How does the poet use the contrast between the two birds to reveal racism in American society?
Many readers viewed Angelou's poem as an extended metaphor, with the imprisoned bird representing African Americans' past sufferings. The poem addresses the emotional and psychological impacts of being repressed and denied the right to self-determination in American culture as a result of racism. By having the birdie fly away when released into the world beyond its cage, Angelou is suggesting that black people are given second chances but that they often fail to make good use of it. In addition to this meaning, the poem also calls attention to the fact that birds are commonly used by farmers as indicators of weather conditions. Thus, the bird's ability to survive outside its cage proves that there will be food available for it when it returns home. The poem ends with a reference to another bird found in America - the turkey. Although not mentioned by name, this must be a reference to the gosling which had just been introduced as a domestic animal by Henry Ford at his factory near Detroit. This last fact helps explain why some critics have compared the gosling to other animals that were exploited by humans for their blood or their meat - particularly the sheep and the cow. Like these animals, the gosling was regarded as a new source of income for farmers but this time without requiring them to spend money on housing and feeding them.