decision in life independently and enjoy the bliss of freedom.
Word Meanings:
1. Leap – Jump
2 Downstream – In the direction on the flow
3. Dares – Show sufficient courage
4. Claim – Require
Stanza 2. “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. ”
Explanation: The second stanza highlights the plight of the caged bird for whom freedom is a mere dream. He the lost hope of flying freely in the sky with his wings wide open because his wings are clipped and feet are tied. He is forced to live in a confined space and peep between the bars to have a glimpse of the Outside world. He is deprived of the joy of freedom. The only thing he can do is open his mouth and sing. Here, Maya Angelou shares her frustration of being restricted to enjoy the freedom which should have been her right as a human being.
Word Meanings:
1. Stalks – Keep a continuous watch by moving slowly and quietly
2. Seldom – Rarely
3. Rage – Anger
Stanza 3. “The caged bird sings
with 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.”
Explanation
The caged bird lacks confidence and enthusiasm. Although he sings, his voice is full of pain, anger and fear. He sings about the unknown surroundings; about his liberty. He dreams of a better life; dreams which cannot be fulfilled. His voice is heard far and wide, but none comes to his rescue. This stanza reflects Maya’s frustration and helplessness.
Word Meanings:
1. Trill – A quick high sound that is repeated
2. Longed for – Desired
Stanza 4. “The free bird think’s 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.”
Explanation: The focus of the poem again shifts to the free bird which is cherishing his ride in the sky. The lovely breeze caress his body and he longs for yet another breeze, which make the trees sigh while passing through them. The free bird has ample food to feed on, the big fat worms in the lawn which they can prey on any time.
Here, the poet again emphasis that the free people have the entire world to claim as their own and wander about.
Word Meaning :
1. Sighing – To utter a mourning sound
Stanza 5. “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.”
Explanation: On the inverse side, the caged bird, who is a captive, knows that his desire of flying free is futile. His dreams culminate into a nightmare. He feels that the agony he’s going through will make his shadow also scream. This reveals that the poet had her own dreams which got crushed due to lack of freedom to achieve them. The poet restates the idea that the bird opens its mouth to sing, to voice his desire for freedom and expression.
Word Meanings :
1. Nightmare – A frightening dream
2. Scream – A sudden laud cry
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Summary Questions and Answers
Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
A free bird leaps
On the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun 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.
(i) Describe the actions of the bird that is free.
(ii) How does the poet contrast the life of a captured bird to that of a free bird?
(iii) Explain the line- ‘can seldom ………… bars of rage’.
(iv) What do the ‘bars of rage’ signify?
(v) What does the word ‘clipped’ mean with a special reference to the poem?
Answer:
(i) A free bird enjoys its freedom completely. He glides freely through the air, climbing on the stream of wind and floating downwards upto the end of the current through the sky that illuminates with bright sunlight.
(ii) The free bird has the liberty to capture the sky with its flight, while on the other hand, a captured or caged bird moves around uncomfortably in his narrow cage. His wings are clipped, making him unable to fly and feet are tied, making his movement restricted. It is deprived of the free open sky, rather made a slave. He can only use its mouth to sing. Thus, he is held in a very sad position.
(iii) The caged bird is filled with anger and frustration due to his situation. He desires whole heartedly to escape from his miserable condition. But he can do nothing beyond looking through the bars of the cage.
(iv) The ‘bars of rage’ are symbolic of the bird’s confinement. The line, ‘his bars of rage’, suggests that the cage is the bird’s own creation. Bars are a metaphor for anger that trap the bird and keep it away from being free. Whatever outside force may be acting upon the bird to curb its freedom, the bars around it are of the birds own making.
(v) In a general sense, ‘clipping’ involves trimming a bird wing’s feathers so that they cannot fly. They can just glide for a short distance. In Angelou’s poem, the word ‘clipped, refers to being ‘clipped’ in society on the basis of race or some other discrimination. The black Americans were prevented from exploiting their capability for progress. They were prevented from schooling. They were differentiated in jobs. Thus, ‘clipped’ from attempting to achieve success in life.
Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The caged bird sings
with 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 cm a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.
(i) What does the caged bird sing about?
(ii) On the contrary, what does the free bird think about?
(iii) Where is the song of the caged bird being heard? What does it signify?
(iv) What is meant by ‘fearful trill’?
(v) Describe the world of the free bird.
Answer:
(i) To sing, is the only freedom available to the caged bird. Though his heart is fearful unmet, the bird continues to sing of liberty, something he does not have. The caged bird’s song is not of sadness but of inspiration and hope.
(ii) The free bird revels in his freedom. He has dreams and can imagine freely of other things. He can feel the soothing breeze through his body and also the trade winds that pass through the trees producing sound. He not only enjoys the ride in the sky but has ample food like, the fat worms, waiting in the lawn. Thus, the free bird has different things to think and imagine about.
(iii) The caged bird’s cries are heard far and wide. His songs were more of a scream in a dreaded tune. This was a way to rebel and protest against its enslavement. This is paralleled to the struggle of the African Americans in Maya Angelou’s time. She states that the black Americans wrote and sang, danced and cried out for the liberty they deserved, but they were only heard as a distant voice.
(iv) ‘Trill’ refers to a quavering or vibratory sound which means that note on which the bird sings is not definite or certain. This uncertainly could be a result of his thoughts that it can never achieve the freedom which it yearns for; the freedom of flight. Maya Angelou refers to the freedom on all levels, physical, mental and spiritual, for the Black Americans.
This fear becomes a part of his song.
(v) At an instance, the free bird is up in the sky and at the next he’s floating effortlessly along with the current of the wind. With another breeze he is ready to take off and bathe himself with the warmth of the sun. The whole world seems to belong to him. He flies unrestrictedly. He hears the ‘singing trees’ and whenever he is hungry, he can feed on the fat worms waiting in the lawn.
Thus, the world of the tree birds consists of boundless sky, rivers and streams and the whole earth.
Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
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.
(i) How does a caged bird stand on a ‘grave of dreams’?
(ii) Why does ‘his shadow shout on a nightmare scream’?
(iii) What does the refrain in the last stanza highlight? What does the poet wish to convey?
(iv) What is imagery? Give example of imagery used in the poem.
(v) Who and what does the five bird symbolise?
Answer:
(i) ‘Grave’ symbolizes death. The bird is in a way losing its hopes and feels as if his dream of freedom is going to be buried in the grave since it seems it will never be accomplished. He knows that he can never fly freely in the sky. His wings are clipped and feet are tied. Thus, his dream to fly is futile. Though he has never experienced freedom, but somewhere deep down he knows that it was his right to fly, he was created to fly.
(ii) The caged bird’s condition is quite pitiable. Instead of happy and optimistic dreams, the bird undergoes nightmares making it to scream. The bird is so shaken with his crumbling hopes that he feels as if his shadow will also scream out of agony and the suffering he is going through.
(iii) The refrain in the last stanza highlights that in the midst of hopelessness and gloominess, the bird is still determined to keep pursuing his dream of freedom. He chooses to continue singing and exert the only right it has.
This states the poet’s message to raise our voice against injustice; to express ourselves even if our opponent keeps subduing us. Never should one give up under any circumstance rather, make use of whatever right one has.
(iv) Imagery is used for the sensory words by the poet, to create a mental picture in the readers’ mind. It consists words or phrases that evoke the five senses namely, touch, sight, taste, sound and smell. Imagery helps in a better understanding of the concept portrayed by the poet.
In the poem, the poet uses the following imagery ‘free bird … leaping on the back of the wind’, ‘bird floating downstream’ and ‘dipping its wings in the orange sun rays.’ As for the caged bird, ‘his wings are clipped and his feet are tied’.
(v) In Maya Angelous’s poem, the free bird stands for the people in this world who are free from any type of racial, socioeconomic or psychological. They are free to make their own decisions and choices. They relish life as an enjoyable adventure and they are away from the struggles of survival.