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Sympathy And The Caged Bird

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In the 1900’s segregation sparked intense emotion within society. These feelings were captured in poems by scintillating poets. These poets embodied those feelings into an imaginary figure of a caged bird. Angelou’s, “Caged Bird”, and Dunbar’s, “Sympathy”, used the caged bird as a central symbol to reveal the theme of imprisonment, anger, and hope amongst the struggles of segregation. Angelou’s, “Caged Bird”, and Dunbar’s, “Sympathy”, used the caged bird’s hope and anger towards imprisonment to reveal the theme amongst the struggles of segregation.

In Maya Angelou’s, “Caged Bird”, the experiences of the free bird are compared to the caged bird. Angelou exhibits the caged bird’s anger by showing how it sees the “... bars of rage” through the lines, “But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can …show more content…

This was significant to the time period in which these poems were written and this helped establish a theme. Angelou’s, “Caged Bird”, showed that no matter what happens a change is going to come. “The caged bird sings with 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” (Angelou, 15-22). The significance of the bird in Angelou’s poem represents the common African American man in the period of segregation. The significance allowed emotions of hope and anger to be felt because of the current events at the time. Dunbar’s poem showed the struggles of segregation, also using the symbol of the bird. The significance of the symbol in this poem was for the bird to represent persistence. “I know why the caged bird beats his wing When he beats his bars and his bosom sore- When he beats his bars and he would be free”(Dunbar, 15-17). The bird showed persistence by trying to break free no matter the pain. The significance of these poems were that, they were relatable at the time to the horrifying

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