Poetry comes from the heart, it is an art form that is not visual, but can still be seen through analysis and thought . The poem is meaningful, if sometimes confusing, and has been popular for centuries. Maya Angelou, born 1928, is a noted African American poet, known for her poem "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings". “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” also known as “Caged Bird,” was written in 1969 about Angelou's struggle as a young woman. Angelou uses her life and her experiences with racism and discrimination to demonstrate that even in difficult times one can reach even greater heights than one imagines. Throughout this poem Maya Angelou uses metaphors and repetition, figurative language and symbols to show that it was not easy to be free (Poetry Foundation). The use of metaphors and repetition is one of the most commonly seen aspects of Angelou's poems showing the struggle of slavery. Angelou uses the phrase “caged bird” several times throughout the poem, which could show that freedom is precious and that being in a “cage” is difficult. The cage, or the slave owners, is what is restr...