Sympathy
I KNOW what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals--
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting--
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--
When he beats his bars and he 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!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals--
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting--
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--
When he beats his bars and he 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!
Analysing Sympathy
3 Quotes Paraphased and explained
* "When the first bird sings and the first bud opes"
This means birds are singing songs of spring and flowers are blooming
* "I know the caged bird beats his wing its blood is red on the cruel bars"
The bird is stuggling to get free and beats his wings on the bars and starts to bleed
* "It in not a carol of joy or glee but a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core"
The bird isn't singing a happy song he is crying for help.
My Opinion of the Poem
I think the poem is a good piece of work and really makes you think.
This poem is written by Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
In this a poem a bird is trying to escape a cage. He wants be free and not confined to a cage. It displays how the slaves of his time felt being captive and by saying "I know how the caged birds feels" he's saying that he knows what those slaves are going through.
Literary Devices from the PoemAlliteration - when the wind stirs soft through the springing grass
Simile - the river flows like a stream of glass
Metaphor - Caged bird = slaves or African Americans who are not FREE
Rhyme - Alas, grass and glass
Imagery - first bird sings (hearing) and the first bud opes (sight), and the faint perfume from (smell)
Repetition - I Know what the caged bird feels
* "When the first bird sings and the first bud opes"
This means birds are singing songs of spring and flowers are blooming
* "I know the caged bird beats his wing its blood is red on the cruel bars"
The bird is stuggling to get free and beats his wings on the bars and starts to bleed
* "It in not a carol of joy or glee but a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core"
The bird isn't singing a happy song he is crying for help.
My Opinion of the Poem
I think the poem is a good piece of work and really makes you think.
This poem is written by Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
In this a poem a bird is trying to escape a cage. He wants be free and not confined to a cage. It displays how the slaves of his time felt being captive and by saying "I know how the caged birds feels" he's saying that he knows what those slaves are going through.
Literary Devices from the PoemAlliteration - when the wind stirs soft through the springing grass
Simile - the river flows like a stream of glass
Metaphor - Caged bird = slaves or African Americans who are not FREE
Rhyme - Alas, grass and glass
Imagery - first bird sings (hearing) and the first bud opes (sight), and the faint perfume from (smell)
Repetition - I Know what the caged bird feels