“Like a caged bird”

The metaphor “like a caged bird” hits me a little closer to home than I had intended anything in this class to. There are many women who experience controlling relationships in their lives. Some women don’t realize this until it’s too late. I am glad I freed myself when I did.

I know of a Faith Hill song that has a line in it that states, “A man’s home is his castle and mine is a cage.” There are still men who believe that women should bow down to them and take orders like slaves. In her song she talks about being on the treadmill so that she can stay the size he prefers and making sure dinner is on the table when he gets home. The song also includes that when he didn’t get his way or when he was intoxicated he would physically abuse her.  It ends with her saving up her money, buying a gun, and leaving him for good.

My situation wasn’t as intense, but I am sure it would have gone that far had I let it. My boyfriend and I were together for four years. During that time he tried to control my every move, was mentally and physically abusive, and pretty much took every penny I made and spent it however he wanted. For almost three years I let that happen, because I was in love, until the day I packed up my things and headed back to Kenosha. I got out of my cage, but many women do not.

Another way the metaphor could be interpreted is as if somebody put themselves in that cage. I see it as people who are afraid to venture out, or people stuck in the same old routine. When I think of this situation I see somebody wanting to be helped to see the world, but are to stuck in the cage of their own fears to do anything about it. In my opinion that’s just as bad if not worse than being controlled by somebody else, in the end it’s your own fear of leaving the cage that is keeping you stuck in it.

When you Google “Like a caged bird” it comes up with MASS amounts of information on the poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou. Her poem became famous enough to write an entire novel about it. The novel is titled “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.” In the novel the metaphor is used in reference to her race; that Maya is caged from experiencing things because she is African-American.