“Sympathy” Poem

Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.

“Sympathy”

I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass
And the river flows like a stream of grass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its petals steals –
I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats its wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he rather would be on the branch a –swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting –
I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,
When he beats his bars and would be free;
It is not a song of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to heaven he fings –
I know why the caged bird sings!

(Adapted from the poem by Laurence Donbar in ‘American Negro Poetry’ edited by ArnaBomtemps. New York: Hill and Waug 1974)

Questions

a)     Explain briefly what the poem is about.  (3 marks)
b)     What does the poet focus on in each of the three stanzas?  (6 marks)
c)     How would you describe the persona’s feelings towards the caged bird?   (4 marks)
d)     What can we infer about the persona’s own experiences? (3 marks)
e)     Identify a simile in the first stanza and explain why it is used. (2 marks)
f)     Explain the meaning of the following lines:
          (i) And the faint perfume from the petals steals (1 mark)
g)     Supply another suitable title for this poem.   (1 mark)

Sympathy ANSWERS

  a)
The poem is about a bird that is caged .It is confined and denied freedom .It cannot enjoy the ordinary pleasure of nature – the sunshine ,the breeze and the perfume  from flowers .
The bird struggles to liberate itself but hurts itself in the process (any 3 points x1)3mrks
b)       
1st stanza –alienation –the bird is alienated from all that is natural and desirable, feelings of nostalgia for days  when he /she enjoyed freedom .
     2rd stanza –freedom describes attempts by the bird to escape .The struggle is painful, efforts to escape are met with brutality.
      3rd stanza –Prayer – focuses on prayer .Other means have not yielded results. The bird appeals for intervention from other sources perhaps a superior force will liberate it .         (6mrks )(2 per stanza )    (3×2)
    c)
    Sympathetic   –    Sympathies with the caged bird
                                Alas expresses pity, graphic description of the birds feeling elicits pity  from the             reader
                Empathetic – He keeps saying “I know what caged birds  put himself /herself in             the shoes of  the bird
                Hopeful –One day the caged bird will experience freedom (any 2×2)=4mrks  
(Identifications without illustration no mark )



d)     
He himself /herself had suffered at the hand  of the cruel oppressors ‘denied freedom, tortured .He may have also suffered  physical &psychological injury .He condemns those who conspire to subject others to a life of slavery and misery  e.g. Detention ,Imprisonment and confinement                                                 (3mrks)
e)
“The river flows like a stream of glasses” Shows what  the bird yearns for but cant have .  River represents a life of freedom, stands for natural beauty that the caged bird is denied.
f
i)  Means that the flowers produce a sweet smell that gives  much joy but the caged bird cant access such luxury.     
     Other birds out there enjoy the perfume (1mrks)
g)    The caged bird
          prayer for the freedom (1mrk)
(any other relevant –award)