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Metaphor-  a comparison between two unlike things without using "like or "as."  The entire poem is metaphorical because it compares life to a game of hopscotch.  When she writes "the game is done," she is actually talking about the time towards the end of her life or her childhood, (Angelou 13).

Rhyme-  words rhyme when the sound of their accented vowels and all succeeding sounds are identical.  Angelou rhymes in couplets and uses a special end rhyme when she writes "Both feet flat, the game is done./They think I lost.  I think I won."

Vernacular-  the ordinary language of the people living in a particular region.  Angelou uses the vernacular of people who live in Harlem when she says "hisself" instead of himself, (Angelou 4).

Voice-  the personality of the writer coming through on the page.  The audience can gather that Angelou is quite optimistic, as opposed to proud, after going through what she has because she knows that "They think I [Angelou] lost.  I think I won," (Angelou 14).

Chiasmus-  the reversal of syntax or word order for effect.  "Cross the line, they count you out," can be taken for chiasmus because if the order of clauses is reversed, the line will still function, (Angelou 11).

Connotation-  an association that a word calls to mind in addition to its dictionary meaning.  The terms "curse and cry" and "twist and jerk" seem like a more painful process is taking place than what other words might evoke, (Angelou 8,10).

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Originally published in 1969, the poem is meant to depict the struggle faced by African Americans, specifically children, in the streets of Harlem.  When it is first read it can seem like child's play but when it is more deeply analyzed one can tell that it is more of a commentary on social status and urban life.  The theme of the piece is struggling through life and barely scarping by in the childhoods of African Americans growing up in a poverty-stricken Harlem.  Amid all of the struggle, however, the children can still laugh, play and enjoy a simple game of hopscotch.  Throughout the poem, Angelou is comparing this life to hopscotch with all of its big leaps and the hopes of still standing at the end of it all.  In life there is more at stake than a scraped knee but the idea is still there.  The poem was written in form of a sonnet with some couplets peeking out.  While the world was moving on towards equality and into the 70s,  Harlem was just returning from its time that it spent with race riots and the civil rights movement of the 60s.  The busy Harlem of the 60s was beginning to slow, one even says that "the 1970s were the bottom for Harlem," (Anonymous 2).   The streets of Harlem have seen many cultures and societies between its conception and the 70s and 80s, until today's more gentrified Harlem.

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One foot down, then hop! It's hot.
Good things for the ones that's got.
Another jump, now to the left.
Everybody for hisself.

In the air, now both feet down.
Since you black, don't stick around.
Food is gone, the rent is due,
Curse and cry and then jump two.

All the people out of work,
Hold for three, then twist and jerk.
Cross the line, they count you out.
That's what hopping's all about.

Both feet flat, the game is done.
They think I lost. I think I won.

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Marguerite Johnson from St. Louis, Missouri grew to be Maya Angelou as she became a singer, dancer, actress, composer, Hollywood's first female black director, writer, editor, essayist, playwright, and poet.  She was a spokesperson for women and black people and worked beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.  Becoming these things was no easy task, however.  At the age of 7 she was raped by her mom’s boyfriend who was then murdered by her uncles for his crime.  She felt responsible and fell mute for 5 years, “but developed a love for language” nonetheless, (Anonymous 1).  She read the works of Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Du Bois, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allan Poe.  When she was 12, a woman named Mrs. Flowers got her to speak again.  Mrs. Flowers “emphasized the importance of the spoken word, explained the nature of and importance of education, and instilled in her a love of poetry,” (Anonymous 1). She wrote multiple poems and autobiographies on top of being featured in many films.  In her lifetime, she earned over 50 honorary degrees including the National Medal of Arts in 2000 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010.  In 2014, she passed away at the age of 86.

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The themes of this poem are freedom and being trapped, the poem features the "stories: of two birds. one is free and can fly wherever it wants, and the other is caged and yearns to be free. In the first stanza, Angelou talks about the free bird, "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. " (Angelou, 1-8) She uses powerful diction and imagery to portray feelings of flight and freedom. In the second stanza, the caged bird is brought into focus, "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." (Angelou, 9-16) Here, she uses personification, figurative language, an repetition to make the reader feel the feelings that the caged bird has during the poem. The structure of the poem is unique because the author switches off between the free bird, representing freedom, and the caged bird, representing a trapped and hopeless feeling. Maya Angelou wrote these poem at a time when racism, discrimination, and segregation were accepted as normal behavior. It can be inferred that she was talking about the restrictions on minorities, especially African Americans. She wanted to make a difference to the people fighting for their rights, giving them hope that they might set themselves free from the cage. A caged bird, turned into a free bird.

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Angelou, Maya. "Caged Bird." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.
"Maya Angelou." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.
"Maya Angelou." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.
Angelou, Maya. "Harlem Hopscotch." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Apr.      2017.
"A Brief History of Harlem." OpenLearn. The Open University, 10 June 2008. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

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Imagery- is the descriptive language used in literature to recreate sensory experiences relating to sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell. "the trade winds soft through the sighing trees -and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn" (Angelou, lines 26-29) Angelou uses these words to paint a picture in the reader's mind of the sun coming up and the local surroundings.

Personification- is when a nonhuman object is given human characteristics, "The caged bird sings -with a fearful trill -of things unknown -but longed for still" (Angelou, 40-43) This makes the connection to the caged bird stronger, we can relate more to him because we feel the same emotions that he feels.

Repetition-is a technique in which a sound, word, line, or phrase is repeated for emphasis "his wings are clipped and his feet are tied-so he opens his throat to sing. " (Angelou, 13-16) Angelou uses these lines to make sure the concept of being cage and not free is apparent.

Diction-is word choice. Diction can be formal or informal, abstract or concrete, plain or ornate, ordinary, or technical." But a bird that stalks-down his narrow cage-can seldom see through -his bars of rage" (Angelou, 9-12) The word rage and stalks portrays feelings of frustration and a trapped feeling. Rage is a stronger word than mad and that's why Angelou choose these words.

Connotation- an association that a word calls to minding addition to its dictionary meaning."his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream" (Angelou, 45-46) Scream and shout are very powerful words. The fact that the caged bird is screaming to get out is very saddening.

Figurative Language- is writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally. It creates vivid word pictures makes writing more emotional. "and dips his wing

in the orange sun rays-and dares to claim the sky." (Angelou, 4-7) The bird cannot physically dip it's wing into the sun rays, it just creates the picture of a free bird flying around in the morning sun.

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By:Maya Angelou

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.

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

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.

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.