The Theme of Oppression in Caged

Name

Professor’s name

Course

Date

The Theme of Oppression in Caged Bird by Maya Angelou

Introduction

Published in 1983, Maya Angelou’s poem Caged Bird describes two opposing experiences of two birds: one bird suffers in captivity while another bird is free to live as it pleases. To cope with the circumstances, the caged birds result in singing, an indication of freedom. The author employs the metaphor of two birds to paint a picture of oppression that showcases the simultaneous suffering of the birds. Particularly, the poem portrays the experiences of African American communities in society. This text highlights the theme of oppression and the African-American encounter as `depicted in Caged Bird by Maya Angelou.

The Caged Bird

Throughout the poem, the speaker employs oppression to push the theme of freedom. As opposed to the free bird that has the liberty to soar the currents of wind, the caged bird is held prisoner in its cage with its feet tied and wings clipped. The caged bird is frustrated with the situation but cannot see through the bars of rage (Saputri, 78). The oppressive circumstances limit the bird’s ability to take flights. The birds begin singing freedom songs. The song travels far and transcends airspace where the birds seek to fly. This way, the song serves as both a consequence and defeat of oppression. While the bird is not free to fly, its soul points to the freedom that it years for. The allegory of the poem points to the oppressive circumstances under which caged birds live under-representing the systemic oppression of people of color in America.

The Narrow Cage

The theme of oppression is also described using the metaphor of the caged bird. The bird has limited mobility as it is confined to a narrow cage. The bird is left with no option but to sing about freedom which it has never attained. Noteworthy, the caged bird is a metaphor for the experiences of people of color. It captures the cruelty and agony that marginalized communities have to deal with. The emotional suffering that the caged bird goes through is similar to the problems of Africa Americans in current society (Zaini and Mohsin, 23). The metaphor speaks to the oppression that physical limitation has and how those emotions psychologically and emotionally affect the people that are oppressed. In line 10, the speaker says that the caged bird can barely see through the bars pointing to how bird is oppressed and is physically limited.

Systemic Oppression for African American communities

The poem conveys, a message of the pain of the oppression of people of color in the United States that is there today and existed during the U.S. history. Various aspects of the poem relate directly to this specific experience. For example, the song sang by the caged bird is an allusion for African American spirituals. Worth noting, Frederick Douglass once said, that slaves sing most when unhappy. Moreover, Angelou’s image of caged bird has sympathy written all over it. For the caged birds, the song is a no a carol of joy. For the birds, the song is their only way to relate with freedom.

Conclusion

In closing, the dominant theme exhibited in Maya Angelou’s Caged Bird is oppression. The speaker uses the theme of freedom to push the theme of oppression. Unlike the free bird, the caged bird has never experienced freedom but his spirit yearns nothing less. The caged bird and the narrow bars in the cage represents the problems of African American communities that have existed for a long time in American society.

Works Cited

Saputri, Gisa Maya. “Racism towards African American community as reflected in maya angelou’si know why the caged bird sings: black aesthetic criticism.” rubikon: Journal of Transnational American Studies 8.2 (2021): 78-90.

Zaini, Qudsia, and Mohsin Hasan Khan. “Maya Angelou’s Battle with Alienation in I know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies 5.1 (2021).