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.
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.
Relationship between an African American and a Caucasian in Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings “Anything that works against you can also work for you once you understand the Principle of Reverse.” - Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou’s touching poem ‘I know why the caged bird sings’ depicts the life of a jailbird thirsting for freedom. There are two birds characterised in this poem, one trapped in a cage, and the other free and flying in the sky. It reveals the truthfulness of the racial discrimination and cultural inequity that she and the whole black society faced and experienced all over their lives. This poem has several themes, such as discrimination, racism, and persistence. As it is taken from her own memoirs she is the speaker and although she is most likely speaking on behalf of black American women in general.
That they were in control of their life. He/She is free to make their own choices.” But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream” Angelou uses a metaphor (“grave of dreams”) to show that black people were not allowed the rights of dreams or freedom. She also uses alliteration to show that they are in an awful situation. They are in a physical trap with no rights or hopes. Secondly, Angelou uses imagery, to help us get a deeper meaning of the poem.
It can’t it’s just a very high pitched annoying noise, which many girls enjoy listening to, how they put up with this infernal noise which is as irritating as … on the other hand I don’t think anything could be more irritating than Justin Bieber. Secondly how can girls describe him as good looking, in my opinion he looks like a girl and in addition to that he sings like one too. As well as Justin Bieber’s music being described as a strangled cat dying a very slow and painful death, it can also be described as someone impersonating a little squeaky mouse, who thinks he can sing. In reality he can’t, but he will insist on doing so. What exactly is Justin Bieber’s aim?
Price mentions this historical fact to criticize that Americans are using the image of a bird that they had themselves once massacred with no serious thought behind it. She condemns Americans because Americans would only use the image of the bird without any interest in the actual bird itself. To continue her criticism of the American culture, Price implores the use of an allusion, as she describes the flamingos as “forward-looking rather than old-fashioned, just right for a generation, raised in the Depression that was ready to celebrate its new affluence” (lines 36-9). This satirical reference to the Depression makes fun of American culture by implying that the unnecessary spending and extravagant living style (living beyond their means) were the primary causes of the Great Depression. She uses the flamingo to focus in on the fact that although Americans were still getting over the Great Depression, they are still running back to the habits that led to their suffering.
The other translation has no equivalent pun.) A servant of the hoopoe comes out and complains about the shouting. He is, of course, a bird. When he notices that he is dealing with human beings, the traditional enemy of birds, he threatens to kill them. The frightened men try to save themselves by pretending to be birds.
The narratator also uses words to describe the life of a fly such as "you dot all whiteness with dimuntive stool" Meaning that it excretes its stool wherever it lands this is one such example of the narrator describing the disgusting nature of the fly. Another such way that the narrator depicts the disgusting lifestyle of the is when he compares the filthieness of the fly to that of a maggot. The maggot is most commonly associated with filth and the narrator makes this connection with the following quote "burrow with hungry head / and inlay maggots like a jewel" The narrarator of the poem, "The Fly", attempts to destroy every fly that he encounters out of his sheer hatred for the creatured but instead of just killing the creature and doing it in a calm and collected manner he does it with hatred that is driven by his loathing of the fly. "Shod in disease, you dare to kiss my hand/ which sweeps against you like an angry flail." This statement made by the narrarator is an example of the way he attacks the fly, instead of just swatting it with a newspaper or other article he swats at it with his hand and he does it with a sense of entitlement and thus illustrated by the word "dare".
In Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “To a Skylark” and John Keats “Ode to a Nightingale” the imagery of the bird represents two conflicting ideas. “To a Skylark” uses the bird imagery to reflect an almost dream-like world filled with light, joy, and bliss. In “Ode to a Nightingale” it is the song that awakens the speaker and forces him to question his perceptions about the differences between dreams and reality. The two poets compare many of the same ideas to express their points, but they use them in completely different contexts. Both poets use images of lightness and darkness, beauty and youth, and also many different nature analogies to express their thoughts of happiness and reality.
This poem represents different aspects of her life bonded into one. In this poem there are two birds, one trapped in a cage and the other free and able to fly. The trapped bird is an African American male or female, and the free bird is a Caucasian male or female. This poem is portraying the relationship between an African American person and a Caucasian person. Angelou is a describing her feelings of racial discrimination.