The "caged bird"
Symbolic of anyone deprived of their freedom, the caged bird is the object of the narrator's sympathy. The bird beats its wing against the bars of its cage because of its desperation to escape and attain freedom. It also sings--not out of joy or glee, according to Dubar, but as a prayer to God to grant the bird its freedom.
The narrator (Dubar)
The poem is written in first-person, so the narrator is presumed to be Dubar himself. As the title indicates, the poem is an expression of Dubar's sympathy and empathy for those deprived of their freedom.