Birds play a significant role in the Awakening; they are used in various scenes, describing various emotions, situations and states of minds. The birds are often used to portray Edna’s state of mind, and it could even be said that they represent where she is in her life; namely that makes the birds such a powerful tool in this story. In the opening chapter of the novel, there is a parrot in a cage. The fact that it is in a cage, makes it represent the complete opposite of a flying bird, which means that instead of representing freedom, it represents being caught, and kept in a cage. The parrot is captured in the cage, just as Edna is captured in her marriage, and a symbol of how Victorian women were trapped and put down by the patriarchal society.
Angles: At the beginning when we see the old man with the birds, we are on an eye-level with the character. It makes us feel as if we are on the same level as he is. The director did not want us to feel scared of him or as if he was “tiny”. When the little girl is showed, the camera angle is kind of a high-angle. This is to show us that she is little, young and innocent.
In this poem Maya Angelou establishes a clear difference between a free bird and a caged bird, which symbolizes an African American man or woman and a white man or woman. The free bird is said to be able to “dare to claim the sky” meaning it is able to accomplish any goal unlike the caged bird that cannot because its oppressor (cage) does not allow it to do so. In lines 7-14; “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”, Maya Angelou describes the cries of anguish the African American people felt because they were being deprived of equality. The tunes that were heard were the organized protest, speeches, and civil rights activist fighting for equality but society barely acknowledged these voices which made it seem as though they were being heard on “a distant hill” or in other words, their cries were faintly heard. One of the most captivating part in the poem is “his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing” indicating that while going through so much struggle the African American people still had hope for a better future.
They have a few differences as well. To a Skylark by Percy Shelley is about a man gazing longingly at a bird, wishing he could be as happy, as carefree, as the bird. He knows that the bird lacks human troubles, such as heartbreak and loneliness, and he wishes he could be more like that. Shelley asks the bird to teach him to be more joyful: “Teach me half the gladness That thy brain must know; Such harmonious madness From thy lips would flow, The world should listen then as I am listening now.” (101-105) Shelley wishes that he could look at the world in the same gleeful way that a bird does. He wants to be as peaceful and exuberant as the bird.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings- Maya Angelou Q. How does the way the poet writes highlight the experiences of the birds? The poem is about two characters; the caged bird and the free bird. The poet tries to really contrast the two different birds with the language he uses. They seem to live very different lives, for example: With the free bird, the author used the word “leaps”, this makes it seem as though the free bird has a lot of space, freedom of movement and has the confidence to leap.
His voice is very heartfelt as it comes, not from his mouth but from his throat. However even this one connection ... In “Caged Bird” there is a contrast between freedom and Imprisonment, the “free bird” and the “caged bird”, this symbolism can be applied to many forms of social injustices. The free bird has desire, wants more and can search for more, whereas the caged bird has dreams and all it can do is imagine and sing. The tone of the poem shifts between the caged bird and the free bird stanzas, you can sense anger and bitterness in her picture of the caged bird, also the way she present this contrast, between free and caged bird is
To this degree, “Sympathy” is a captivating poem worthy to be studied and analyzed semantically, semiotically and pragmatically. “Sympathy” is a poem that provides a clearly perceptible surface meaning that can be analyzed in isolation from its context. Semantically, “Sympathy” is about a caged bird being deprived from freedom. This poem starts with a bird glancing from the openings of the secure bars of the cage to see the beautiful nature and the bright sun shining (Hess). Dunbar talks about the great pleasure and satisfaction to see the surrounding world and how the smell of freedom attracts the caged bird (Russel).
The book “Bridge to Wiseman’s cove” displays many birds of prey in the book. The author James Moloney shows the reader how Kerry is a bird of prey as she portrays selfishness and not the needs of her children. Furthermore, Bruce is clearly a bird of prey as he takes advantage of people. Also, Aunt Beryl presents greed for money rather than the welfare of her family. “Bridge to Wiseman’s cove” presents the reader with many birds of prey.
Significance of the Kite In the play ‘Master Harold and the Boys’, the kite is a symbol of freedom, hope and peace. It also reflects how the segregation and the society’s belief that the whites are superior influence the characters and their relationships with each other. In addition, Sam uses the kite to teach Hally how to view life in a more optimistic way. When Hally first sees Sam make the kite, he is very doubtful about it and his words show his cynical attitude and influence of society. He is stereotypical and discriminating when he says “What the hell does a black man know about flying a kite?” This shows what society has taught him to believe, that whites are the superior, ‘better’ members of society.
He claims that it “bullets by or stands in space to take aim”, distinct images of war. “There are battle-shouts and death-cries everywhere”, writes Hughes in describing the implications of warfare as the dragonflies chase and capture their prey. Hughes sets up a concrete image of violence and fierceness among the dragonflies, but he contrasts this with the human perspective of the scene. Because the cries are “inaudible”, the human eyes “see the colours of these flies”. The human mind and eye is blind to nature’s true turbulence, so instead of killers we see elegant, gentle creatures with rainbow wings.