I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou

A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange suns rays
And dares to claim the sky.

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.

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.

The free bird thinks of another
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.

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.

This poem is by Maya Angelou, an African-American poet, and speaks about being trapped in racial segregation, and as expressed through the metaphor of a bird, it demonstrates the need for freedom and liberty of every race and culture. It was written in 1969, and brought her international acclaim. It speaks out about racial segregation and represents the great divide between the color of people's skin in everyday life. Angelou's words speak out to both an African American audience as well as any other culture that has been supressed or discriminated against. In this poem, Angelou makes a great metaphor out of a caged bird. Through the bird, Angelou describes racial issues and through the "caged bird" and "free bird" we are able to understand the pain of oppression and discrimination. Metaphors and similes are used throughout, and create a gut-wrenching circumstance that allows the reader to relate to the pain of the "bird." The poem itself is a metaphor for enslaved African Americans. ” The use of the words “Breeze” and “fat worms” shows the disregard that most of white society shows for the black community's suffering and accentuates the fact that wealth and superiority is more important in their eyes. “His wings are clipped and his feet are tired,” represents the advantages that white people have over black people due to the different skin colours, and the inability of African Americans to escape their predisposed fates. It shows how African Americans are unable to release themselves from the binds of discrimination. This poem shows that although the free bird is free and has an advantage, the caged bird still has faith, hope and sings of freedom despite the obstacles. This is a moving, powerful poem that speaks about racial segregation and the need for all people to be free. This poem is in either free verse form . I love this poem and I think that it is a great example of African American poetry.