Caged bird
BY Maya Angelou
Subject: Literature-in-English
Theme: Poetry
Topic: Caged bird by Maya Angelou
Sub Topic:
Date: dd/mm/yyyy
Class: S.S 2
Average Age: 15 years and above
Duration: 35 Minutes
No of Learners: 40
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Explain the Background of the Poet
Maya Angelou was born on the 4th of April,1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A Angelou had a different childhood. Her parent split up when she was very young and she and her brother went to live with their grandmother. She went to George Washington High School. Her teacher helped her in realizing her hidden talent by introducing her to writers. She was an American poet, memoirist, and civil activist, who wrote many books, poems, plays, movies e.t.c. She had husbands and children. She died on 28th May,2014 in Winston-Salem, North California, U.S.A.2. Explain the Background of the Poem
"Caged Bird' is a powerful poem about restricted movement that comes alive within the context of the horrid African-American community's experiences in the United States of America. Maya Angelou is an African-American, and her cultural background has influenced the contents of the poem. This poem was first published in 1983, in a book titled, Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? The poem's thematic thrust, which hints at the enslavement of black people in America between 1526 and 1863, is pungent and it resonates with the vitality and vibrancy of the African-American essence. Unlike the pre-20th century themes of poems from Europe, which revolved around monarchical, religious, nature, chivalry and romantic issues, Maya Angelou's poem forcefully presents an aspect of American life, which culminated in the enslavement of millions of people for 300 years because of the colour of their skin.3. Recite the poem
Caged Bird
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun 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 breeze
and 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.
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 sun 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 breeze
and 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.
Maya Angelou
4. Explain the setting of the poem
The setting of Maya Angelou’s “Caged Bird” is quite peculiar. The physical setting of the poem cannot be easily identified. The images in the poem appear to move from a tree on a river’s shore and a cage. From them poem, it can be deduced that Angelou seeks to creatively explore the society’s attempts to stifle the spirit of the blacks, which in this poem is symbolized as the bird.On the surface, the Caged Bird is set within African –American prospective twentieth-century America. Twentieth-century America, for average black person, was not a hospitable place. However, the experience was entirely different for white who lived a privileged life in a society where anyone whose colour was not white was relegated to the status of an underdog.
5. What is the Subject Matter of the Poem?
The poem describes a "caged bird"—a bird that is trapped in a “narrow cage” with limited mobility, only able to sing about the freedom it has never had and cannot attain. This caged bird is an extended metaphor for the Black community's past and ongoing experience of racism in the United States in particular, and can also be read as portraying the experience of any oppressed group. The metaphor captures the overwhelming agony and cruelty of the oppression of marginalized communities by relating it to the emotional suffering of the caged bird.The poem uses the metaphor of the bird to capture not just the way that oppression imposes overt physical limitations on the oppressed, but also the way that those limitations emotionally and psychologically impact the oppressed. For instance, in lines 10-11 the poem states that the caged bird "can seldom see through his bars," which seems at first as if the poem is going to explain how being in the cage limits the bird's line of sight. But instead, the poem further describes the bars as being "bars of rage"—the bird is imprisoned and certainly the physical bars of the cage limit its line of sight, but the bird can "seldom see" because these conditions make the bird blind with rage. By fusing the limits imposed by the cage with the emotional impact those limits inspire, the poem makes clear that the environment and the anger can't be separated from one another. The oppression of the cage doesn't just keep the bird captive; the captivity changes the bird, and in so doing robs the bird of its very self.
As an extended metaphor used to convey the pain of the oppression faced by Black people throughout (and before) the history of the United States, aspects of the poem can be read as directly related to that particular experience. For instance, the caged bird's song can be seen as an allusion to Black spirituals.
The poem's point about the bird's song springing from sadness is critically important, because, historically, many defenders of slavery and other forms of oppression argued that the song and dance that was a part of Black American culture indicated that Black people were in fact joyful and content with their situation. The idea that such music might be an expression of cultural or emotional pain was ignored (in large part because ignoring it meant that those who benefited from such oppression could also justify the oppression as not being oppressive at all).
