Question

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.

Read the above lines and answer the question that follow.

What docs the word “clipped” mean in this poem?

Answer 1

Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird” is full of avian metaphors and imagery. The poem itself is a metaphor for the limitations one experiences in a life of oppression. “Caged Bird”. draws from Angelou’s own experiences as a Black woman in the racially-segregated United States following the Civil War and even beyond the Civil Rights Movement. To this day, many Black Americans face limitations based on a systemic cycle of racial oppression which prevents class mobility. In talking of birds, “clipping” involves trimming a bird’s wing feathers so that they cannot fly. Some bird owners or caretakers trim just one wing or enough feathers on each side, so as to render the bird unstable in flight but leaving them able to glide for a short distance. In Angelou’s poem the bird longs for freedom but is restricted as not only is it caged but its wings are also clipped.