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"We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike." (35-36), this quote illustrates the main theme of the poem, we are all one giant human family. Just as with many of her other poems Angelou is attempting to express ideas of equality. This specific poem has twelve stanzas which each expressing another angle on the idea of equality. Angelou was an African-American author during the civil rights movement which greatly affected most of her poems especially this one. As seen in the lines, "The variety of our skin tones can confuse, bemuse, delight, brown and pink and beige and purple, tan and blue and white." (9-12) she calls for no differentiation based on skin color. The main objective of the civil rights movement. Through the poem, Angelou is expressing the idea of love for each and everyone of us no matter what we look like. The theme of us all being one family is echoed by the title and this central idea.

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Murphy, Bruce Allen. "Civil rights movement." World Book Advanced, World Book, 2017, www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar116999. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.
Williams, Andreá N. "Angelou, Maya." World Book Advanced, World Book, 2017, www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar021730. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.

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"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is a beautiful poem that explores the theme of oppression and finding freedom. Many of Angelou's poems explore similar ideas, but this one is particularly spectacular as it uses the analogy of birds. Specifically in the lines, "his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing" (12-14) Angelou uses the metaphor very skillfully. She conjures up the image of a restrained bird to represent how she has been oppressed during her life and in order to fight back she "opened her throat to sing" or wrote. The poem is written with a loose rhyme scheme which helps the flow, but does not restrict her writing. Angelou composed her poems during the civil rights movement. As an African-American woman during that time she was caged just like the bird in the poem. Conversely, the free bird represents the white men who do not have to worry about their rights not being recognized especially in the lines, "A free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream" (1-3). Overall, Angelou's poem is a representation of her life during the civil rights movement and the conflict she experienced during the time skillfully represented through the analogy of a bird.

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Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in Saint Louis but was raised by her grandmother who lived in Arkansas. Angelou was heavily influenced by the racism she experienced during her childhood and it was through this hard time she found the inspiration to publish multiple books and poems. Some of her more famous books include,  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970), Gather Together in My Name (1974), Singin’ and Swingin’ and Getting Merry Like Christmas (1976), The Heart of a Woman (1981), All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002), and Mom & Me & Mom (2013). All of her books were autobiographical telling her story of growing up in the South. After her death on May 28, 2014, all of her poems were published in The Complete Poetry  (2015). Throughout her life, she was recognized for her wonderful work including winning the Spingarn Medal in 1994 for her achievement in literature, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. Maya Angelou was a very accomplished woman and author

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-Personification: the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman

In the poem "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" the lines, "can seldom see through his bars of rage" (Angelou, 10-11) Angelou describes the bars as having rage, an emotion, which inanimate objects cannot posses.

-Alliteration: the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables

In "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" Angelou uses alliteration in the line "and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn" (Angelou, 25). The phrase "worms waiting" repeats the initial "w" sound

-Rhyme: correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" has a number of rhyming lines including the lines, "The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still  and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom." (Angelou, 15-22) The words "trill", "still", and "hill" all end with the same "ill" ending

-Repetition: a literary device that repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer

Repetition is used to emphasize certain ideas and in the "The Human Family" the lines "We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike." (Angelou, 35-36) are repeated three times at the very end of the poem. This is the last thought Angelou leaves the reader with after the poem and the fact that it's repeated three times makes it even more important.

-Hyperbole: an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.

There are many hyperboles throughout "The Human Family" one in the line "I know ten thousand women" (Angelou, 17) shows how she exaggerates the amount of women she knows named Jane and Sarah Jane as no one know ten thousand people. However, her exaggerations emphasizes her main point that everyone is different.

-Connotation: an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning

Many words in "The Human Family" have connotations. One strong example is the word "thrive" in the line "some thrive on comedy"(Angelou, 4). In the sentence thrive has a connotation of being stronger than other synonyms. Angelou could have used the word "survive" in its place, but the connotation of being extra strong associated with thrive makes it a better fit.

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We love and lose in China,
we weep on England's moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we're the same.

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

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I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.

I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.

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The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

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The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

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The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn

and he names the sky his own

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

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A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind

and floats downstream

till the current ends

and dips his wing

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.