Cager Bird

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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Cager Bird