I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Summary

The second and third stanza shows a caged bird whose wings are clipped and feet tied preventing him from flying away.

I know why the caged bird sings by maya angelou summary. I know why the caged bird sings is an autobiography by maya angelou that was first published in 1969. We get the feeling that they have bad absent parents because um who puts toddlers on trains by themselves. It is a long poem dealing with the inherent need for freedom in human beings. Angelou also wrote an autobiography with a similar title i know why the caged bird sings.

Due to its profound suffering the caged bird sings both to cope with its circumstances and to express its own longing for freedom. The bird can seldom see from the bars of rage i e he is hardly able to get a glimpse of the sky which makes him angry. It is clear that this title had great significance to angelou as it was the title to her entire life story. Their grandmother runs a store there which is the center of life in the negro community of the town.

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. She and her brother bailey are sent away from their parents on a train to live with their grandmother momma and uncle willie when they are just three and four years old. 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. Using the extended metaphor of the two birds angelou paints a critical portrait of oppression in which she illuminates the privilege and entitlement of the un oppressed and conveys the simultaneous experience of suffering and emotional resilience.

He longs to be free out of his sorrowful life in the cage. I know why the caged bird sings. I know why the caged bird sings tells the story of maya angelou s childhood in stamps arkansas. It is one of the most widely read and taught books by an african american woman.

Caged bird is written by maya angelou an american poet largely known for her autobiographical works. I know why the caged bird sings poem summary. I know why the caged bird sings summary when the story opens marguerite maya johnson and her brother bailey johnson jr are three and four years old and they re on a train from california to arkansas. It was first published in the collection shaker who don t you sing in 1983.

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 the first of seven autobiographical works by maya angelou published in 1969.