In essence, African Americans were prisoners in their own home i.e. like the caged bird.

             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 what the caged bird feels. In the first stanza, Dunbar writes about the beauty of nature. He writes of "when the sun is bright on the upward slopes; And the river flows like a stream of glass; When the first bird sings and the first bud opes, And the faint perfume from its chalice steals" and then Dunbar writes "I know what the caged bird feels." (Lines 2-7) Interpretivly, Dunbar seems to be relating the caged bird's sadness that stems from not being allowed to enjoy the mysterious beauties of nature. Dunbar attempts to bring the reader into the first stanza by evoking emotion and refection of the beautiful things that all humans should be able to experience.

             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.