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!
"SYMPATHY" by paul Laurence Dunbar is a poem about a 'caged bird.' Mr.Dunbar was the son of slaves and often wrote about slavery and life in the South.
This poem contains repeated words and phrases like I know why, caged bird,and first.The structure of this poem is 3 stanzas with 7 lines in each.The mood of the poem is said in some parts and angry in others.The poetis is saying that a bird in a caged is like a human slave in this poem.
"Till its blood is red on the cruel bars"
Dunbar is trying to say that the bird has been flapping on the cage because he wants to free until blood gets on the cruel bars.A bird being stuck in a cage he'll start getting nervous and start beating on the cage with his wings until they bleed.Dunbar is feeling the birds pain because he know what a slave feels like not having no freedom.So a bird stuck in the cage is like a slave and Dunbar was a son of slave so he knows how it feels.He repeats I know the caged bird" because he knows how it feels he wants the auidence to know how he felt.
"I know why he beats his wings"
Dunbar means that he knows that the bird wants to be out the cage.Thats why he say I know why he beats his wings.He knows how it feels also thats another reason.He's trying to explain that he knows how it feel to have no freedom.Freedom is something you have to fight for and the bird is beating his wings on the cage until they bleed so he can earn some freedom.Like a slave freedom is to keep working and do what the master say to get out of slavery.The bird is tired of being in the cage so he beats his wings is the point.
"When he beat his bars he will be free"
Dunbar is trying to say that when he beats the bars so much until he'll be free. In other words he'll beat his wings so much the bar will break.When the bar break he will fly free.He will beat his wings so much and the owner will free him beacause of all the blood on the cage also.The purpose is that the bird will be free because of beating his wings so much
Some of the other literary devices in the poem are
Alliteration -When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
Simile-the river flows like a stream of glass.
Metaphor-caged bird=slaves
Rhyme-Alas,grass,glass
Imagery-first bird sings (hearing)and the first bud opens (sight) and faint perfume from (smell)
Repitition-I know what the caged bird feels
Big ten poetry devices.
Metaphor-Love is a aslyum full of carzy people.
Extended Metaphor-I am a cartoon i talk funny and i make alot of funny faces.
Alliteration-Amber aggervates Alishiyia
Allusion-My school is the superdome it's big.
Figurative Language- My english class is so hot my skin is burning.My english class is so small a baby can't fit in there.
Onomatopoeia-Wolf wolf was the sound the man made.CRACK CRACK was the the man made chewing sunflower seeds.
PERSONIFICATION-When you walk in my house the smell just grabs you and push you away.
RHYME-I like Burger King i grab my fries with my pinky ring and i love the onion ring
Repetition-sprite is so good sprite is so sweet sprite is refreshing.
Simile-Mom is crazy as a dog