34 pages 1 hour read

Maya Angelou

Caged Bird

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1983

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Book Club Questions

General Impressions

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of racism.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How does the contrast between the images of the free bird and the caged bird affect your emotional response to the poem? Which visual created the strongest impression, and why?

2. Angelou’s “Caged Bird” serves as a companion piece to her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. How does the poem’s extended metaphor illuminate aspects of her personal journey that resonated with you? For those who have read both works, how does the autobiography enhance your understanding of this poem?

3. What effect did the repetition of the stanza about the caged bird singing of freedom have on your reading experience? How did this structural choice influence your understanding of the poem’s message?

Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The caged bird sings “with a fearful trill / of things unknown / but longed for still” (Lines 16-18). What aspirations or experiences have you yearned for without having directly experienced them? How has that yearning influenced your choices or outlook?

Related Titles

By Maya Angelou

Study Guide

logo

A Brave And Startling Truth

Maya Angelou

A Brave And Startling Truth

Maya Angelou

Plot Summary

logo

All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes

Maya Angelou

All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes

Maya Angelou

Plot Summary

logo

A Song Flung Up to Heaven

Maya Angelou

A Song Flung Up to Heaven

Maya Angelou

Plot Summary

logo

Gather Together in My Name

Maya Angelou

Gather Together in My Name

Maya Angelou

Study Guide

logo

Letter to My Daughter

Maya Angelou

Letter to My Daughter

Maya Angelou

Study Guide

logo

Mom & Me & Mom

Maya Angelou

Mom & Me & Mom

Maya Angelou

Study Guide

logo

Mother, A Cradle to Hold Me

Maya Angelou

Mother, A Cradle to Hold Me

Maya Angelou

Study Guide

logo

On the Pulse of Morning

Maya Angelou

On the Pulse of Morning

Maya Angelou

Study Guide

logo

Phenomenal Woman

Maya Angelou

Phenomenal Woman

Maya Angelou

Study Guide

logo

The Heart of a Woman

Maya Angelou

The Heart of a Woman

Maya Angelou

Study Guide

logo

The Lesson

Maya Angelou

The Lesson

Maya Angelou