"Caged Bird" actively and explicitly disputes the notion that the musical expression of an oppressed group is a sign of contentment. It is instead an assertion that the opposite is true. In making such an assertion, the poem refuses to bend to the convenient and racist interpretation of African-American song by white oppressors and instead asserts that the anguish forced on Black communities by white oppression must be acknowledged.
6. Analise the poem
Stanza One: In the first stanza, Maya Angelou refers to nature. She describes how “a free bird leaps on the back of the wind.” She describes the bird‟s flight against the orange sky. The free bird has the right “to claim the sky.” The way she describes the “orange sun rays” gives the reader an appreciation for the natural beauty of the sky, and her description of how the bird “dips his wing” helps the reader to appreciate the bird in his natural habitat enjoying his freedom.Stanza Two: This stanza of „Caged Bird’ contrasts sharply with the first. By using the word “but” to begin this stanza, the speaker prepares the reader for this contrast. Then she describes the “bird that stalks his narrow cage.” The tone is immediately and drastically changed from peaceful, satisfied, and joyful to one that is dark, unnerving, and even frustrating. She describes that this caged first “can seldom see through his bars of rage.”
While the free bird enjoys the full sky, the caged bird rarely even gets a glimpse of the sky. She claims “his wings are clipped, and his feet are tied.” Text from her autobiography reveals that Angelou often felt this way in life. She felt restricted from enjoying the freedom that should have been her right as a human being. The speaker then reveals that these are the very reasons the bird “opens his throat to sing.”
The author felt this way in her own life. She wrote and sang and danced because it was her way of expressing her longing for freedom.
Stanza Three: The third stanza reverts back to the free bird, further cementing the difference between the free bird and the caged bird in the readers‟ minds. She writes that a “free bird thinks of another breeze” that he can enjoy the “sighing trees” and be free to find his own food. The tone with which she writes the first and third stanzas so sharply contrasts with the second stanza that readers can feel the difference. The first and third stanzas give the reader a sense of ecstasy and thrill, making the second stanza seem all the more droll and even oppressive.
Stanza Four: The fourth stanza of „Caged Bird’ continues the parallel between the free bird and the caged bird. The first line serves to starkly contrast the last line in the third stanza. It is dark and daunting. The reality of the life of the caged bird is revealed in this line.
Mentioning of fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn brings around a predator/prey juxtaposition too. It would be the worms that would be scared for their life, losing freedom as the birds feed upon such prey. However, with a bird entrapped by a cage, the worms are the ones that have the freedom, compared to the caged bird.
Stanza Five: That bird “stands on the grave of dreams.” This reveals the author‟s feelings about her own dreams. She has so many dreams that have died because she was never given the freedom to achieve all that her white counterparts could. Discrimination and racism made up her cage, and although she sang, she felt her voice was not heard in the wide world but only by those nearest her cage. The second line of this stanza is not only dark but even frightening.
The speaker describes the bird‟s cries as “shouts on a nightmare scream.” At this point, the caged bird is so despondent in his life of captivity that his screams are like that of someone having a nightmare. The author then repeats these lines:
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
Reaffirming the idea that the bird opens his mouth to sing because his desire for freedom and his desire to express himself cannot be contained.
Stanza Six: This last stanza focuses on the caged bird yet again. The author implies that even though the caged bird may have never experienced true freedom, deep down, that bird still knows 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 longed for freedom.
Here, the speaker reveals that his cry for freedom is “heard on the distant hill.” This parallels to the author and her cry for freedom in the form of equality. She feels her cries are heard, but only as soft background noise. She still feels that she is caged and that although she sings, her cries are heard only as a distant noise.
The last line states, “For the caged bird sings of freedom.” With this, the speaker implies that although the caged bird may never have experienced freedom, he still sings of it because he was created for freedom. This is paralleled to the African American struggle in Maya Angelou‟s time.
She feels that Black Americans wrote and sang and danced and cried out for the freedom they deserved, but they were only heard as a distant voice. Yet, this would not stop them from crying out for freedom and equality because they knew they were made for freedom, and they would not relent until they were given their rights as human beings to enjoy the freedom they were created to enjoy.
