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Still I Rise Summary & Analysis by Maya Angelou
- Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
- Poetic Devices
- Vocabulary & References
- Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
- Line-by-Line Explanations
“Still I Rise” is a poem by the American civil rights activist and writer Maya Angelou. One of Angelou's most acclaimed works, the poem was published in Angelou’s third poetry collection And Still I Rise in 1978. Broadly speaking, the poem is an assertion of the dignity and resilience of marginalized people in the face of oppression. Because Angelou often wrote about blackness and black womanhood, "Still I Rise" can also be read more specifically as a critique of anti-black racism.
- Read the full text of “Still I Rise”
The Full Text of “Still I Rise”
“still i rise” summary, “still i rise” themes.
Defiance in the Face of Oppression
- Lines 10-12
Lines 13-16
Lines 17-20, lines 21-24, lines 25-28.
- Lines 29-32
The Power and Beauty of Blackness
- Lines 19-20
- Lines 22-23
- Lines 27-28
- Lines 33-34
- Lines 39-40
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Still I Rise”
You may write ... ... dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness ... ... my living room.
Just like moons ... ... Still I'll rise.
Did you want ... ... my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness ... ... my own backyard.
You may shoot ... ... air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness ... ... of my thighs?
Lines 29-34
Out of the ... ... in the tide.
Lines 35-40
Leaving behind nights ... ... of the slave.
Lines 41-43
I rise ... ... I rise.
“Still I Rise” Symbols
Valuable objects
- Lines 7-8: “I walk like I've got oil wells / Pumping in my living room”
- Lines 19-20: “I laugh like I've got gold mines / Diggin’ in my own backyard”
- Lines 27-28: “I dance like I've got diamonds / At the meeting of my thighs”
- Line 10: “the certainty of tides”
- Lines 33-34: “I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, / Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.”
“Still I Rise” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
- Line 21: “You may shoot me with your words”
- Line 22: “You may cut me with your eyes,”
- Line 23: “You may kill me with your hatefulness”
- Line 29: “the huts of history’s shame”
- Line 33: “I'm a black ocean”
- Line 40: “I am the dream and the hope of the slave”
- Line 4: “like dust, I'll rise”
- Line 9: “Just like moons and like suns”
- Lines 11-12: “Just like hopes springing high, / Still I'll rise”
- Line 24: “like air, I’ll rise”
Rhetorical Question
- Lines 5-6: “Does my sassiness upset you? / Why are you beset with gloom?”
- Lines 13-16: “Did you want to see me broken? / Bowed head and lowered eyes? / Shoulders falling down like teardrops, / Weakened by my soulful cries?”
- Line 17: “Does my haughtiness offend you?”
- Lines 25-28: “Does my sexiness upset you? / Does it come as a surprise / That I dance like I've got diamonds / At the meeting of my thighs?”
- Line 1: “You may”
- Line 3: “You may”
- Line 4: “But still, like dust, I'll rise.”
- Line 5: “Does my”
- Line 7: “’Cause I”
- Line 9: “Just like”
- Line 11: “Just like”
- Line 12: “Still I'll rise”
- Line 17: “Does my”
- Line 19: “’Cause I”
- Line 21: “You may”
- Line 22: “You may”
- Line 23: “You may”
- Line 24: “But still, like air, I’ll rise.”
- Line 25: “Does my”
- Line 30: “I rise”
- Line 32: “I rise”
- Line 36: “I rise”
- Line 38: “I rise”
- Lines 41-43: “I rise / I rise / I rise.”
