I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou And The...

The history of the world encompasses many wars that tragically left an impact to those who live in it. Blood-soaked battles, sleepless nights, and constant notion of terror are only few samples of what soldiers lived through. One may argue though that the lives of the families and friends of the soldiers were just as appalling. Constant fear invaded each individual’s mind since people had no idea how the troopers were doing. Perhaps the outcome of the war scarred many and impacted the lives of virtuous communities. Indeed, these feelings are relived in â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings† by Maya Angelou and The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart. Although both texts explore the importance of a pastoral setting and the creation of an artistic†¦show more content†¦For instance, Angelou mentions, â€Å"And his tune is heard/ On the distant hill/ For the caged bird/ Sings of freedom.† (19-22). The bird simply tries to scream for help but his voice is only hea rd in the distant. To simplify, this particular circumstance establishes that a rural setting is isolated and lonesome. This causes the bird to be in terror due to its vacant surroundings as he understands nobody can aid him from his imprisonment. The bird’s emotions are very different from its free counterpart, thus creating a dominant paradox in the poem; same environment, different situations. Nonetheless, Angelou describes both sides and illustrates how the setting plays a crucial role in each contradicting situation. As the case may be, Angelou immediately addresses the question of how something can deliver both good and bad. Similarly, Urquhart adequately goes through great extents illustrating the setting to near perfection. She highlights the ambience of a pastoral environment by including aspects of a country side and indicating the importance of it. However, the purpose of the setting is to indicate the destruction of nature caused by the war, unlike Angelou’s paradoxical poem. For example, Urquhart mentions in the beginning of the novel, â€Å". . . the setting sun appeared to be the tangled in the twisted forms of a stump fence, its rays colouring the steam of their breath a soft orange.† (35). The author uses strong diction such as â€Å"tangled† and â€Å"twisted† to define the sun,