“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” (Angelou, Maya) Discuss, but listen to each other's song before writing.

[IFerrier]

[Vicky Ricci]

A song expresses emotions, whether they are a state of euphoria or misery, the song remains beautiful. "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer", I think what Maya Angelou is saying is that throughout life you never have an answer regarding why things end up like they do. "It sings because it has a song" a song, along with emotions, it could also narrate a story. In this case, I think the author is using a song as a metaphor of her life and her emotions both being caged for too long. A bird. An animal, so free and careless, reflects the image Maya dreams to be. She admires the bird for the way it is able to express its' emotions in such a beautiful way, regardless how destructive the emotions may be.  

[Chianyul]

It is very interesting that Ilaria has linked songs with questions, but I do think we can look at this statement from another perspective. An answer exists because there is a question. On the other hand, a song stands by itself for its own sake. I think what Maya Angelou means is that a person should act based on his or her own will instead of responding to what other people do or want. Here, Maya Angelou uses "song" to symbolize a person's individual thoughts and desires.

It is possible that the "song" in this statement represent questions. However, if a bird sings because it has a question, does it implies that someone, i.e. another bird, has to answer the question?  

[Giorgio Musilli]

I think that all things have a natural inclination towards happiness and beauty. There are problems hampering this and questions on how to solve them. A bird or a person can sing because he has such questions or because he has answers. In general it can sing because of a need of expressions. Also answers imply more questions and problems and the more people know the more people know not to know. Whether a person shares an answer by expression can depend on sociobiocultural factors. The need to sing never dies.

On Wednesday, November 21, 2012 10:13:06 PM UTC+1, IFerrier wrote:

[Matej Vucak]

I don't think the word "song" can stand for "question" in a sentence where the word "answer" has already been used. Why use a substitute term when the opposite of the word you're really using has already been mentioned? It makes no sense and I prefer your first interpretation: a bird's song is sang for the sake of the song, not as a response to something.

  If you take the bird as a metaphor for a person, I think it may be emphasizing the fundamental difference between our creativity and rationality. Our analytic or rational actions require prompts or reasons whereas our creative ones do not.

On Thursday, November 22, 2012 11:56:48 AM UTC+1, Ilaria Occhiolini wrote:

I agree with Viky in the sense that Maya Angelou refers to the song and answer, because we often do not have an answer to why things end up like they do. Often, we are so busy seeking for answers, that we fail to appreciate what we have. In the case of the bird, it sings because something is inspiring him to sing. He does not question the nature of the song, he simply sings it. However, human beings, who are believed to be more complex-minded than birds, often concentrate on the answer and not on the question itself. 

However, I believe that it can also be interpreted from another perspective: that of human behavior. If one substitutes the word "song" with the word "question", what Angelou is saying is that people sing (talk), when they have questions, not when they have answers. In other words, if I already knew the answer to a question, I sure wouldn't ask. This concept also links to human selfishness, in that if a person needs an answer, he or she will ask (like the bird will sing); but if that person already knows the answer, chances are that he or she won't share it with others.  This concept can connect with another, summarized by the sentence, "Those who speak the loudest, know the least". With this, the speaker is saying that those who already have the answers, are those who talk the least. Instead, those who do not know, or seek help with an issue, are those who will sing the most.