7. Explain the theme of the poem
‘Caged Bird’ is filled with powerful themes. These include racial oppression, freedom/captivity, and happiness/sorrow. These themes are all wrapped together in ‘Caged Bird’ through Angelou‟s depiction of the two birds, one free and one caged.1. FREEDOM VERSUS BONDAGE: In Caged Bird, the poet pits freedom against bondage. She idealists freedom with the free bird and bondage with the caged bird. The free bird enjoys all the liberties that come with freedom while the caged bird is denied of freedom, living on the grave of his dreams.
Maya Angelou juxtaposes the two ideas using the “the free bird” and “the caged bird”. Beyond the surface meaning, she contrasts the living conditions of both white and black Americans placing premium on the freedom of black Americans. The black Americans are denied basic living conditions and rights: quality education, enabling environment, good jobs, right to vote among many others. These are basic rights every human being should enjoy and which the white Americans symbolized by “the free bird” enjoy.
2. DISCRIMINATION: Another undercurrent issue in Caged Bird is discrimination. The poem pictures the discrimination of the blacks by the whites. Depicting this with expressions like “bars of rage”, “tied feet” and “clipped wings”, the poet shows the plight of the discriminated "Negro".
There is strong racial discrimination within the rank and file of the America society. It has been so structured that there are schools for the black and schools for the white, jobs for the black and jobs for the white, neighborhood for the black and neighborhood for the white, restaurants for the black and restaurants for the white. The society is basically segmented this way with the white having the better things and the blacks being stuffed with the left-over.
3. UNFULFILLED DREAMS: Also addressed in the poem is the issue of unfulfilled dreams. “The caged bird” in the poem is impeded by “bars of rage”, “tied feet” and “clipped wings” from accomplishing his dreams and so he stands on “a grave of his dreams” troubled by “his shadow on a nightmare scream”.
Similarly, the black America is stared in the face by unaccomplished dreams resulting from the denial of his basic rights.
4. Music as a Channel of Emotion, Action, and Independence: "Caged Bird" actively and explicitly debates the notion that the musical expression of an oppressed group is a sign of contentment. The poem asserted that Music is a form of therapy. Emotions such as anger, pain, love, and fear are likely transformed into different forms of art such as writing, dancing, acting, singing, etc. In lines 19 and 35, The caged bird 'tune is heard' which simply denotes a channel through which the caged bird can purge its emotion.
5. Freedom as a Universal and Natural Right: As the poem, "Caged Bird" explores the behavior of the free and the captive, it also makes clear that the desire for freedom is an organic, universal impulse that cannot be bound or destroyed. The poem states that the caged bird sings "of things unknown / but longed for still." The speaker then clarifies: "the caged bird/singledom."
Because freedom is a thing "unknown" to the caged bird, the implication is that the caged bird was not taken from his natural environment, but rather was likely born in his cage and has never known anything else. The caged bird has never known freedom but still understands what freedom is, and yearns for it. That the understanding of freedom seems to be universal suggests that freedom is the natural, biological state of living things.
8. Explain the structure and form the poem
‘Caged Bird’ by Maya Angelou is a six-stanza poem that is separated into stanzas that range in length. Angelou chose to write the poem in free verse. This means that there is no single rhyme scheme or metrical pattern that unites all the lines. But, there are some examples of an iambic meter.This adds to the overall musicality of the poem. Iambs are also generally referred to as “rising” feet when the second syllable is stressed. This plays into the content of the caged bird and the free bird.
7. Explain the Styles and Symbol (Poetic devices) in the poem
Angelou makes use of several literary devices in „Caged Bird.’ These include but are not limited to:Language and Style
The following are the techniques/ways through which the writer presents his work.(a) Diction: the language of poem is simple enough to comprehend. The poet employs certain words and expressions to create unpleasant images of freedom and captivity.
(b) Tone: The tone is reflective. The poet presents two contrasting images of freedom and restriction in order to send a powerful message.
