Practice Forum

[Ms. Knarr]

Thoughts in a Zoo By Countee Cullen 1903–1946



They in their cruel traps, and we in ours,

Survey each other’s rage, and pass the hours

Commiserating each the other’s woe,

To mitigate his own pain’s fiery glow.

Man could but little proffer in exchange

Save that his cages have a larger range.

That lion with his lordly, untamed heart

Has in some man his human counterpart,

Some lofty soul in dreams and visions wrapped,

But in the stifling flesh securely trapped.

Gaunt eagle whose raw pinions stain the bars

That prison you, so men cry for the stars!

Some delve down like the mole far underground,

(Their nature is to burrow, not to bound),

Some, like the snake, with changeless slothful eye,

Stir not, but sleep and smoulder where they lie.

Who is most wretched, these caged ones, or we,

Caught in a vastness beyond our sight to see?

[Ms. Knarr]

First Reply-

1. I think that the poem is about how men are just as much in cages as animals. But instead of being stuck in small cages, Cullen says that we are in cages with "a larger range." So while we look at the animals, we are actually looking at beings much like ourselves. I think the poem also talks about how in cages one has a cruel life because you can still see the stars. However, we are never allowed to reach those stars.

2. Overall, I really liked the poem. Sometimes I feel like I'm caught in a cage of my own, but instead of a cage in a zoo, I'm locked in by social standards and societal norms which I am uncomfortable with. Also, I can relate to the poem, because I have a hard time going to the zoo. The animals always looked depressed. Even if they are being treated well, they are not free which is horrible.

3.

Question 1. Do you think Cullen goes too far with his description of men being in cages like animals?

Question 2. What type of a "cage" do you think Cullen was caught in?

Question 3. What does he mean when he says that some people are like snakes? Why snakes?

Question 4. Do you really think animals "rage" when they are unable to leave their cages?

[julietcapulet]

1. I agree with you, Ms. Knarr, when you talked about how Cullen feels like men are in a cage of their own. But I don't know about the stars thing you suggested. I think when Cullen says men "cry for their stars", he means that men wish that they had a different future. A different fate. But they are forced to be where they are because of their race. I think Cullen's whole piece is a metaphor about his feelings on being an African American. He walks with other humans, but is he really as free as the white men next to him. I think that's the idea that he's trying to get across.



2. I kind didn't really like the poem. I understand what he means, about how men are in a cage, but I think it was a little melodramatic. I actually liked the part when he starts comparing men to animals. I wish he could have spent more time talking about how people react to their own "cage". That in itself could be interesting.



3.(Answering Question 3) I think Cullen is using the snake to describe a certain reaction from some people. He is saying that some people "sleep" their life away knowing that they are in a cage, and "smolder" all of the while. So why they hate the fact that they are in a cage, they know there is nothing they can do about it. So they really just get more and more angry. I think that makes sense because I can imagine a snake curling up on itself being a symbol of angst and anger.

My question: Do you think Maya Angelou's "Caged Bird" could have been inspired by Cullen's? She talks about humans being stuck in cages...or is this just a common symbol in literature?

[Ms. Knarr]

1. Oh, I see your analysis makes sense for me too. I still think that the stars could represent what they can't reach, but I understand your ideas too.



2. After reading, "Caged Bird" I think that there is a connection. Maybe Angelou read this poem herself. Angelou says that we are in a cage ourselves, but we should continue singing. Which is kind of interesting, because I don't believe Cullen would agree with her. I think he's the snake coiling in anger at being in a cage, while Angelou is trying to make the best of it.