Analysis: Caged Bird by Maya Angelou

      Maya Angelou, “America’s most visible black female autobiographer”, was born on April 4, 1928. Being a poet, memoirist, actress and an imperative figure in the American Civil Rights Movement, she is known for her series of six autobiographies, starting with ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings’.

     ‘Caged bird’ evokes her early 11 years of life. It represents a bird that is chained inside a cage and is succumbing to the bonds of slavery. Its freedom is curbed and it has no option but to sing. The bars of the cage signify the ‘bars of rage’, which restrict and deny freedom.

     Its clipped wings symbolize an independence denied forever. It cannot escape from the unending night of cruelty. He can only voice his anger and frustration by singing the song of freedom. The caged bird is in the light of the poet’s African – American community suffering at the hands of the white people. Their voice is to cease totalitarianism.

     The bird’s “fearful trill” instills a spirit of terror into the hearts of the listeners. He is the mouthpiece for all subjugated humanity enduring the yoke imperialism of the white man. He does not know what freedom is as he has never experienced it. He agonizingly yearns for freedom. His song, symbolic of despotism, is carried far and wide for humanity to acknowledge.

     Angelou has presented a stark contrast between the free bird and caged bird. A free bird is born and bred in absolute freedom. It thinks of another breeze, climate, environment and the vastness of sky – which signifies unbounded freedom. On the contrary, the caged bird is merely obsessed with the concept of freedom. All it thinks about is depression and suppression. The free bird has everything available at its disposal. He can choose to do whatever he wants. He is privileged and never has to vex over anything.

     The life of the caged bird is a living nightmare. The bird stands on the “grave of dreams” – which is emblematic of lost hopes, continual anguish and an everlasting night of oppression, to which there is no dawn. The dreams of Afro-Americans have died down forever. Grave connotes death of hopes, dreams and life.

     When he opens his mouth to shriek, the bird sees his shadow, reflective of his soul, desperately pleading for liberty and screaming against repression. His scream has created a spooky and ghostly atmosphere that has infused fear all around.

     Freedom, being a basic human right, is denied to the caged bird. Although he has never felt freedom, he is aware of having been denied something. Maya Angelou wrote ‘Caged Bird’ as a symbol of suppressed humanity in order to raise awareness. This is her spokesperson to voice the feeling of her community. She expresses the views of black people to herald tyranny of the white rulers. 

Psychology presentation: personality disorders

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Air polluter: Carbon Monoxide

Climate change in USA

     The planet Earth has been experiencing climate change since the Ice Ages. However, this trend has been taking place at a rapid pace since the Industrial Revolution of Europe. Owing to a speedy increase in industrialization, human activities have meddled with the composition of atmosphere by releasing greenhouse gases and causing them to become increasingly compressed in the ozone layer; hence, trapping and filtering heat and causing global warming. There are several countries amongst others that possess the greatest share in contributing negatively to the environment. One such country is the United States of America.

     Currently, U.S.A has been experiencing a wide array of environmental predicaments. The most prominently damaging of them all are climate change, conservation, deforestation and pollution. As a result of these issues, more than thousands of people residing in the U.S.A have had to endure the negative consequences.

     Where climate change is concerned, U.S.A is the second leading country that emits a large amount of carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels. The enlarged concentration of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere has ultimately led to extreme incidents across the country. There are frequent heat waves, cold waves, storms, heavy rainfall, floods, droughts and increased precipitation which are detrimental to health and infrastructure. Coastal areas are particularly at risk because of rising ocean levels.  The catastrophes that occur cost the country millions of dollars which affect the economy.

     USA has also been facing challenges to its wildlife conservation. Already, the North American megofauna and Passenger Pigeon have become extinct due to human activities. The American Bison and California Condon are endangered due to poaching and wholesale hunting activities.

     Deforestation has also been occurring gradually, mainly due to illegal logging of forests, cutting and transporting timber and producing wood chips on fields. The amount of pollution has also reached its peak. In terms of air pollution, Los Angeles is the most contaminated – it even won the “smoggiest city” award quite a few times. Toxic chemicals in the air lead to cancer and pregnancy complications. The waste emitted from industries imposes high costs as well as haphazardous effects on health, particularly causing strokes.