(c) Mood: The mood changes from one stanza to the next. In the first and fourth stanzas, it is joyful, in the second, third, and sixth stanzas, it is depressing and mournful.
(e) Storytelling style: The style of the poet in rendering this poem is a descriptive, storytelling style. It is reminiscent of the oral tradition that was an integral part of the African-American community during the period of slavery. The poem gathers more life in an oral rendition than in its written form.
Figures of Speech
1. Alliteration: another form of repetition, but one that is solely focused on the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of multiple words. For example, “sun” and “sky” at the end of stanza one and “cage / can” in lines three and four of stanza two.2. Enjambment: another important literary device that’s also quite common in contemporary poetry. It appears when a poet cuts off a sentence or phrase with a line break before its natural stopping point. For example, the transition between lines one and two of the first stanza and lines three and four of the second stanza.
3. Repetition: is seen throughout the poem but most prominently in the structure of the stanzas and the continual reference to the “free bird” and “caged bird.” One of the best examples is seen in the sixth stanza, in which the poet repeats the entire third stanza.
4. Symbolism: the use of an image to represent something else. In this case, the caged bird symbolizes the confined and oppressed African American community in the United States.
e.g:
➢ Song: (the caged bird sings)-this can be seen as a symbol of blacks resistance against the whites domination. It stands for hope in the future and for freedom from their oppressors.
➢ Sky: this is a symbol of personal development and achievement. It is only the free bird that has access to the sky.
➢ Cage: this symbolize captivity. It stands for all the impediments put on the ways of the blacks in their attempt to reach higher and realize their potentials and dreams.
Rationale:
In this poem, Angelou examines the circumstances surrounding the caged bird and the free bird. This poem is presented in the form of a vision, which metaphorically presents the chequered nature of the life of an average African-American, in the United States of America. The entire poem compares and contrasts two birds, one that is free and the second that lives inside a cage. The poem is a song of freedom. One would notice that this refrain starts with the words "the caged bird". What this entails is that the cage has become part of the bird's personality just like freedom is part of the free bird's identity.Prerequisite/ Previous knowledge:
storytelling, songs, history etc.Learning Resources:
Flash cards, an audio video you-tube examples, Available useful objects.Reference Materials:
1. Exam focus on Literature in English by J.O.J Nwachukwu et’al.2. Standard literature in English vol.4 by Tony Duru
3. The poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou.
4. Internet sources
Lesson Development:
STAGE |
TEACHER'S ACTIVITY |
LEARNER'S ACTIVITY |
LEARNING POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEP 1: PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE full class session |
The teacher begins the day's lesson by asking questions based on previous knowledge. List and Explain the Theme of the poem “The Grieved Lands” by Agostinho Neto The teacher recite the poem and remained the students that, “The Grieved Lands” is a protest poem that laments and sheds tears for African countries over European exploitation. The entire Africa continent is viewed as having been abused, despoiled and wantonly dehumanized. In the poem, injustice, tales of horror and man’s inhumanity to man are carefully presented. African continent has wallowed in the throes of colonialism, slavery and slave trade and this poem gives account of the African experience in the wake of colonial exploitation. The genesis of this problem began from the Berlin Conference of 1884 when in the name of Christianity and civilization; the major European powers partitioned or share Africa countries among themselves for Colonialism. In the poem, the persona who is a voice of reason sees the past and future, protests against unfairness and injustice. He therefore agitates for fairness, unity and cooperation in order to cure the society of its malady. The victims of “the grieved lands” are Africans themselves and the evil deeds they encountered in the hands of colonial masters cannot be forgotten in a hurry. That is the thematic preoccupation of the poem. THE GRIEVED LANDS OF AFRICA The grieved lands of Africa In the tearful woes of ancient and modern slave In the degrading sweat of impure dance Of other seas Grieved The grieved lands of Africa In the infamous sensation Of the stunning perfume of the Flower Crushed in the forest By the wickedness of iron and fire The grieved lands The grieved lands of Africa In the dream soon undone in jingling of jailer's keys And in the stifled laughter and victorious voice of laments