Question

Explain how form impacts meaning in the poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou.

Answer 1

Maya Angelou does not let the standard meter, rhyme, and pase to control her poetry. She is the one who determines the structure or the lack of it and uses form  to achieve what she wants. The sound, tempo,  rhythm, and the rhyme are in service of each line. The poem “Caged Bird” is a great example of unstructured verse. The number of beats per line differs. The number of lines in each stanza changes as well. In addition, she uses  the intermittent stanza as well.  She also uses sporadic rhyme. The repetition of the third stanza serves to give some predictability to the poem and it draws the reader to participate with caged bird. Other parts of the poem are unpredictable. The joy of the free bird makes it possible for the reader understand the tragic story of the oppressed.

Answer 2

Answer:

In "Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou, the free bird is an extended metaphor for a free person, and the caged bird is an extended metaphor for an oppressed person. Angelou creates a comparison between the two birds to make her point. For example, a free bird that "leaps on the back of the wind" is a metaphor for being free to do anything, while a caged bird with clipped wings and tied feet is a metaphor for being kept from doing most things. Angelou alternates the focus of the stanzas between the free bird and the caged bird. This emphasizes the contrast between the two and highlights the emotions her extended metaphors convey.

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