     The rivers, lakes oceans surrounding the USA have been hard-hit by toxic waste. Drinking water of Washington D.C was found infected with lead which made thousands of children vulnerable to health illnesses. Furthermore, cruise ship is one of the highest grossing industries in USA. However, a large amount of toxic and solid waste along with oil was discovered in oceans. Blood and entrails were found dumped in the Bubby Creek by nearby meat-packing businesses. The Love Canal, upon sale to Niagra Falls and construction emitted toxic waste which massively compromised public health. Moreover, Greenpoint oil spill is one of the largest oil spills to pollute land. Over 17 million gallons of oil were leaked into the soil.

     The impacts on people are numerous. In terms of territory, residents are restricted by reservation boundaries to relocate. This alters their welfare and it becomes hard to cope with impacts on resources, cultivation and ecosystems. Southern and western regions are prone to storms, droughts, air pollution and heat waves. The mountainous west is affected by water scarcity and wild fires. Arctic populations confront rising ocean levels due to melting ice caps.

     During disasters, the handling capacity of people diminishes. Poor people have limited financial resources to cope with changes. Old people are prone to health problems owing to extreme temperatures, hurricanes and droughts. Young children are specifically vulnerable as their immune systems are still in developing stages and are therefore prone to catastrophes.

     Urban settlements absorb more heat – a large number of people will be affected by heat waves, tropical storms and droughts. Extreme temperatures affect prices of air, energy, water quality, welfare and health. There is also a lot of damage caused to infrastructure.

     Lastly, the lifestyle of agricultural communities is dependent upon weather. Due to unstable weather conditions, crops such as wheat, cotton and corn might disappear and will have to be imported. Tourism will also be greatly affected. With lesser snowfall, skiing and snowmobile activities are affected. Wildfires affect hiking and leisure in parks. Soil erosion due to rising sea levels also negatively affects exotic beaches. Overall, the economy will face the downside of climate change.  

Global Warming

     Global warming is defined as the proliferation in the average climate of the earth. Since the abrupt end of Ice Age, the earth’s climate has been through phenomenal changes and these changes are considered to be more anthropogenic rather than a part of the natural cycle. It is a very grave environmental issue that has sparked attentions and concerns.

     The consequences of global warming are apparent in all parts of the world. Most countries are more hard-hit than others because of the amount of greenhouse gases [GHG] they release into the atmosphere. These manifestations are obvious in the form of melting ice glaciers, rising sea levels, severe droughts, unusual weather patterns and wildlife extinction.

     The melting of ice caps is one of the serious impacts of global warming. Owing to an increase in the world climate, ice caps of North and South Poles, Antarctica and Greenland are gradually disappearing, along with mountain glaciers. NASA reported that ice caps are melting at the rate of nine percent per decade. Also, ice thickness of the Arctic has reduced by forty percent since 1960.

     Rising sea levels is another grim issue. This is happening due to the melting of ice caps and as well as thermal expansion of oceans. Low-lying coastal areas and islands are particularly vulnerable to disappearing under water.

     Global warming also increases the frequency of droughts. Evapotranspiration makes dry areas drier; hence, there is decreased precipitation, cultivation and little or no rainfall.

     There are also periods of unusual weather pattern in many parts of the world. Warm temperatures increase likelihood of droughts and with higher evaporation, more wild fires are likely to break out in forests. Moreover, there are higher possibilities of powerful rainstorms. Warm ocean water propels energy into tropical storms, making them dangerously intense and catastrophic. There is also heavy rainfall in many parts of the world which inundates infrastructure and destroys life.

     Last but not the least, much of wildlife has gone extinct as a consequence of climate change and it is predicted if the issue is not curbed, animals could die out forever. Animals are adjusted to a certain climate. With a drastic change in temperature, their bodies become incapable of habitation; hence, they either migrate or die. Animals such as the dodo, mammoth and Eastern Couber have become extinct. Polar bears in Alaska are forecasted to die out by 2050 if global warming does not cease.