And in the unconscious brilliance of hidden sensations Of the grieved lands of Africa Alive In themselves and with us alive They bubble up in dreams Decked with dances by baobabs over balances By the antelope In the perpetual alliance of everything that lives They shout out the sound of life Shout it Even the corpses thrown up by the Atlantic In putrid offering of incoherence And death and in the clearness Of rivers They live The grieved lands of Africa In the harmonious sound of consciences Contained in the honest blood of men In the strong desire of men In the sincerity In the pure and simple rightness of the stars’ Existence They live The grieved lands of Africa Because we are living And are imperishable particles Of the grieved lands of Africa. Agostinho Neto |
The students respond to the questions based on previous knowledge.Theme of “The Grieved Lands” by Agostinho Neto1. Theme of Colonial Exploitation and Slave Trade: This poem “The Grieved Lands” explores the spate of colonial oppression and exploitation of African countries which has contributed to African’s backwardness. Colonialism paves, way for slave trade to strive as Africans were yet to embrace it. In the poem, the entire African continent is sad and grieved over this wanton experience “In the tearful woes of ancient and modern slave”. This experience is not a pleasant one as the poet equates Africa continent to be a beautiful and vibrant flower, fresh and young and then suddenly crushed in the forest following the arrival of the white who pose as supreme power. They employed the instrument of iron and fire to subdue African countries, in order to exploit them. They did not only abscond with their assets and valuable property, but also took able-bodied African youth and men and to use them for cheap labors in order to transform their own societies.However, Africa’s dream for a better society is soon undone (different) in jingling of gaolers’ keys”. Meaning the destiny and dreams of the captured slaves have also been sold to the slave masters who decide when to eat and what to do. Their hands and legs chained and mouth sealed up with the jailer’s keys. There is little or no resistance as that could mean instant death or merciless beating. “They shout out the sound of life/even the corpse thrown up by the Atlantic in putrid offering of incoherence/and death”. This means that those who died out of exhaustion of the longs distance journey are cast out of the boat and thrown into the sea for fishes to feast on. 2. Theme of Man’s Inhumanity to Man: The poem “The Grieved Lands” in an exposition on man cruelty towards his own man, where man’s right of existence is trampled up. African’ experience about slave trade in the wake of centuries ago is an ugly incidence which they will never forget in a hurry. The persona is therefore grieving or sad over man’s inhumanity to man as a result of unhealthy human trade. He also attributes this to the cause of Africa’s backwardness and what makes some academic scholars called it Dark Continent. “The Grieved Lands” refers to all African countries that must have passed through this thorny experience of slavery and slave trade. During this period, the European (slave masters) employed the instrument of force and compulsion to subdue and maltreat the stubborn captured slaves to submission. Some others who attempted to escape were shot dead, while some sustain various degrees of injuries as a result. Hence, they are “crushed in the forest/by the wickedness of iron and fire” Also, the captured African slaves suffered various act of shame and dehumanization. They are heavily bound with chains with padlocks and keys and their mouths sealed. Their dreams and hope of a better life shattered. Some who died of exhaustion, bad weather condition, suffocation, because of the long journey from Africa to Europe were thrown into the high sea. The persona laments in stanza five when he says “They shout out the sound of life/shout it. Even the Atlantic Ocean rejects their corpses because of their violent and gruesome death. They just can’t complain to the world communities to come to their aid because their words might be incomprehensible (incoherent) to them and also because they approve of such inhuman business transaction. 3. Theme of Anguish, Pain and Gruesome End: “The Grieved Land” is a poem of lamentation which explores anguish and pain experienced by African continent during the era of slave trade. The persona opens the old wound which will never be healed as a result of the gravity of pain inflicted on the captured slaves, for they were treated as common human commodities that can be used and disposed. They are not only forced to do the bidding of their slave masters, but also lost their lives in the struggle and their attempt to resist and escape from their captors. However, the poet persona is in deep pain as those who died as a result of the tedious and endless journey to escape where they would be used for force labors, are cast into the Atlantic Ocean and the stubborn ones are severally beaten. Therefore, the persona laments the heinous crime committed by the Europeans on Africans and how they (westerners) put an end to the African’s peaceful and communal society “stunning perfumes of the flower”. African’s workable and interesting society is soon crushed” in the forest” in the unknown plantation farm where African slaves were taken to. “Forest” also refers to African continent. In spite of the pain and gruesome maltreatment meted out on African slaves, they are still poised with spirit of determination, hope and desire to survive and regain their freedom. The persona confesses that “they were the grieved land of Africa/ because we are living / and are imperishable particles of the grieved land of Africa”. 