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Why does the caged bird sing in the Maya Angelou poem?

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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 ... but longed for still. and his tune is heard. on the distant hill. for the caged bird. sings of freedom. Maya Angelou, “Caged Bird” from Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? 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

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

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