There is no set rhyme pattern in Maya Angelou’s poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” Instead the poet uses the structure and rhyme of the poem to emphasize its metaphorical meaning.
In the first stanza, there is no set rhyme scheme which allows the reader to feel the freedom of the uncaged bird as it soars on the breeze.
In contrast, in the second stanza, the second and fourth lines rhyme ending with the words cage and rage. This brings emphasis to the feelings evoked by the bird being restrained in the barred cage. In stanzas three and six which form a refrain, she again writes of the caged bird. Lines two, four, and six are short, terse, rhyming lines that once again denote the plight of the bird. The use of a refrain brings emphasis and importance to the meaning of these two stanzas.
In stanzas four and five the first two lines of each form a couplet. The first stanza describes the free bird while the next one speaks to the caged bird. The pattern of these stanzas mirror each other to once again make the comparison between freedom and oppression.
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