Birdsong (Symbol)
The caged bird’s song is a symbol for the freedom he longs for but has never known. Confined to a cage, the bird uses the power of his voice to move through the airspace his body cannot access. Although the bird cannot fly, he can still express his despair and his longing, which amounts to freedom in a symbolic form.
Fat Worms (Symbol)
The "fat worms" the free bird knows are waiting for him on lawns are a symbol for the free bird's entitlement. The free bird never has to worry about hunger because the supply of worms always meets his needs. The speaker contrasts the free bird's unquestioned supply of worms with the caged bird's longing for a freedom he has never known; this contrast emphasizes the free bird's sense of ownership over the world he freely inhabits.
Racial Oppression (Allegory)
Through juxtaposing a bird who feels entitled to his freedom and a caged bird who longs for a freedom he has never known, "Caged Bird" presents an allegory for the difference between how white and Black Americans, respectively, experience their lives. While the free bird represents white Americans who are oblivious to their privilege and feel a sense of ownership over the world they move through, the caged bird represents Black Americans whose freedom is limited through systemic racism, economic oppression, and the intergenerational trauma of slavery, segregation, and denial of civil rights. The speaker sympathizes with the caged bird, who sings a beautiful and mournful song of freedom despite oppression.
