I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Summary
It was first published in the collection shaker who don t you sing in 1983.
I know why the caged bird sings by maya angelou summary. The poem describes the comparison of lives of a free bird and a caged bird. And the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn. I know why the caged bird sings summary of the poem. Caged bird is written by maya angelou an american poet largely known for her autobiographical works.
Their grandmother runs a store there which is the center of life in the negro community of the town. Maya angelou is widely regarded as the black woman s poet laureate her reflections on the society and the times she lived in are vividly expressed in her poetry. His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream. And he names the sky his own.
And the trade winds soft through the sighing trees. The free bird thinks of another breeze. His wings are clipped and his feet are tied. In i know why the caged bird sings maya angelou describes her coming of age as a precocious but insecure black girl in the american south during the 1930s and subsequently in california during the 1940s.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams. I know why the caged bird sings summary when maya angelou was three years old and her brother was four they were sent from their father in california to their paternal grandmother in stamps arkansas. I know why the caged bird sings is an autobiography by maya angelou that was first published in 1969. I know why the caged bird sings the first of seven autobiographical works by maya angelou published in 1969.
The first stanza spectacles a free bird who is fearlessly soaring with the winds through the sky. The book chronicles her life from age 3 through age 16 recounting a traumatic childhood that included rape and racism. One bird is able to live in nature as it pleases while a different caged bird suffers in captivity. Angelou also wrote an autobiography with a similar title i know why the caged bird sings.
I know why the caged bird sings. Maya s parents divorce when she is only three years old and ship maya and her older brother bailey to live with their paternal grandmother annie henderson in rural stamps arkansas. I know why the caged bird sings is a free verse written by the american poet and civil rights activist maya angelou. It is one of the most widely read and taught books by an african american woman.
The poem describes the opposing experiences between two birds. Due to its profound suffering the caged bird sings both to cope with its circumstances and to express its own longing for freedom. Caged bird or i know why the caged bird sings as the poem is sometimes referred to by maya angelou is arguably one of the most moving and eye opening poems ever written.