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Caged Bird Maya Angelou Analysis

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Maya Angelou once said, “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” Throughout her life, Maya grew through multiple hardships as a young black woman including racism and being raped. According to the Encyclopedia of World Biography, her uncles killed the rapist, resulting in Maya blaming herself for it and not speaking for five years because she believed “her words brought death” (par 1). Once she started speaking again, Maya broke out of her shell and got involved with dance and theater. These forms of expression led to her self-discovery and the development of her strong will and determination. With many life experiences and a creative mind at hand, Maya started using poetry to express her beliefs. Quoted by Lyman Hagenas …show more content…

In the poem when Maya discusses the free bird, she is representing how whites are able to be happy and carefree and are encouraged to “claim the sky.” The white people in America during Maya’s time had an easy ticket to the so-called American dream. They never had to experience racial oppression. The blacks are the caged bird that is tied down and “sings of freedom” because freedom isn’t already given. Black people have to fight for what they deserve because they are denied their rights. Racism is the cage around the caged bird. Furthermore, the theme of resilience is shown by the caged singing for freedom in the face of fear. The poem says, “The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still.” Maya writes this to symbolize the determination the blacks. Even though they feared the repercussions of standing up for themselves and demanding their rights, they stood up nonetheless. In addition, the theme of resilience becomes further influential when coupled with the tone of perseverance. By including both in the way she did, Maya successfully represented blacks as strong, capable people in the face of racial injustice. In total, the theme of race and resilience in “Caged Bird” presented Maya’s position towards racial

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