Download - I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
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I know why thecagedbirdsings
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The free bird leapson the back of the windand floats downstreamtill the current endsand dips his wingsin the orange sun raysand dares to claim the sky
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But a bird that stalksdown his narrow cagecan seldom see throughhis bars of ragehis wings are clippedand his feet are tiedso he opens histhroat to sing
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The caged bird singswith fearful trillof the things unknownbut longed for stilland is tune is heardon the distant hillfor the caged birdsings of freedom
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The free bird thinksof another breezeand the trade winds softthrough the sighing treesand the fat worms waitingon a dawn-bright lawnand he names the skyhis own
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But a caged bird standson the grave of dreamshis shadow shoutson a nightmare screamhis wings are clippedand his feet are tiedso he opens histhroat to sing
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The caged bird singswith a fearful trillof things unknownbut longed for stilland his tune is heardon the distant hillfor the caged birdsings of freedom
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Historical Context• Poem named after Maya Angelou’s
1969 autobiography with the same name
• Depicts racism in the 1960’s
• The caged bird represents thevocal activism of African Americans
• The singing can be the sound ofblack gospel music typicallyassociated with freedom themes
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Comparative Poem
• Compares a free and caged bird
• This sets up literary contrast
• This engages to reader toobserve the differences
• What are the differencesbetween the free and caged birds?
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The Free Bird
• Has it easy (back to the wind, downstream)
• His voice sings to claim the sky
• His song is about what he has
• His activity is getting moreof what he already has
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The Caged Bird• Only has a specific lot in life (narrow cage)
• Cannot see truly what he is missing
• Cannot be a true bird (clipped, tied)
• Sings of things it doesn’t know,but deep down knows thereis more to life
• Sings for freedom
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How I Identify With It• I feel trapped by the circumstances of life
• I feel like I’m always angry and in rage
• I feel like I’m always talkingabout what I could be butdon’t know how to get there
• Sometimes I feel that I havejust given up on my dreams
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What It Means Today• First black president in history has helped
African American race relations
• There are still minoritiesthat are being trivialized
• The cry of the afflicted is still heard loud and clear today
• The poor and the immigrant