Why does the caged bird in maya angelou's poem sing?

When addressing the motivation of the caged bird, it then seems obvious that the "why" is a yearning for freedom. The title of both the poem and her autobiography were inspired by a similar bird in a verse in a poem titled, "Sympathy" by one of her literary idols, Paul Lawrence Dunbar. In his poem, the caged bird is indeed yearning to be free. read more

By Maya Angelou About this Poet An acclaimed American poet, storyteller, activist, and autobiographer, Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. read more

Classically, the bird in the cage is considered to be a metaphor for Maya Angelou. As a black woman who had to contend with racism and as a rape survivor who was so terrorized that she was mute for five years, there are obvious comparisons to the image of the caged bird. read more

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. read more

The caged bird in Maya Angelou's poem sings because it is yearning for freedom. It wants to be able to be out doing what it is meant to be doing in living and flying, but the only thing it can do is sing. This also represents Maya Angelou herself as feeling caged as a black woman in the 1960's. read more