Edge Level a Caged Bird

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)

What does the caged bird’s singing reveal about him?

• He is terribly unhappy

• He prefers to sing rather than to fly

• He is afraid to be free

• He wants to be heard

Why does the caged bird sing?

• It wants to challenge the free bird

• It has to make others feel good

• It wants to entertain people

• It has only one way to express itself

Read these lines from the poem.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

What do these lines reveal about the caged bird?

• The caged bird has strong feelings.

• The caged bird is aware of its surroundings.

• The caged bird has difficulty flying.

• The caged bird is satisfied with its life.

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

• Hungry

• Content

• Cautious

• Thoughtful

What is the main conflict in this poem?

• The caged bird hates the free bird.

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

• The free bird laughs at the caged bird.

• The free bird cannot sing as well as the caged bird.

What is this poem mainly about?

• Freedom and slavery

• The lives of birds

• Joy and singing

• The dreams of birds

Read lines 23 and 24 from the poem.

The free bird thinks of another

breeze / and the trade winds

soft through the sighing trees

What is the effect of the trees sighing in this verse?

• It indicates that it is still early in the day.

• It shows the tree is sleeping

• It indicates that the bird is carefree.

• It shows where the bird sleeps.

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

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