- Line 2: “bitter, twisted”
- Line 4: “still, like dust, I'll”
- Line 24: “still, like air, I’ll”
- Line 33: “ocean, leaping”
- Lines 1-2: “history / With”
- Lines 7-8: “wells / Pumping”
- Lines 18-19: “hard / ’Cause”
- Lines 19-20: “mines / Diggin’”
- Lines 26-27: “surprise / That”
- Lines 27-28: “diamonds / At”
- Lines 29-30: “shame / I”
- Lines 30-31: “rise / Up”
- Lines 31-32: “pain / I”
- Lines 35-36: “fear / I”
- Lines 36-37: “rise / Into”
- Lines 37-38: “clear / I”
- Lines 38-39: “rise / Bringing”
Alliteration
- Line 1: “may,” “me”
- Line 3: “may,” “me,” “dirt”
- Line 4: “dust”
- Line 5: “sassiness upset”
- Line 6: “beset,” “gloom”
- Line 7: “walk,” “got,” “wells”
- Line 9: “suns”
- Line 10: “certainty”
- Line 11: “hopes,” “springing,” “high”
- Line 12: “Still”
- Line 13: “broken”
- Line 14: “Bowed”
- Line 17: “Does”
- Line 18: “Don't”
- Line 19: “laugh like,” “got gold”
- Line 20: “Diggin”
- Line 21: “You,” “may,” “me,” “with,” “your,” “words”
- Line 22: “You,” “may,” “cut,” “me,” “your”
- Line 23: “You,” “may,” “kill,” “me,” “your”
- Line 25: “Does,” “sexiness”
- Line 26: “Does,” “surprise”
- Line 27: “dance,” “diamonds”
- Line 29: “huts,” “history’s”
- Line 31: “past,” “pain”
- Line 33: “wide”
- Line 34: “Welling”
- Line 39: “gifts,” “gave”
- Line 1: “me,” “history”
- Line 2: “With,” “bitter,” “twisted,” “lies”
- Lines 4-4: “But still, / dust, I'll ”
- Line 4: “like,” “rise”
- Line 5: “upset,” “you”
- Line 6: “Why,” “you,” “beset,” “gloom”
- Line 7: “I,” “walk,” “like,” “I've,” “got”
- Line 8: “Pumping,” “in,” “my,” “living,” “room”
- Line 9: “like,” “like”
- Line 10: “tides”
- Line 11: “like,” “high”
- Lines 11-12: “springing / , / Still I'll ”
- Line 12: “rise”
- Line 13: “see,” “me”
- Line 14: “Bowed,” “lowered ,” “eyes”
- Line 15: “Shoulders,” “down”
- Lines 15-16: “teardrops, / Weakened by my ”
- Line 16: “soulful,” “cries”
- Line 18: “hard”
- Line 19: “I,” “like,” “I've,” “mines”
- Line 20: “my,” “backyard”
- Line 21: “You,” “shoot”
- Line 22: “You,” “eyes”
- Line 23: “You”
- Line 24: “like,” “I’ll ,” “rise”
- Line 25: “sexiness upset”
- Line 26: “surprise”
- Line 27: “I,” “like ,” “I've,” “diamonds”
- Line 28: “thighs”
- Line 29: “huts,” “shame”
- Line 31: “Up,” “past that’s,” “pain”
- Line 33: “I'm,” “wide”
- Line 34: “Welling,” “swelling,” “I ,” “tide”
- Line 35: “behind,” “nights,” “fear”
- Line 37: “wondrously,” “clear”
- Line 39: “Bringing,” “gifts,” “my,” “gave”
- Line 40: “I,” “slave”
- Lines 41-43: “I rise / I rise / I rise”
“Still I Rise” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- (Location in poem: Line 3: “trod”)
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Still I Rise”
Rhyme scheme, “still i rise” speaker, “still i rise” setting, literary and historical context of “still i rise”, more “still i rise” resources, external resources.
"Still I Rise" and Today's America — Read about the relevance and meaning of "Still I Rise" to America today.
The Political Power of "Still I Rise" — Learn how the poem has remained relevant for contemporary political figures and celebrities.
"Still I Rise" Art Exhibit — Learn how other artists have been inspired by and responded to Angelou's poem.
Maya Angelou Recites "Still I Rise" — Listen to the poet read "Still I Rise" aloud.
"Still I Rise" Music Video — Watch a video that creatively integrates Angelou's recitation of the poem with relevant images.
LitCharts on Other Poems by Maya Angelou
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Harlem Hopscotch
Life Doesn't Frighten Me
On the Pulse of Morning
Phenomenal Woman
Remembrance
When Great Trees Fall
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A Summary and Analysis of Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Still I Rise’ is a poem by the American poet Maya Angelou (1928-2014), published in her 1978 collection And Still I Rise . A kind of protest poem which is defiant as well as celebratory, ‘Still I Rise’ is about the power of the human spirit to overcome discrimination and hardship, with Angelou specifically reflecting her attitudes as a black American woman.
