Dunbar writes a poem with vivid and descriptive language throughout. Dunbar uses this to emphasize his point that someone tied up in bondage and chains figuratively is not fortunate enough to enjoy the finer things in life. Sadly, "springing grass", a flowing river, and budding flowers are things that unoppressed people might take for granted (For a slave or someone struggling to get on their feet post slavery, could not take the time to enjoy life's pleasures in which Dunbar symbolically uses nature.) Dunbar uses language that reaches out, striking a personal chord with the reader. Grass, river, or flowers may be objects we enjoy, but underprivileged people, not necessarily minorities, cannot enjoy because of social or economic circumstances. Underprivile

ged people may see white people doing what they enjoy and work themselves into a frustrated frenzy because try as they might, the deck is stacked against them.

In the second stanza, Dunbar refers to the emotional and physical abuse that imprisonment and enslavement evokes both in the caged bird and the African American. He begins this stanza with, "I know why the caged bird beats his wing." (Line 8) Meaning, Dunbar understands why the caged bird fights both physically and emotionally to be set free. The remaining portions of the second stanza portray the self-inflicted and non self-inflicted physical wounds of the caged bird to the African American. The self-inflicted wounds come from the battle for freedom. Dunbar describes "why the caged bird beats his wing till its blood is red on the cruel bars" because "he must fly back to his perch and cling when he fain would be on the bough a-swing." (Lines 8-11) The African Americans experienced this same kind of pain from fighting for their freedom. Lynching, or being put to death by hanging or burning without legal sanction, were the prominent choices of deadly torture in the 1800's and early 1900's. Lynching or beating occurred when a slave tried to escape or disobey his/her white master. It seems that Dunbar is metaphorically referring to this in his second stanza.

The life of a caged bird is similar. Caged birds too are like prisoners in their own home. A caged bird is not allowed to use its ability to fly, to explore, and to be free. Instead, the caged bird is forced to be on "his perch and cling when he fain would be on the bough a-swing." (Lines 10, 11) Dunbar identifies the African American lifestyle with wha

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1129
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)