The Caged Bird Poem Summary

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Recommended: reflection on a slave narrative

“...I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,- When he beats his bars and would be free; It is not a carol of joy or glee, But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core, But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings- I know why the caged bird sings!” ―Paul Laurence Dunbar” like how birds are caged they were not given the freedom like how a black man is longing for freedom in a racist white society. He starts off describing the pure and good of this universe the nature of our sun and the grass that waves in the wind and the river that flows, but he is that bird in that cage viewing the world but not experiencing the good parts, because he was taken that freedom and looked upon as an animal. As the poem goes on its his own pain suffering and trapped from what he longs for, he beats his wings he wishes so badly to be free the way a bird would feel locked up. As he beats the bars mad hating life left with bruises, he sings to the heavens getting his joy and glee. His prayers and seeing a view of the universe that no white man could at the time. that keeps him humble to understand the little things that aren't so little after all. He knows the feeling of the bird in that cage who sings because he is that black man in society who prays. Paul Laurence Dunbar is remembered for his Writing career, Works of poetry and Legacy and honors. Before the civil war his mother Matilda and father Joshua had been slaves in Kentucky and gave birth to Dunbar on June 27, 1872. His mother home schooled Dunbar, later on he went to high school in in Dayton and become president of their literary society, and editor of the school newspaper. In Dayton's herald newspaper in 1888 "Our Martyred Soldiers" and "On Th... ... middle of paper ... ...t and put his thoughts and feelings on paper. He was passionate for his writings and he wasn't the one to point the finger at who was fault but praise the ones who were strong. He was encouraging in his writing to give strength. I can take Dunbars poetic literature in my life as a lesson of theres always gonna be critics but let people judge you for who you are, and that will reflect them as a person, dont let people judge you for who they think you are, don't just show your face but let them hear your voice. I think anyone can look up to Dunbar as motivation when you have nothing, you can still have everything. Dunbar had nothing and viewed as nothing but gained everything and is viewed as everything, looked as someone who was not to own up to anything because of the color of his skin, he owned up through his Writing career, Works of poetry and Legacy and honors.

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