4. Theme of Hope, Determination for Survival: There is a tone of hope, resilience and the need to fight for survival and freedom in the last two stanzas of this poem. The poet echoes the fact that the only way to fight against oppression man’s inhumanity to man, slavery and slave trade is to keep burning with the coal of determination and resilient attitude. It is a known fact that some of the slaves who refused to submit willing to European enslavement were released and returned to their various countries and “They live/In the harmonious sound of consciousness/contained in the honest blood of men/in the strong desire of men”. The honest blood f men” refers to some of the brave captured slaves who refused to be subdued to their captors and their only hope of surviving is to be set free. The persona also confirms this ideology when he refers to Africans as imperishable particles, that is, we cannot be swayed by any circumstance since we have developed thick skins to weather all storms of life. The poem “The Grieved Lands” is therefore a clarion call for all well-meaning Africans not to cave in their fight for any form of discrimination, injustice, oppression slavery and man’s inhumanity to man. |
Reversing previous lesson |
| STEP 2: INTRODUCTION full class session Identification of prior ideas. |
The teacher review/introduce what they are going to study today, A poem "Caged bird" by Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou's" Caged Bird examines a circumstance that surrounds the caged bird and the free bird. It is inarguably known that the poem was informed from some of the restrictions and rejections Maya Angelou faced because of her skin color. The poem is one of the most moving and eye-opening poems ever written. Angelou's autobiography titled; "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" has a similar title to the poem. This denotes the significance of the title to Angelou, as it was similar to the title of her entire life story. In her autobiography, she talked about the struggle of being a black author and poet. This poem metaphorically presents the nature of the life of an average African American, in the united states of America. The entire poem of 38 lines in six stanzas compares and contrasts two birds- one that is free and the other that is caged. The free bird flies around the wind currents, feeling as though the sky belongs to it while the caged bird can barely move even in its prison. The anger and the frustration of being caged even with clipped and tired feet that all it can do is to sing fearfully of the things it wants and does not know. It sings for its freedom and everyone, even those far distant, could hear its song. However, these birds are a symbolic representation of the two main racial groupings in the United States, the whites and the African Americans. The bird that is free and whose movement. However, these birds are a symbolic representation of the two main racial groupings in the United States, the whites and the African Americans. The bird that is free and whose movement is not restricted represents the whites in twentieth-century American while the caged bird metaphorically represents the African American. We see these contrasting and obvious prejudices all through the lines of the poem, the free bird is focused on the breeze, the sounds the trees make, the worms in the ground he's planning on eating. The poet's persona reiterates the fact that the free bird feels as though it owns the sky. But the caged bird stands on the grave of dreams. The poem concludes with the caged bird singing once more, as the poet repeats in the last stanza. |
The students listen attentively to the teacher. | Introducing the topic for discussion to arouse their interests and refresh their memories. |
| STEP 3: DEVELOPMENT Group Work |
The teacher guides the learners to form four groups and asks them to choose their leaders and secretaries. | Learners choose their group leaders and secretaries. | Inculcating leadership skills, competitive spirit, cooperation, teamwork and a sense of responsibility among learners. |
| STEP 4: EXPLORATION Mode: Individual |
