As we near the end of Black History Month, Hannah directs our attention to one of the most famous and influential Black-American writer-performers–Maya Angelou.
By Hannah Hall
As February is Black History Month, we can take this time to reflect and honor the achievements of the African-American community in the past and present. Somebody I wanted to talk about and remember during this time is Maya Angelou. Angelou was an African-American “author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist” (Poetry Foundation). She is known for writing a multitude of autobiographies—her first and most internationally recognized being I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings—and her many many poetry books. One poem that I wanted to introduce to the blog is her poem Caged Bird.
The poem acts as an extended metaphor to the past and present struggles of race-based oppression African-American communities face in this country. The cage symbolizes the physical, psychological, and emotional limitations that oppression creates for the caged bird inside, which can be interpreted as the African-American community. The “free bird” in this poem can be interpreted as the white community in America and how they live without something actively holding them back. Because of the color of their skin, they have nothing stopping them from pursuing their desires because there aren’t any societal limitations. I encourage you to read this poem and in your own time reflect on its depth and historical background.
Caged Bird by Maya Angelou
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
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.
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
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.
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.
Sources:
https://poets.org/poet/maya-angelou
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48989/caged-bird
Black History Month Editor: Evan Spry