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I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings Maya Angelou (Introduction (1. why did…
I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings
Maya Angelou
Introduction
1. why did you select this poem ?
I selected this poem because it has a unique title that convinced me to read it.
2. what does the title tell you about the poem ?
when i read the title i thought that the birds mentioned where the poet's thoughts that are trapped in side of her and they are singing inside her but she can't say them out loud.
3. what is your first impression of the poem ? do you like it ? why or why not ?
i enjoyed the poem because it i like how the poet expresses her feelings be comparing them to caged birds.
4. what is the poem about ? ( what is the theme or subject of the poem )
the theme of this poem is that "the person should have courage to overcome racism "
5. tone: do you think the author has a positive or negative attitude toward the subject ? (or a different feeling toward the subject of the poem ? ) Explain
the overall tone of the poem is sorrowful but persevering which shows a negative connotation that leads to a positive attitude. The caged bird sings to release the feelings of sorrowful, frustration, and despair to the free birds. Even though the bird is caged it has hope that the free birds can help him escape.
6. do you think the poem has a purpose ? what do you think it is ? what do others ( experts ) think it is ?
The purpose of " I know Why the Caged Birds Sings" is to recall Maya Angelou's life and to explore the incidents of her childhood, and how they effect her today. Another purpose is to examine the examples of discrimination and racism faced by a women of color in America.
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7. Does the author write about a person or event from history? Explain. ( search )
In this poem the poet chronicles her early years dealing with racism and trauma during the Great Depression and economics fueled WWI. One of the effects of WWII is it delayed efforts of Civil Rights politics.
8. Does the author write about certain things from the past? (search )
9. when was the poem written and / or published ( year )? (search)
The poem was released at year 1969.
10. what do you know about the time period? (search)
first in year 1929 the great depression effected many people in america and people where adjusting to the changes. Then in 1931 the story of the Caged birds starts when Maya and her brother are sent to live with their grandmother after their parents end their marriage. In year 1935 FBI was established, a number of acts were also passed during that year such as the social security act.
11. where was the poet living and what was he / she doing ( working, going to school, etc.) at that time? ( history about the poet )
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a 1969 autobiography describing the early years of American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The book begins when three-year-old Maya and her older brother are sent to Stamps, Arkansas, to live with their grandmother and ends when Maya becomes a mother at the age of 16. In the course of Caged Bird, Maya transforms from a victim of racism with an inferiority complex into a self-possessed, dignified young woman capable of responding to prejudice.
12. do you think what was going on during that time period had anything to do wit this poem? Explain. ( Explain in your own words/share your opinion )
one of the effects of the WWII is the economics fueled and the great deppression ; this caused racism to spread in America which Maya sufferd from.
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13. Are there any divisions in the poem? (spacing of lines, words, or letters; separate stanzas) (structure)
The structure of the poem shows division in between different stanzas
14. Does the poem rhyme?
There is no set rhyme pattern in Maya Angelou's poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
15. If yes, how (every line, every other line, etc)? Does it follow a particular rhyme scheme? If so, explain. (Rhyme Scheme)
In contrast, in the second stanza, the second and fourth lines rhyme ending with the words cage and rage. In the the third stanza the first and second stanza end with the same sound "still" and "trill"
16. how does the form of the poem contribute to the meaning of it? (For example, does the rhyming contribute, or lack of a rhyme contribute to the meaning or the imagery? )
The rhyme helps create the sound or movement of.... OR the lack of rhyme
the lack of rhyme makes the poem hard to visualize and follow up but Instead the poet uses the structure to emphasize its metaphorical meaning.
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17. what is the mood of the poem? Is it happy, sad, remorseful, reminiscent, etc? Which words contribute to the overall mood?
The mood of the poem is sorry full and sorrowful. The word fearful made me fell sorry for the poet because she is referring to her self as a bird which is caged and scared to sing. the words "grave of dreams" and " nightmare scream" gives me an unhappy feeling.
18.
Figurative Language:
does the poem use any comparisons of things using the words "like' or "as" (similes)?
19. does the poem compare things without using like or as (metaphors)?
The writer uses many metaphors to help us imagine the way she is feeling and to help us imagine the poem better."his wings are clipped and his feet are tied" metaphor because people are basically tied down by the stereotypes of society, but this is a metaphor because people are not literally tied down, but because of the people around them it feels like they are.
20. does the poem give non-human characteristics (personification)?
the writer also uses a personification " trade wings soft through sighing trees ". this is a personification because the trees cannot actually sigh because this is a human trait.
Conclusion
21. ask yourself "so what?" about the poem. what is the point of it? why do think the author wrote it?
i think the writer wrote this poem to express her feeling that she can't say because of racism
after researching and analyzing the poem, has your opinion of the poem changed at all? if so, how? if not, why not?
I liked this poem more after i searched information about it. I liked how the poet expressed her feelings as caged birds that cannot fly.
do you think your classmates would like this poem? Why or why not?
i don't think my classmates will like the poem because they like cheerful poems and this poem is considered gloomy
why is this poem relevant today? (importance/impact)
this poem shows how racism was very famous in that time and how it effected the poet.
how will this poem be relevant in the future?
I think if more people read this poem in the future, racism could vanish from today
how does this poem inspire readers?
this poem will inspire readers to stop being racist after they know how they can make others feel.