Sympathy
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals--
I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting--
I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he fling--
I know why the caged bird sings!

Which of the following best explains how the use of dialect connects to the overall message?

He uses dialect to better connect the message to the intended audience.

He uses dialect to make the poem more entertaining.

He uses dialect to make the poem rhyme.

He uses dialect to help the reader understand who the speaker of the poem is

In this poem, we see that the dialect is one of rare poetries. We are able to understand that the "caged bird" can resemble different things. An animal trapped, or a human stuck in its own mind.

A caged bird beats its wing, or it sings. It's praying to the Heavens above, wishing for something else, for a miracle to come through to him/her.

I think that this is a way for the poet to connect to its intended audience, of which are the people that feel trapped and alone. Why they do the things they do. They don't intend to fully harm themselves or sob, but they wish to have a different fate, and they pray that one day, if they continue to do it, a miracle will come their way.

At least that is my interpretation of the poem. The caged bird is to resemble a person who is stuck in their thoughts, lost in their mind, not knowing what to do next. I feel the intended audience is those people, and the people who feel that way but don't know it yet.

I hope this helps!

-No one