1a. In "Sympathy," what pain becomes sharper for the caged bird?
2a. From where does Dunbar's caged bird summon his prayer?
3a. In "Caged Bird," what does a free bird dare to do?
4a. Of what things does Angelou's caged bird sing?
5a. Look back at stanzas 2 and 3 in "Sympathy." Collect details about the bird's imprisonment and his reaction to being caged. List details about the bird's song. Then refer to stanzas 2 and 5 of "Caged Bird." List the details about the imprisonment of the bird and its reaction to being caged. Look at stanza 3 and note the details of the bird's song.
1. Sympathy:
2. Caged Bird:
3. Sympathy:
4. Caged Bird:
5. Sympathy:
6. Caged Bird:
6a. How can the speaker's images of freedom and imprisonment be interpreted in human terms? Explain your answer.
1b. Why does this happen?
2b. Why might the speaker of the poem think this?
3b. What does this suggest about the free bird?
4b. What statement does this make about freedom?
5b. What is significant about the cage of each bird? How does the song of each bird related to his longing for freedom?
6b. Choose either Dunbar's or Angelou's poem and, in your mind, recreate the author's caged bird as a person. Consider the circumstances surrounding his or her lack of freedom. Then write a few lines of the song this person might sing.
Stanza. What do you notice about the first line of each stanza in Dunbar's poem? What do stanzas 1 and 4 have in common in "Caged Bird"? Why might Angelou have chosen to repeat stanza 3? What things do you think Angelou and Dunbar considered in organizing the stanzas of their poems?
Tone. What are some of the ways Dunbar expresses his feelings about the caged bird and about freedom in general? How do Angelou's descriptions of the free bird's experience help express her feelings about the caged bird's experience? How is tone the same in these poems? How is it different?
1. Imagine that you meet the person who has caged the bird in "Sympathy." Write a short persuasive speech to convince that person to free the bird.
2. Write a letter that Maya Angelou might write to Paul Dunbar, telling him how life has changed for African Americans since he wrote his poem.
3. Without looking in the dictionary, create your own personal definition of freedom for someone who has never heard of the word. Provide brief examples of freedom and imprisonment.
Antonyms. Antonyms are opposite words. For example, an antonym of seldom is often. Write an antonym for each of the following words.
1. bright
2. free
3. joy
4. rage
5. alike
6. encouraged
7. faint
8. keen
9. glee
10. narrow
Researching an Issue. Use library sources, newspaper or magazine articles, and/or the Internet to research both sides of a current or past struggle for human or animal rights. Once you've collected enough information to understand the issue, summarize the struggle in your own words and offer your opinion. Submit your summary, copies of your background materials, and statement of opinion to your teacher for review. Use this log to keep track of the resources you use and to take notes about your subject.
1. Resource Notes:
2. Resource Notes:
3. Resource Notes:
Write your summary here
Active and Passive Voice. Determine the subject and verb of each sentence. Then, note whether the sentence is active or passive. Rewrite passive sentences in the active voice.
