Literary Devices in Caged Bird by Maya Angelou
The literary devices in “Caged Bird” make the poem more interesting and drives home the meaning.
See the analysis of the language, diction, mood, tone, and structure.
Themes in “Caged Bird” by Maya explore different sides of freedom and captivity.
See content analysis of “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou
Literary Devices in “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou
1. Symbolism
The poem is rife with symbolism, capturing events, the life conditions of a people, and emotions. Examples of symbolism in “Caged Bird” include:
(i) The caged bird, which represents Black Americans.
(ii) The free bird – represents the Whites, and the races who were not subjected to the same or similar treatment as the Blacks were in America in the 19th century and early 20th century. It captures their freedom, freedom of will, and choice, as well as their ability to attain their dreams and hopes with no restraints.
(iii) The song of the caged bird – a reflection of the pains and longings of the caged bird. This reflects the movement among slaves at the time. For instance, the slaves in Congo gathered in Congo Square on days of rest (like Sundays) to sing and dance as a way to remember their heritage and keep in touch with their roots. This practice began in the 18th century, and a city ordinance in 1817 officially designated Congo Square as the sole gathering place for enslaved Africans on Sunday afternoons. This event was shut down and resumed multiple times throughout the 19th century, and by 1856, people of African descent were no longer legally allowed to play drums or horns in the city. The song of the caged bird, therefore, hints at the longing for freedom, the need for expression, and the connection to the roots that seem so distant and forgotten yet remain embedded in the slaves.
(iv) The emotions (rage, hope) of the caged bird – representing the anger, pain, resentment, and hope of the Blacks at a time when they were not allowed to thrive. With their pains came rage at the restraints, the oppression, the racism, etc. Despite this, they hoped for a time when things would change for the better.
(v) The Sun – the sun mentioned in stanza 1, represents the beautiful things of life, like love and riches.
2. Repetition
Different types of repetition were used to create the free verse, Caged Bird. This device adds rhythm and emotional effect to the poem.
(a) Refrain
The poem consists of six stanzas, where the third and sixth stanzas are the same – a refrain. The refrain reechoes the song of the caged bird.
“The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown and longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.”
(b) Alliteration, Assonance, and Consonance
Allitration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of multiple words within a line or stanza. Consonance is the repetition of a consonant sounds in closely placed words in a line or sentence while assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound in closely placed words in a line in a poem. These forms of repetition give the poem a rhythm. Here are some examples of alliteration/assonance/consonance in Caged Bird.
Example 1
Stanza 5 – shadow, shouts, dreams, scream, clipped, tied.
“But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.”
Example 2
Stanza 4 – bird, breeze, trade, trees, dawn, lawn, own.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.
(c) Anaphora
This is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines in a poem.
Example:
Stanza 2, and is repeated in lines 27-30.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.
3. Euphony
This is the use of soft consonants (L, M, N, R, W, S) to create harmonious, melodious sounds in language. This has a soothing, pleasing effect on the audience.
Example
Stanza 4, Line 25 – winds, worms, waiting, dawn, lawn
4. Enjambment
There are many points in the poem where the line of thought in a sentence was cut off with a line break before a natural pause (comma, semi-colon, or full stop). Examples include transitions between lines 1 and 2, lines 3 and 4, lines 8 and 9, etc.
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
(Stanza 1, Lines 1-4)
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
(Stanza 2, Lines 8-9)
5. Juxtaposition
Maya Angelou plays with the free bird and caged bird symbols and pairs the privileges of the free bird with the pains of the caged bird. The lives of the two birds are exact opposites, such that everything the free bird enjoys is denied the caged bird. This alludes to the privilege and opportunity imbued life of the White Americans and the poor conditions in which the segregated Black Americans lived. Some examples of juxtaposition in “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou include:
Example 1
The free bird “dares to take the sky” (Stanza 1/Line 7) and “names the sky his own” (Stanza 4/Line 26), but the caged bird “stands on the grave of dreams” (Stanza 5/Line 27).
Example 2
The free bird rides the wind (Stanza 1/Lines 1-2), whereas the caged bird “stalks down his narrow cage with “clipped wings” and “tied feet” (Stanza 2).
Another interesting aspect of juxtaposing the free bird and caged bird in stanzas 4 and 5 is the use of soft consonants in stanza 4 and hard consonants in stanza 5. This further drives home the message – the case of the free bird feels soft and pleasing, whereas that of the caged bird feels tough and traumatic.
6. Allusion
An allusion is when a writer makes a brief, indirect reference to a well-known person, place, or event. In Caged Bird, Maya Angelou references “trade,” which can be linked to the slave trade that brought black to America in stanza 4, Line24. This was one of the major trades that the white masters at the time engaged in to enrich themselves.
Secondly, the song of the caged bird can be seen as an allusion to Black spirituals – a song of things unknown that come with “fearful trill”.