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8/20/2019 Cager Bird
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Text Analysis Practicum
Course Instructor: Logan Woods
Padurariu Patricia-Georgiana
Romanian-English
The vision of racism in the poem Caged Bird by Maya Angelou
God created humans equals. But the man`s nature - his individuality made him to live
and rise independently in harmony ith his !elie"s and priciples. #hus diversity !ecame the
most illustrative image hich designates our orld and society. While the ground is a large
geographic mosaic em!raced !y mountains$ hills$ land areas$ dessert or oceans$ our society is
a comple% and diverse demographic mosaic consisting o" a vast num!er o" ethnicities and
nationalities. &adly$ this diversity made human to !e sel"ish and vain. &o his desire to !e a
poer"ul and respected man involved him in many unhealthy actions such !attles and ars in
order to conquest ne lands and su!due many societies. 's a result several !arries as
created !eteen people.
(i""erences !eteen !lac) people and hite people alays e%isted. #he history o"
'"ricans in the ``land o" dream`` is mar)ed !y many con"licts$ struggles and even ar ith
the hites. '"ricans had a hard and complicated li"e characteri*ed !y slavery$ discrimination
and in+ustice. #hey had to endure a lot o" !ad treatments$ admonishes and many others
oppressions. 't the !egining the coloured people ere traded "rom '"rica to 'merica and sold
as slaves. ,t is evident the "act that a li"e slave is not a li"e that one ishes "or. &ome o"
'"ricans ere captured "rom their homelands eg. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of
Olaudah Equiano others simply ere !orned in "amilies o" slaves eg. Incidents in the Life
of a Slave Girl . ,n a li"e li)e that innocence and purity does not e%ist. ' slave e%istence as
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li)e a perpetual oscillation !eteen o!edience$ sadness and su""erings. ' slave must alays
o!ey their mistress. /is li!erty is in the hand o" his superiors. /e is li)e a machine hich can
not thin) and "eel anything.
Li!erty and "reedom as +ust a dream "or most o" the slaves. ,n this ay as !orned
important "igures that "ought "or the rights and li!erty o" the !lac) people. 0emora!le is the
1ivil Rights 0ovement 2345-2467 ith the actions o" 0artin Luther 8ing 9r. and Rosa
Par)s. But the act o" re!el$ protests and e""ective actions are not the only ay in hich
someone can "ight against in+ustice or "or someone`s rights. #here are artists ho alays
spo)e a!out their perceptions and "eelings regarding the pro!lems o" e%istance through their
or)s. While a painter uses colours to paint his thaugts$ a riter uses ords in order to create
!eauti"ul and unique pieces o" art. #he poer o" ords is a!ove anything. ,n this ay 0aya
'ngelou uses her talent to construct a delight"ul metha"or that deals ith the di""erences
!eteen races !lac)s`li"e versus hites`one. 'lso her poem is a poer"ul echo hich
encourages the !lac)s to "ight "or their rights and li!erty.
Being hersel" a coloured oman$ 0aya 'ngelou as an important "igure in the
'"ricans` lives. &he "ought "or the rights o" !lac) people shoing a dynamic interest "or her
cause. #hus most her or)s include the notion o" racism and discrimination.
;ne o" the most representative or) that deals ith the theme o" racism is her
!eauti"ul and e%ceptional poem Caged bird . ,t is a remar)a!le metha"or as regards racial
discrimination in the <nited &tates.
<sing the image o" the !ird as sym!ol "or the human$ 0aya 'ngelou creates an
autentic perspective a!out racial pre+udices. While the ``"ree !ird`` signi"ies the hite man$
the ``caged one`` is the re"le%ion o" the !lac) man. /er antithesis is unique and concentrate an
important point o" vie a!out ho li"e o" the !lac)s as comparring ith the li"e o" a hite
man. ,n this ay 0aya`s poem reveals to hypostasis that accentuate the di"erences !eteen
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reces - one deals ith the opportunities and li!erties that a hite man has in the society and
the other ith the impediments that a coloured man must con"ront ith in a society dominated
!y hite people.
#he poem !egin ith the representation o" the hites in the <nited &tates$ ho have
historically en+oyed social and economic privileges that other races have not. #hey are
sym!olised !y the image o" the ="ree !ird=. ,n 0aya 'ngelou`s vision all the li!erties that a
hite man has in society are connected ith the idea o" "lying: ``' "ree !ird leaps > on the
!ac) o" the ind > and "loats donstream > till the current ends > and dips his ing > in the
orange sun rays > and dares to claim the s)y=. #he ?s)y= is in"inite and its grandness can
easely !e associated ith the idea o" "reedom and ith the in"inite possi!ilities and
oppotunities that the 'merican (ream represented. @reedom$ li!erty$ prospects and chances$
all are destinated "or the ``"ree !irds`` - the hite people.
#he li"e o" a !lac) man is presented in antithesis. #hey are "orced to endure a lot o"
in+ustice. #heir li!erty is "enced and they can not en+oy all the li!erties that hites have. #hey
are limited !y their s)in colour. #his constriction ta)es in 0aya`s poem the shape o" the cage:
ABut a caged !ird that stal)s don his narro cage can seldom see through his !ars o" rageA.
'"rican 'mericans ere mistreated !ecause they ere di""erent and they ere thought as
in"eriors. Even !lac) people have to endure such treatement$ they could alays "ight against
in+ustice and desire li!erty. #hus the song o" the caged !ird is a "orm o" sel"-e%pression hich
connected the !lac)s ith their dreams and desires. ' man must alays e%press and ma)e his
"eelings and thaughts heard. /e must alays "ight "or his rights and dignity. '"rican
'mericans dreamed o" a "reedom ithout the +udgements and stereotypes o" racism.
Because o" a long tradition concerned ith the idea o" discrimination$ the hite people
lived !y cultivating their on rights and sel"ish conceptions. #hus they dare to name ?the s)y
his on.= Whites have alays !een "ree to achieve success and live according to the qualities
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and chances o""ered !y the 'merican (ream. #he ``!ree*e`` and ``"at orms`` are metaphors
"or all the hopes and opportunities that the hites had and that the !lac)s did not have.
#he ``dar)`` and ``grave`` emphasis the impossi!ility o" '"rican 'mericans to gain the
"reedom they desired. 'merican (ream remains "or them +ust a dream imposi!le to
accomplish. 'ngelou invo)es the death$ imprisonment and loss o" hope to illustrate the status
o" the !lac) people at the end o" 24th century. #heir e%istance as hard and di""icult and they
ere "orced to endure a lots o" un"airness. ,nspite o" that challenging period '"rican
'mericans continued to hope "or "reedom and equality - @ull o" "ear$ entrapped in its cage$
and ith dead dreams$ the caged !ird still sings: A /is ings are clipped and his "eet are tied
so he opens his throat to singA.
#o sum up$ 0aya 'ngelou succeded to create an original and irreplacea!le poem that
illustrates the lives o" '"rican 'mericans during sagregation. /er vision covers one o" the
most pro!lematic issue that our orld have to con"ront - the racial discrimination. #hus she
not only reveals the reality o" that discriminatory era !ut also gave to all !lac)s a huge support
and hope. &he encouraged the to ma)e their voice heard. /er talent and passion made her one
o" the greatest artists and she ill alays remain in the heart o" all !lac) people.
Bibliography:
.i)ipedia.com '"rican-'merican 1ivil Rights 0ovement
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0aya 'ngelou- Caged bird ( the poem
http:>>genius.com>0aya-angelou-caged-!ird-annotated
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