His wings are trimmed down and his feet are tied, so he opens his throat to sing. The caged bird sings fearfully of things he does not know, but still wants, and his song can be heard from as far away as distant hills, because the caged bird sings about freedom.

Why does the caged bird sing *?

The caged bird is singing of freedom and hope. 'Things unknown' refers to the fact that the bird has never enjoyed freedom before and so has no idea as to what it tastes like. Though he is singing of freedom that he has longed for all his life, it is something completely unknown to him.

What is the tone of the poem caged bird?

The tone is immediately and drastically changed from peaceful, satisfied, and joyful to one that is dark, unnerving, and even frustrating. She describes that this caged first “can seldom see through his bars of rage”. While the free bird gets to enjoy the full sky, the caged bird rarely even gets a glimpse of the sky.