He did so much and in so short a time and against such opposition. A remarkable man.

This poem has been adopted as symbolic of a black man's struggle against restriction of his freedom. It might not have been intended that way. It could have been a more personal reflection of his job as an elevator operator, which he did for several years and even returned to because it gave him some time to read classic literature. Being in an elevator most of the day without daylight is like being in a cage.

Maya Angelou adopted the title "I know why the caged bird sings" as the title of her first autobiography, published in 1969.