Angelou compares the free bird to the caged bird in two separate parts of the poem (the 1st and 2nd stanza, and then again in the 4th and 5th stanza). For this activity, students will choose one of these parts and illustrate and describe the two birds.
Example: In the 4th stanza, the free bird thinks about the fresh air and the worms on the ground that he will eat. He names the sky his own, meaning the vast sky is his to be free in. In the 5th stanza, the caged bird “sits on the grave of dreams”, meaning that his dreams are dead. The caged bird has clipped wings and his feet are tied, meaning that he cannot go anywhere.
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Due Date:
Objective:Identify, describe, and illustrate 2 stanzas where the birds are compared.
Student Instructions:
Encourage students to choose either the caged bird or the free bird and write a short journal entry as if they are that bird. This helps students empathize with the poem’s characters and practice point of view writing.
Lead a class discussion to list feelings the caged bird and free bird might experience (e.g., hope, frustration, joy, sadness). This supports students in connecting emotionally with the birds before writing.
Remind students to describe what the bird sees, hears, and feels in their journal entry. Sensory details make the writing vivid and help students visualize the bird’s world.
Invite students to read their journal entries aloud or share in small groups. Discuss how their perspective changed after writing as a bird, reinforcing empathy and text-to-self connections.
The caged bird represents restriction and lost dreams, with clipped wings and tied feet, while the free bird symbolizes freedom, possibility, and hope, able to claim the sky and imagine new opportunities.
Students can draw two separate scenes: one showing the free bird flying in a vast sky, and another depicting the caged bird behind bars with clipped wings and tied feet, highlighting their contrasting experiences as described in the poem.
The caged bird’s clipped wings and tied feet symbolize lost freedom, oppression, and the inability to pursue dreams, reflecting deeper themes of captivity and limitation.
The free bird 'claims the sky' to illustrate unlimited freedom and the ability to explore new horizons, representing hope and self-determination.
By comparing the two birds, students learn about freedom versus restriction, empathy for those held back by circumstances, and the importance of hope even in challenging situations.