By Jim Studer
In 1990 I was lucky enough to be in Hong Kong. Many people told me to be sure and visit the bird market. Thousands of birds in cages tweeting their hearts out in counter harmony made for more noise than music. As in my nature, I kept thinking that I should open the doors on those cages and grant the captives the freedom they sang for.
A star speech student of mine is doing a cutting from Maya Angelou’s autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou, a famous Black American poet, who delivered a poem at President Clinton’s first inauguration, was raised by relatives in Stamps, Arkansas in the 1930s and 40s. Discussing the title with Shayna, I came to my own conclusion for the meaning of the title. I read the book twice and never found Angelou’s explanation for the title. To me a caged bird singing beautiful songs is a product of hope, hope that the cage door will open and the bird will be free. “Let freedom ring.” That is all the bird has left, hope.