Read the passage from "The Caged Bird.” But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing. Read the passage from Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 29.” When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state, And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries , And look upon myself and curse my fate, In both poems, what does the connotation of the underlined language imply?
“Nightmare scream” suggests a frightened, suffering bird, while “bootless cries” describes cries that bring no relief. Together, these phrases convey distress—the pain and helplessness expressed by both speakers. “Sorrow” is related, but distress better captures the alarm and suffering in the language.
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