I know why the caged bird sings
NAME: ________________________ PER: ____
KINTZ
by Maya Angelou
1
2
3
1
4
5
6
2
7
8
9
10
11
3
12
13
15
16
17
18
19
5
20
21
22
23
6
Summary:
But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
Summary:
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.
Summary:
The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.
14
4
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’s rays
And dares to claim the sky.
24
25
26
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
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.
Mood:
Mood:
Mood:
Summary:
Mood:
Summary:
Mood:
Summary:
Mood:
Step #1: annotate the text
 Underline words with “heavy” connotations
 Put squiggly lines under imagery
 Circle any IMPLICIT metaphors
 Draw a BOX around personification
Step #2: Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper:
1. Determine what each of the birds are IMPLICIT metaphors for. Use quotes from the poem (see example
below) to justify your reasoning.
2. What constraints does the caged bird have, that the free bird does NOT? Make a logical inference
about what these limitations/controls represent in society.
3. Compare and contrast the mood in stanzas 1 and 4, with the mood of the stanzas 2, 3, and 5. Please
make specific reference to the connotations/word choice. Draw a conclusion about why Angelou created
this contrast. What is her intended message?
4. Which two stanzas are repeated? Does the stanza take on a new meaning the second time the audience
reads it? Why/how? What is the significance of the line “The caged bird sings of freedom”? What makes this
statement so powerful? Please make reference to other parts of the poem in your response.
5. What is the theme of this poem?
In stanza 6 the poet says, “The caged bird sings with a fearful trill” (Angelou 23), which is intended to help
the reader visualize…
In lines 9 and 10, the poet explains how he/she has “heard it in the chilliest land/And on the strangest sea”
(Dickinson), which is an example of _________________. This kind of figurative language is intended to…