Final answer:
Marilyn Frye's birdcage metaphor is used to illustrate that oppression is systemic, complex, and made up of interlocking forces and barriers, providing a comprehensive view of how oppressed individuals are confined.
Step-by-step explanation:
Marilyn Frye uses a birdcage as a metaphor to illustrate all of the above: the idea that oppression is systemic and may not be immediately obvious, the nature of oppression, and the network of forces and barriers by which oppressed people are confined. This metaphor illuminates how systemic oppression is maintained through multiple mechanisms and how it becomes normalized and perpetuated within society. Oppressed individuals may face a multitude of barriers related not just to one aspect of their identity, such as race, gender, or socioeconomic status, but often a combination of many, leading to a unique experience of oppression that is complex and deeply entrenched in societal structures.