Loss of Freedom in Sedaris This Old House and Angelous...

Sedaris constructs his feelings through narrative writing, and Angelou explores her concerns through descriptive writing with the analogy of a bird, they still are exploring the similar topic of perceived loss. The loss of freedom, demonstrated by the demand to uphold a family image, versus the caged bird, remain very similar in both pieces due to perceived entrapment, disappointment and self-nonentity. Descriptive essays leave room for misinterpretation and confusion, where as a narrative essay is straightforward and to the point. The loss of freedom was expressed quite literally for the caged bird, but in my opinion was also expressed for the young boy. Sedaris reminisces of his childhood, and reflects on the disapproval from his father†¦show more content†¦In my mind there are many different ways to think of this passage, the free bird has no worries and is just living life to the fullest and full of bliss. The caged bird is essentially feeling trapped while the free bird takes his life for granted. You really aren’t positive, at least in my mind, that the free bird in some way doesn’t feel trapped himself. How do we know that the free bird isn’t longing for somewhere warm to sleep and people to hear his songs? The phrase â€Å"he opens his throat to sing† (Angelou, 1983) never really tells you if the caged bird is actually able to muscle out a song or is able end his entrapment. While the description puts us in the cage with the bird, and simultaneously in the sky soaring with the free bird, it is also not clear as to how or if the bird will ever be free. This essay is not appealing in the long run, because of the ability to misinterpret parts of the essay, and its lack of clarity. While the essay is creative, it leaves too much to the imagination In the same token, how can as the reader, be entirely sure that after being trapped for so long in that cage, he can even remember what it is like to be a â€Å"real† bird? We have no concept of how long that bird has been trapped, when he opens his throat to sing, does his song actually escape his beak? It is my opinion that although