Treasure Trove I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Stanza-4 Poem by Mary Angelou Workbook ICSE English Solutions. Workbook Exercise Question and Answer of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Mary Angelou. Visit official website CISCE for detail information about ICSE Board Class- 9/10 English.
Treasure Trove I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Stanza-4 Poem by Mary Angelou Workbook ICSE English Solutions
| Board | ICSE |
| Class | 9th / 10th |
| Subject | English |
| Book Name | Treasure Trove |
| Chapter | I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings |
| Lines | (Stanza-4) |
| Topic | Workbook Question and Answer |
| Session | 2022-23 |
Treasure Trove I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Stanza-4 Poem by Mary Angelou Workbook ICSE English Solutions
Question:– Read the following extract from the poem ‘ I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings ’ by Mary Angelou and answer the questions that follow:
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.
Question 1 Explain with reference to the context.
Reference : These lines are taken from the poem, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ written by Mary Angelou.
Context: The theme of the poem is the suffering of African- Americans and the contrast of slavery versus freedom. Maya Angelou’s 1983 poem “Caged Bird” compares the plight of a caged bird to the flight of a free bird. Many readers have interpreted Angelou’s poem as an extended metaphor with the caged bird representing the historical struggles of African Americans.
Explanation:
The fourth stanza 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. 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 were able to achieve. 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 in 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.
Question-2: What does the line “and his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream” mean?
Answer: on a nightmare scream.” The grave of dreams can refer to a person who has given up on his dreams. The shadow, rather than the bird itself, shouts, revealing a sense of powerlessness, for who would hear the shout of a shadow? This contrasts with the free bird described in the previous stanza who boldly “names the sky his own.”
The caged bird’s “nightmare scream” gives an otherworldly sense that, again, the cry will not be heard. The words “shadow” and “nightmare” evoke a dark outlook, where only the bird’s shadow or nightmares may escape the confines of the cage. 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.
Question 3 :- What is the main conflict in this poem?
Answer 3: The main conflict is that the caged bird wants the life of the free bird. The caged bird also wants the freedom to do whatever he wants.
–: End of Treasure Trove I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Stanza-4 Poem by Mary Angelou :–
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