Pick out three words or phrases that might not be literal and figure out for what they are symbols. Think about things like how they would work in conjunction to establish one single effect and determine what that might be. Also remember when the song was written (1968), and what may have been going on at that time.
Symbols:
- Blackbird.
- Broken Wings.
- Darkness, Sunken Eyes.
At this time there was an issue arising, and it was called civil rights and the struggle for equality. Specifically, the fight was for African-American rights, hence why the bird of choice for this song is Blackbird. The bird could have been a dove, a duck, or even a fruit (well, okay, maybe not a fruit), but the author chose a blackbird to symbolize the people who were fighting for their freedom.
Speaking of freedom, I believe that is what the broken wings symbolize - sort of. More accurately, the broken wings are a symbol for the lack of freedom. Putting into a metaphor, freedom for the people of that time was very much like broken wings: they could still fly with some effort, but it was 'gonna hurt.
Finally, we have a sort of darkness motive, added to with "sunken eyes." Literally, this is taken into a sort of blindness. Figuratively, this same blindness is actually inequality. Light, in this case, is the ever-wanted equality, however the bird is now just "singing in the dead of night."
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