Caged Bird

Front

Which lines from the poem show that the caged bird has never been free? “his wings are clipped and / his feet are tied / so he opens his throat to sing.” (lines 12–14), “his tune is heard / on the distant hill / for the caged bird / sings for freedom.” (lines 19–22), “But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams / his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream” (lines 27–28), “The caged bird sings / with a fearful trill / of things unknown / but longed for still” (lines 31–34)

Back

“The caged bird sings / with a fearful trill / of things unknown / but longed for still” (lines 31–34)

Front

What does the caged bird’s singing reveal about him? Options: He is terribly unhappy, He prefers to sing rather than to fly, He is afraid to be free, He wants to be heard

Back

He is terribly unhappy

Front

Why does the caged bird sing?

Back

It has only one way to express itself

Front

What do these lines reveal about the caged bird? But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage

Back

The caged bird has strong feelings.

Front

According to the poem, the free bird can best be described as

Back

Content

Front

What is the main conflict in this poem?

Back

The caged bird longs for the life of the free bird.

Front

What is this poem mainly about? Options: Freedom and slavery, The lives of birds, Joy and singing, The dreams of birds

Back

Freedom and slavery

Front

What is the effect of the trees sighing in the verse: "The free bird thinks of another breeze / and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees"?

Back

It indicates that the bird is carefree.

Front

Read the following lines from the poem
The free bird thinks of another breeze And the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
The imagery in these lines suggest - The bird is not confident in her ability to fly, The bird is enjoying a beautiful fly, The bird is keenly aware of her surroundings , The bird is much happier than the caged bird

Back

The bird is much happier than the caged bird

Front

An idea explored in both the selection and the poem is:

• People escaping slavery
• The longing for freedom
• The effects of oppression
• The power of fear and the unknown

Back

The longing for freedom