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Additionally , he believes in something he cannot yet see ; he sings ‘ of things unknown / but longed for still ’ ( ll . 17- 18 ). This further augments the notion that he possesses hope ; while freedom is unknown to him , he still sings in perseverance through to the end of the poem . This longing is emphasised by the enjambment between ‘ unknown ’ and ‘ but .’ The break here creates space for hope to exist between what is ‘ unknown ’ and what is ‘ still ’ sought despite its invisibility ; hope does not necessarily have to be seen or even experienced for it to be envisioned . The narrator notes that the caged bird ’ s ‘ tune is heard ’ ( l . 19 ); arguably , Angelou included this to imply that hope leads to success . By singing , and thus radiating hope , the caged bird is heard ; ultimately , he exemplifies the success of keeping hope as a form of resistance to physical repression , something Angelou clearly tries to reinforce in communities of suffering .
Speaking of community , furthermore , this poem creates a shared experience that involves the reader , encouraging resistance through the prospect of collective healing . Angelou places the reader into a position where they experience restriction , much like the caged bird . For instance , the reader does not hear the song itself , but only learns that it has been ‘ heard ’ ( l . 19 ). Also , the reader is invited to identify more with the caged bird , as of the six stanzas , four of them focus entirely on him . In this way , the reader hears more of the captivity of the caged bird as opposed to the liberation of the free bird and
is perhaps more inclined to feel anger that the free bird is not utilising its privilege to help . This very feeling of ‘ rage ’ ( l . 11 ) is also what the caged bird feels in confinement . While ‘ Junkie Monkey Reel ’ more so directly addresses the reader , this poem welcomes them into a community of shared pain and thus emotion with the caged bird . As Yasmin Y . DeGout also implies , through the creation of a community in Angelou ’ s poetry , readers who acknowledge ‘ the pain of the speaker ’ allow for ‘ healing to occur ,’ remaining hopeful due to ‘ the sharing of their ’ oppression ( 2005 p42-3 ). By encouraging the retainment of hope in a future of ‘ freedom ’ ( l . 22 ) that the caged bird calls for , Angelou presents hope as not only resistance , but also as a means of collective healing .
Angelou ’ s poetry certainly exists as a critique of systemic racist and patriarchal structures , exposing them for what they are , and have been , to her and many others ; harmful and damaging . Her tones of protest against suffering within ‘ Junkie Monkey Reel ,’ although they can be deemed implicit , are undeniable landmarks in revealing the legitimate impact that racial oppression and patriarchal subjugation has had on black communities . For instance , even when racialised stereotyping has targeted black men , black women have felt the repercussions . Likewise , ‘ Caged Bird ’ reiterates the experiences of neglect and silencing endured by black women within marginalised groups in revealing them as problematic . It is clear that Angelou can show empathy to the privileged in offering them space to understand
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