Sunday 8 November 2009

What are the poetic devices used in the poem "Caged Bird"?

The "free
bird" of the first stanza that "leaps" and "floats" and
"dips" in the sun's rays and "dares to claim the sky" is a
for white people, with their racial privilege that allows them to
feel so entitled and free. A metaphor compares two unalike things, where one is said to be
another; it does not have literal meaning, only figurative. Because these birds are
anthropomorphic (given human traits, ambitions, and emotions), we
would not necessarily read them as symbols (with both literal and figurative meanings). The free
birds are not confined by their race, and they enjoy all the benefits that are conferred by such
privilege. The "caged bird" of the second and third stanzas is a
metaphor for persons of color. Rather than enjoying the same
freedoms and opportunities as the free birds, they are held in a "narrow cage" with
"clipped" wings and "tied" feet; they are only able to "sing of
freedom" but not actually enjoy it. The "dreams" of the caged bird are
personified , given the...



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