Can hope, when discouraged, lead to resilience?
The poem ‘Caged Bird’, by Maya Angelou, describes the situation of the imprisonned bird; and how it longs to be free like the others. This desire is expressed in it’s song, For the caged bird/sings of freedom. The bird in this poem, though trapped, does not give up hope, but instead uses the ability he has. His wings are clipped/and his feet are tied/so he opens his throat to sing. This bird in the poem, though defeated, still took the action he could against his imprisonment and made known that his hope of freedom was not gone or forgotten, but only more definite than ever. In the book ‘To kill a Mockingbird’, by Harper Lee, the black community of Maycomb County has little say in what hand they are dealt in life, and when Tom Robinson is falsley accused of the rape of a white girl, they know there is nothing they can do that will change the outcome. However, they go to the trial anyways and, with Atticus’ help, a presentable case defending Tom Robinson is made. Despite the evidence being perfectly clear, the jury has no intentions of letting him go free. The black community, though their hands and feet are tied, they show their support by their gratitude towards Atticus, and the faith and quiet determination speaks volumes about their unwavering resilience.
