07: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou : Icse-x-english

with Solutions -

Note: Please signup/signin free to get personalized experience.

10 minutes can boost your percentage by 10%

Note: Please signup/signin free to get personalized experience.

Qstn #1
How does the poet refer to nature here? What does the poet mean by the phrase 'dares to claim the sky' in the last line?
Ans : She refers to nature by describing the way "a free bird leaps on the back of the wind". She also describes the bird's flight against the orange sky. The last line speaks of the state of absolute freedom enjoyed by the bird out of cage. A free bird such as this can fly in the sky as it wishes

Qstn #2
How does a reader get a hint of appreciation for the beauty of nature?
Ans : The way she describes the "orange sun rays" gives the reader an appreciation for the natural beauty of the sky. Moreover, her description of the way the bird "dips his wing" helps the reader to appreciate the bird in his natural habitat, enjoying his freedom.

Qstn #3
What is the free bird metaphor for here? Explain.
Ans : The free bird enjoys its freedom without any interference. The free bird is compared to the white race retaining freedom and aversion towards black people of America. They have the freedom to pursue their ambition easily. They are unaware of the cries and needs of the oppressed black community.

Qstn #4
What is meant by "orange sun rays"?
Ans : The poet says that the bird seems to dip its wings in the orange rays of the sun. Here she refers to beauty of nature, that nature is full of colours. The way she describes the "orange sun rays" gives the reader an appreciation for the natural beauty of the sky. It alludes to a free, lively and a blissful atmosphere where the free bird lives.

Qstn #5
Describe the image of the bird as presented in the stanza.
Ans : The poem is a contrast between a caged bird and a free bird. In the first stanza Maya Angelou breathes life into her description of a 'free bird' by using verbs like 'leaps','floats', 'dips'. The free bird is a symbol of freedom and happiness and these well chosen verbs are especially meaningful because they contain joy and energy. The free bird has the freedom to go wherever and can claim the sky because there are no other birds to contest with her. The stanza shows us that the free bird is lazy and would rather float with the wind instead of making its own path.

Qstn #1
Describe the tone of the poet in these lines. How does the bird respond to his existential condition?
Ans : The poet's tone is dark, unnerving, and even frustrating. She describes that the caged bird can hardly see through his bars of rage. The bird is helpless by everything but only responds by opening his throat to sing due to his immense longing for freedom.

Qstn #2
Explain the lines:' can seldom see through his bars of rage.'
Ans : By the lines, "can seldom see through his bars of rage" i.e., the poet says that the caged bird is hardly able to get a glimpse of the sky which makes him angry. His clipped wings and tied feet tied prevent him from flying away. His aspirations are suppressed, he is helpless to even get a sight of the great freedom outside the bars of the cage which makes the bird resentful for he longs for freedom to be outside the cage

Qstn #3
What does the use of the word 'but' in the beginning suggest?
Ans : This stanza is in stark contrast with the first. By using the word "but" to begin this stanza, the poet prepares the reader for this contrast. The poet then describes the pathetic condition of another bird that is captive in a caged, with wings clipped and feet tied. The word "but" indicates that the idea or imagery that the poet is going to present is contrary to what she has already stated.

Qstn #4
What is the condition of the bird described in this stanza?
Ans : The bird's wings are clipped and feet are tied. It hardly even gets a chance to see the sky. It has been placed in a cage that prevents it from flying. The bird is helpless. He is resentful, for this unfair captivation to him as birds fly freely in the sky and they should not be kept captive. He longs to be free from the pain and suffering inside the sorrowful cage.

Qstn #5
Whom does the poet refer indirectly while mentioning of the free and the caged bird?
Ans : This contrast between the birds enables the poet to express indirectly her own emotions about freedom and isolation. By the 'free bird' the poet refers to the white people, and the caged bird can be interpreted as the black race being deprived from freedom by their skin colour. This could be compared to slavery in the U.S.A, where the blacks were suppressed from their aspirations and were much tortured by the white people.

Qstn #1
What does the poet imply about the bird's craving for freedom?
Ans : The author implies that even though the caged bird may have never experienced true freedom, yet deep down that bird still knows that it was created to be free. Although freedom, to the caged bird, is "fearful" because it is "unknown", he still sings "a fearful trill" because he still longs for freedom.