Slavery influenced millions of people around the world, particularly Black people. The poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou concerns the most acute social issue for African Americans. The poet talks about slavery and the differences in the quality of life that free and enslaved people can enjoy. The poem aims at telling the story of the sadness of all the enslaved people through individual characters to make it more emotionally appealing.
The author of the poem is concerned with the need to express a more personal and emotional stance on the problem of slavery. Angelou as an activist and educator, strives to reveal how enslaved people feel (“Oprah Talks to Maya Angelou”). In her poem, she encourages people to look at the problem from an individual viewpoint. This helps to create a feeling of deep sadness that is associated with the enslaved position.
Angelou uses a slave narrative to tell the story of the whole population through an individual character. She underlines, “I love the idea of the slave narrative, using the first person singular, really meaning always the third person plural” (Neubauer and Angelou 286). The poet wants to refer to the tragedy of her people through her own experience, which makes the poem more emotional and appealing.
Angelou highlights the problem of indifference to the issues of suppressed communities. In her poem, she underlines that the wings of a caged bird are clipped, and his feet are tied (Angelou). In the interview, she notes that “You can’t be much of a leader if all you see is yourself” (Beard). The poet wants to draw the attention of the public to the problems of minorities and those affected by the social issue.
Angelou uses deeply personal experience to tell a story of the whole population. She wants to draw the attention of the public to the problem of slavery. The poet does it by expressing emotions and feelings that an enslaved person may experience. This aims at revealing individual stories that can be extrapolated to all the people who experienced the issue. Therefore, Angelou draws a big picture using a single character as an expression of collective feelings.
Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. “Caged Bird.” Poetry Foundation, 1983. Web.
Beard, Alison. “Life’s Work: An Interview with Maya Angelou.” Harvard Business Review. Web.
Neubauer, Carol and Maya Angelou. “An Interview with Maya Angelou.” The Massachusetts Review, vol. 28, no. 2, 1987, pp. 286-292.
“Oprah Talks to Maya Angelou.” Oprah. Web.