The teacher presents to the class the instructional resources and guides the students to explain the background setting of the poet and poem. | The students explain the background setting of the poet and poem. (a) THE POET BACKGROUND: "Caged Bird" was published in Maya Angelou's 1983 poetry collection, Shaker, Why , Don't You Sing? It is believed that Maya Angelou's background as an African -American influenced the content of the poem. Caged Bird" tells about the restricted movement that comes alive within the context of the horrid African-American community experience in the United States of America, the enslavement of many Americans for over 300 years because of the color of their skin, the enactment and institutionalized official and unofficial politics that allows some races more than others, such as the Jim Crow law that oppresses the blacks and ensures that they never get to the position of equal citizenship with the whites, the disenfranchisement and deliberate abuse of their fundamental human rights, among many others. It is in this atmosphere that Maya Angelou writes to portray the stark reality of life in the United States of America where racism is sustained and institutionalized. (b) THE POEM BACKGROUND SETTING: The setting of the poem is somehow contrasting. There is one for the free bird another for then cage bird. The free bird is shown as an animal which can roam free in nature. The bright sky and the golden sun and rivers are described as its roaming zone. On the other hand, a caged bird setting is in desolation and prison. Apart from the hills where the song are heard, everything else depicts incapacitation. At the same time, the time setting can be said to be said to be post salver era, when the white are discrimination greatly against the black (descendants of slave). |
The background Settings of the poet and poem. |
| STEP 5: DISCUSSION Mode: Group |
The teacher recite the poem and explain the structure of the poem to the students. The teacher thereafther, guides the students to explain the theme of poem.
Caged Bird A free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wing in the orange sun 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 breeze and 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. Maya Angelou The structure of the poem. 'Caged Bird' by Maya Angelou is a six-stanza poem that is separated into stanzas that range in length. The poem is written in free verse which means it has no rhyme scheme or metrical pattern that unites all the lines. However, there are some examples of an iambic meter. This adds to the overall musicality of the poem. lambs are also generally referred to as "rising" feet in that the second syllable is stressed. This plays into the content of the caged bird and the free bird. Additionally, one must take note of the instances in which the poet makes use of half-rhyme. |
The Students explain the theme of the poem. 1. Oppression and Discrimination: The contrasting image of freedom and bondage runs through the poem "Caged Bird". The poem describes a "caged bird"-a bird that is trapped in a "narrow cage" with limited mobility, only able to sing about the freedom it has never had and cannot attain. while in the First and fourth stanzas, we see a bird blissfully enjoying its freedom in the great outdoors. This caged bird is an extended metaphor for the African American community's past and on—going experience of race-based oppression. It captures the irresistible anguish and cruelness of the oppression of marginalized communities as it is related to the emotional suffering of the "caged bird". The free bird represents the white in American society. In lines,10-11 the poem states that the caged bird "can seldom see through his bars," which seems at first as if the poem is going to explain how being in the cage limits the bird's line of sight. But instead, the poem further describes the bars as being "bars of rage"—the bird is imprisoned and certainly the physical bars of the cage limit its line of sight, but the bird can "seldom see" because these conditions make the bird blind with rage. The oppression of the cage doesn't just keep the bird captive; the captivity changes the bird, and in so doing robs the bird of its very self. 2. Theme of Freedom vs. Captivity: The poem "Caged Bird" compares and contrasts the experience of a free bird with that of a bird held in captivity. While part of this contrast is meant to convey the injustice forced upon the captive bird, the comparison also allows the poem to explore how a free being thinks and acts, and to argue that freedom is a natural state for living beings. As an extended metaphor for the historical oppression of African Americans in the United States, the idea that freedom is a human's natural state of existence, further demonstrates the cruelty and injustice of race-based oppression in the United as embedded in Lines 1-38. The caged bird's longing for freedom also demonstrates the black community's resilience against this oppression. |
Structure and theme of the poem. |
| STEP 6: APPLICATION Mode: Group |
