Question

read the stanza. then, complete the statements.

the caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

-\caged bird,\
maya angelou

the speakers tone or attitude toward the subject of freedom is one of dropdown.
the piece of descriptive language that best supports this is \longed for\.

Explanation:

Analyze the stanza

Using the Poetry Analysis knowledge point, we examine the stanza from Maya Angelou's "Caged Bird":
"The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom."

The bird is physically trapped but sings of "things unknown / but longed for still" and "sings of freedom." This indicates a deep desire for a state of being it has never experienced but deeply wants.

Determine the speaker's tone

Using the Tone Analysis knowledge point, we evaluate the options for the first blank: "boredom", "cheerfulness", or "yearning".

• "Boredom" implies a lack of interest, which contradicts the intense emotion of the song.
• "Cheerfulness" implies happiness, which contradicts the "fearful trill" and the pain of confinement.
• "Yearning" means a feeling of intense longing for something, which perfectly matches "longed for still" and singing of "freedom."

Identify supporting evidence

Using the Identifying Evidence knowledge point, we find the specific textual detail that supports this tone. The text states the bird sings of things "longed for still." The phrase "longed for" is a direct synonym and evidence of "yearning."

Answer:

The speaker's tone or attitude toward the subject of freedom is one of <blank>yearning</blank>.
The piece of descriptive detail from the passage that best supports this is "<blank>longed for</blank>".