We might not normally think of it this way, but a bird being stuck in a cage is kind of like us being stuck in a prison cell. Sure, those birds look so cute perching on their little swings in a cage. But the fact of the matter is, birds aren't meant to be stuck in cages, just as we're not meant to be stuck in prison cells (or at least, most of us aren't). This confinement is the source of the bird's suffering in the poem. And boy, is suffering front and center in "Sympathy."
Questions About Suffering
- What imagery does the speaker use to convey the bird's suffering in this poem?
- What does the imagery used to convey the bird's suffering suggest about the speaker's own suffering?
- What's the relationship between confinement and suffering in sympathy?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The speaker evokes the bird's suffering in this poem in order to give us a sense of his own.
The speaker evokes the bird's suffering in this poem in order to give us a sense not only of his own suffering, but the suffering of all people.