The Differences and Similarities Between Caged Bird and Still I Rise

The Differences and Similarities Between Caged Bird and Still I Rise

‘Caged Bird’ and ‘Still I Rise’ are in their own ways similar, because

they are both noticeably about the coloured race and the entrapment of

that race and their bid for freedom. But both poems also display many

differences, like the use of metaphors and ways of expressing their

determination and the segregation of their race. Their titles almost

sound like opposites with a capture of something and a rise above

something, but ‘Still I Rise’ would also be a rise above a capture or

an attempt at a capture

Maya Angelou, the author, was raised in segregated, rural Arkansas,

and so this could be the reason for the content of her poems. I think

that she has intentionally expressed these themes strongly in both of

these poems because she felt strongly at the time of the segregation

of the black communities, being part of one herself.

‘Caged Bird’ is, in my view, a really well written poem, by using a

bird as the metaphor of the poem to get the message of the poem across

to the reader. By doing this, the author opens up lots of verbs to be

used to describe slavery, but also the freedom the bird has in the

first stanza, and the adventures that are open to the bird.

‘Still I Rise’ is aimed at the white race and the treatment that the

blacks received from them. This is stated right at the beginning to

make sure the reader knows this, and is pulled into the poem straight

away. However, the writer is not easily down-hearted by this

treatment, and is determined to rise above it; she is proud of her

colour and willingly declares this throughout the poem.

This is similar to ‘Caged Bird’ in which when the bird is captured it

always knows that i...

... middle of paper ...

... continuing through the poem,

proving her point till the end.

In my view, I preferred ‘Still I rise’ as i think it helped people

during the times of discrimination to realise that even though they

were a different colour, they hadn’t done anything wrong and they

should be proud of who they are, and rise above all the judgements.

‘Still I Rise’, is not only a good written poem, but it contains a

message and I think that’s what makes it better than ‘Caged Bird’. It

also has a lot of metaphors and similes in it, which makes the reader

think about what the writer is trying to tell them.

Overall I think ‘Still I Rise’ is most effective, because It makes the

reader think about their own actions and possibly what they would have

done in the writers position, and personally I think as the poem is

generally based at them, they would find it more interesting.