The Teacher guides the students to explain the narrative techniques use in the poem. | The Students explain the narrative techniques use in the poem. 1. Diction: Maya Angelou's diction in this poem is first of all imagistic. She makes use of words that convey images such as 'leaps', 'wind', 'floats downstream, 'orange sun rays', 'wings are clipped". "feet are tied'. All these expressions create visual imagery in the mind of the reader. She also makes use of auditory imagery that creates sounds and ideas of sounds in the mind of the reader. Examples of can be seen in words like 'sing "fearful thrill; "tune', 'heard', 'shouts', 'screams' and so on. 2. Imagery: The poem contains different types of imagery. Examples of this within the poem are:: 'grave' (line 27), "nightmare' (line 28), ".orange sun rays (line 6), dawn bright lawn' (line 25), "tied' (line 13 and clipped' (line 12), among others. These visual images help the reader see what is in the mind of the poet through the words that have been used. 3. Irony: Irony is another figure of speech that is used in this poem. The title of this poem is "Caged Bird" yet the poem begins with the free bird... From the title, one would expect to only see the description of the happenings in the life of a caged bird. However, the poem contains both the actions of a free bird. 4. Repetition: The third and sixth verses are repeated, thus serving as a refrain. This adds to the musicality of the poem. 5. End rhyme: End rhyme is found in stanzas three and six: 'trill' 'still' and 'hill' are used to create end rhymes in these stanzas. 6. Alliteration: Alliteration is another form of repetition but one that is solely focused on the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of multiple words. For example, "sun" and "sky" at the end of stanza one and "cage / can" in lines three and four of stanza two. 7. Enjambment: Enjambment is an important literary device that's also quite common in contemporary poetry. It appears when a poet chooses to cut off a sentence or phrase with a line break before its natural stopping point. For example, the transition between lines one and two of the first stanza as well as lines three and four of the second stanza. |
Narrative Techniques (Language and style) of the poem |
| STEP 7: EVALUATION Mode: Entire Class |
The teacher asks the students the following questions: 1. What is Poetry? 2. Describe Maya Angelou. 3. What is the setting of the poem? 4 Discuss the subject matter of the poem |
The students expected answers 1. Poetry is a branch of literature that stir a readers imagination or emotion, it is a piece of writing that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound and rhythm. 2. Maya Angelou, born on April 4, 1928, at St Louis, Missouri, United states of America.Her name when she was born was Marguerite Angelou.An African American writer, who was awarded honorary doctorates by over fifty major universities and colleges. She authored over thirty books of which seven were autobiographical novels. The most popular is I know why the cage bird sings. She was honoured with a presidential medal of freedom by President Barack Obama. She died at the age of 86 on May 28, 2014. 3. The cage bird is set in twentieth century America. A period of industrial revolution. African American was exploited and oppressed, hence there were laws backing this discrimination. 4. The poem examines the circumstances surrounding the caged bird and the free bird. The entire poem compares and contrasts the two birds. These birds are symbolic, figurative of two main racial groupings in the United States, the whites and the African-Americans. |
Asking the learners questions to assess the achievement of the set objectives. |
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| ASSIGNMENT | The teacher gives learners take home. 1. Examine the theme of irony and express its significance to the poem "Caged Bird". 2. How does setting affect Maya Angelou's "Caged Bird"? 3. Highlight the symbolic significance of the structure of Maya Angelou's 'Caged Bird". 4. Maya Angelou's diction in Caged Bird' is emotionally charged. Discuss. 5. With emphasis on age and style, discuss "Caged Bird". 6. How is freedom ironic in Maya Angelou's "Caged Bird'? 7. "Caged Bird' is a reflection of the life of the African-American in twentieth-century America. True or false? Discuss. 8. Attempt a contrastive analysis of the free bird and the caged bird in "Caged Bird". |
The learners copy the assignment | Better understanding of the Poem. |
| CONCLUSION | The teachers wrap up from the learners' contribution. The theme of The benefits of limitationT: It might seem ironic, but this poem also expresses the benefits of limitation. It is cogent to note that for one to rise above limitation, one must be lumited in the first place. Freedom indeed has has good qualities but it is the obstacles and oppositions in life that bring out the genius in man. He has propelled it to achieve something that the free bird, for all its freedom, can only hope to achieve. |
The students listen to the teacher and copy down notes. | Consolidating and harmonizing scientific concepts. |