The phrase "why the caged bird sings" is most famously associated with Maya Angelou's poem "Caged Bird." The caged bird symbolizes people who are oppressed and confined, particularly representing the Black community's experience of racial oppression and longing for freedom. The bird sings despite its captivity because singing is an expression of hope, resistance, and a deep longing for freedom that it has never known but instinctively desires. In the poem, the caged bird's song is described as a "fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still," conveying the pain and the yearning for liberty and equality. This singing is not joyful but a powerful plea for freedom and recognition, echoing the voices of those who have historically been marginalized and silenced. The song of the caged bird reaches distant places, symbolizing the hope that the cry for freedom will be heard and bring about change. Thus, the caged bird sings because it embodies the universal struggle against oppression and the indomitable spirit to seek freedom and justice despite constraints and suffering.
