Analysis Of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - 837 Words

Welcome, today we will be taken on a journey by deconstructing and analysing the poem I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. This poem explores the theme of Oppression which illustrates the nature of helicopter parenting upon todays youth. We will include a contemporary source which likewise explores this challenging youth issue. Essentially, this poem displays the damage that helicopter parenting can have on a child’s youth, oppressing them, taking their childhood away from them. Angelou’s poem â€Å"I Know Why the Cages Bird Sings† expresses the idea that freedom is a natural state and knowledge of this fact cannot be rid of by any amount of oppression, limitation or confinement from different opportunities. The poem contrasts a†¦show more content†¦In the last stanza, the caged bird’s song symbolises the emotions and cries of freedom. The combination of the two represents that there is a need for every child to reach their full potential. Something that cannot be achieved with helicopter parenting and the barriers placed upon them. This poem contains another literary device called juxtaposition. The free bird is juxtaposed with the caged bird, both are described but they are very different. Adults need to think about how they use their power over children. Helicopter parenting; is using power that causes children to be restricted and to shrivel up inside rather than flourish just like the caged and free bird in the poem. Angelou’s free bird is a free child, someone who has the freedom to pursue their ambitions no matter how questionably they become. Near the end of the poem it is revealed that the bird â€Å"opens his throat to sing† Maya Angelou felt this way in her own life. She wrote, sang and danced because it was her way of expressing her longing for freedom despite being oppressed for most of her life. Although freedom, to the caged bird, is â€Å"fearful† because it is â€Å"unknown†, he still sings â€Å"a fearful trill†. The cries of help are heard but the overarching parents only hear it as background noise. Maya felt strongly about oppression and this pushed her to make this poem to achieve social justice and toShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings 1267 Words   |  6 PagesJoy McQueary Ms. Ball AP English Language 16 May 2017 SAHC: J.M. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings â€Å"Wouldn’t they be surprised when one day I woke out of my black ugly dream, and my real hair, which was long and blonde, would take the place of the kinky mass that Momma wouldn’t let me straighten?† (4) A theme in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is Angelou’s identity struggle as a black female. During this time in the country, colorism and a European standard taught that having black features wasRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Analysis840 Words   |  4 Pages There is one person that is a civil rights activist, memoirist, a poet and above all a woman, this person is none other than Maya Angelou. Angelou has been a famous American poet since the release of her 1969 autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Angelou has inspired many people by telling her life story to the public, but not only did she inspire, she also created a very different and personal point of view of the world we live in. The poem’s she has written transition from painRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings 934 Words   |  4 Pageswas born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was a writer and civil rights activist, Maya Angelo u was well known for her memoir in 1969, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Maya Angelou made literary history being the very first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman. In 1971, Angelou published Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water Fore I Die that won the Pulitzer Prize-nominated poetry collection. Later, she wrote the poem On the Pulse of Morning â€Å"one of her most famous works whichRead MoreAnalysis Of Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings984 Words   |  4 Pagesnovel and poem â€Å"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.† The book is about her life struggles and the poem is a metaphor about a bird that seeks freedom. The final stanza of the poem reads â€Å"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.† This excerpt of the poem demonstrates how she yearned for her people to get the freedom they deserved. The comparison of the caged bird and the bird that’s freeRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Analysis1126 Words   |  5 PagesThe type of language that an author uses in his or her work can greatly impact the outcome. One such example of this was in Maya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, in which she used certain types of language to characterize herself when she was younger and the society that she grew up in. Her choice of language used in the end of Chapter 16 helps to characterize her desire to quit working for Mrs. Cullinan, her resistance to the discrimination that she puts up with while she works, and theRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of I Know Why The Caged Bird Cannot Sing794 Words   |  4 PagesIn Francine Prose’s essay â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Sing† Prose tends to evoke her unsureness on why schools use certain books to teach students their moral values. Prose argues that certain books should be taught in English classes, that in fact, tea ch students their values. Prose uses several literary examples, such as Frankenstein, How To a Kill A Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, etc. She also provides several controversial opinions, such as using different books to try and teach studentsRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou Analysis1661 Words   |  7 Pagesfreedom of speech. Equally, authors like Maya Angelou have the freedom of speech in our country to write, and in Angelous case, the freedom to write about her life. Maya Angelou, one of the most banned authors in The United States, wrote I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Her autobiography depicts rape, explicit language and racism. It has been used in educational settings such as high schools and universities and should be celebrated for its elegant prose and creating new literary avenues. This novelRead MoreLiterary Analysis of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Essay2756 Words   |  12 PagesThomas Lim December 9, 2010 English 2 Professor Padilla Themes of Racism and Segregation in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Specifically it will discuss the themes of racism and segregation, and how these strong themes are woven throughout this moving autobiography. Maya Angelou recounts the story of her early life, including the racism and segregationRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings 1036 Words   |  5 PagesFily Thiam English 002 Mrs. Vilato 9 April 2015 Rhetorical Analysis on â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou In Graduation, a chapter in her autobiography â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, Maya Angelou talks vividly about her middle school graduation in the segregated South. Graduation is an important milestone in most people’s life, as they get a degree and move on to their next level, something better and more important, with the hope that they can use their new knowledge to achieve their life goals andRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1219 Words   |  5 PagesLike many African American writers in American history, migration is a defining part of Maya Angelou’s life and character. In her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya thoroughly discusses each of the moves that shape the person she becomes. From St. Louis at seven to a Southern California junkyard at fifteen, Maya’s life is filled with both voluntary and involuntary migrations. Some of these moves are intensely emotionally taxing, while others allow her to grow and flourish. Although her