The Perpetuation of Systemic Oppression

One of the major themes of the poem stems from the comparison between the free bird and the caged bird. The free bird, which represents the ease with which some people are able to move through the world, stands in stark contrast to the caged bird, who finds itself constantly stuck in one place. The poem pivots between the two images to illustrate the effects of a long history of the oppression of certain people in America, specifically black Americans. One can interpret the free bird to represent white Americans, who have always had power and privilege since the country's inception, while black Americans were enslaved, abused, and continually excluded from various parts of society. The poem uses the two birds to show the pain and suffering that lingers due to systemic oppression and prejudice.

The poem paints the portrait of the...