Why does the caged bird stand on the "grave of dreams?"

The
caged bird in 's poem represents the oppressed peoples who are unable to escape the "narrow
cage" into which society traps them, unable to see beyond the enforced "bars of
rage" that impede their view of the world. In saying that the caged bird stands on
"the grave of dreams," then, what Angelou is saying is that the people the bird
represents certainly have many dreams and ambitions of their own, but that all of these
ambitions and dreams are usually killed by society and oppression. As such, the bird stands upon
the "grave" of these dreams, as if in remembrance of them, knowing that it will not be
able to keep any of its dreams alive as long as it is within the cage. The bird sings of
freedom, something "longed for still," just like these dreams which have
died.