You can read ‘Still I Rise’ here .
‘Still I Rise’: summary
Beginning with a pointed and direct reference to ‘you’, Angelou opens her poem with a neat piece of wordplay: ‘write down in history’ means both ‘write down the history of me and my people’ but also ‘write me down, i.e., downplay me and my achievements by lying about me’. Although people may seek to belittle her and other African-Americans, Angelou asserts that, even if she is trodden into the dirt, like the dust rising from someone’s boot, she, too, will rise and will not be defeated.
In the second stanza, Angelou poses a direct question. Is her sexuality, her confidence in herself and her own attractiveness, upsetting? She walks with confidence, as if she is as rich as an oil baron. And (moving to the third stanza) like the sun and the moon which rise every day and night, and like our hopes for a brighter future which persist despite hard times, she will continue to rise, too.
The moon image suggests the tides of the sea (which are a result of the moon’s gravitational pull on the earth’s seas), which also go out but come in again, as regular and dependable as the sunrise and sunset every day.
In the fourth stanza, more questions follow: Angelou accuses her addressee of wanting to see her spirit broken. But in the fifth stanza, she asserts her ‘haughtiness’: she holds her head high, rather than bowing it in submission or defeat. She laughs with the confidence and self-assurance of someone who is rich beyond their wildest dreams, with gold mines in their back yard.
The sixth stanza sees Angelou asserting her defiance: cruel words and unkind looks, and ‘hatefulness’ (a word which flickers with the dual meaning of both ‘detestable attitudes’ and ‘hatred for others’), may be slung at her and other black people, but they will rise ‘like air’: naturally and lightly.
The seventh stanza revisits the ‘sassiness’ mentioned in the second stanza, only this time it has been transformed into out-and-out sexiness. Angelou offers another variation on the confident swagger mentioned in earlier stanzas: this time, she looks as though she has diamonds at the ‘meeting’ of her ‘thighs’. The bodily or sexual and the wealthy and material have finally met and become one.
‘Still I Rise’ concludes by departing from the quatrain form used up until this point, instead ending with fifteen lines which see the refrain ‘I rise’ repeated multiple times. Angelou asserts that she, and others, rise from the ‘huts of history’s shame’ at how it has treated black people over the centuries. She is a ‘black ocean’, powerful, energetic, and vast, and she can bear and weather the tidal fluctuations that life throws at her.
Indeed, she is leaving behind those dark times of ‘terror and fear’ and a new dawn is beginning, which is brighter and more hopeful. Her ancestors, who had to endure slave labour and then, even once freed, generations of racial prejudice, dreamed of such a time, and now it is here: their ‘gift’ to her is in establishing the dream, which has now been realised, thanks to the struggles and fights of the Civil Rights campaigners like Angelou herself.
‘Still I Rise’: analysis
Maya Angelou’s work, both her poetry and her autobiographies, is about the importance of not being defeated by the obstacles and challenges life throws at you. When ‘you’ here denotes an African-American woman who grew up with more than her fair share of hardship, the message of her poems becomes even more rousing: Angelou had known what it was to struggle.
Despite these hardships, which included growing up as one of the few black girls in the town in Arkansas where she spent ten years of her childhood, Maya Angelou consistently reaffirms the positive and inspirational aspects of humanity, and ‘Still I Rise’ is one of her best-known poems which assert the life-affirming qualities within the human race.
Angelou acknowledges and even confronts directly the many oppressions and discriminations faced by black people throughout history, but the poem’s message is overwhelmingly positive and hopeful.
‘Still I Rise’ can be classified or categorised as an example of a lyric poem, because although it is not designed to be sung, it is a poem spoken by a single speaker, in which she expresses her thoughts and feelings. And the poem is both a personal lyric, a channelling of Angelou’s own tough upbringing and experiences, and a poem about a nation developing during the Civil Rights era, in response to writers and activists including Angelou herself.
‘Still I Rise’ is composed largely in quatrains rhymed abcb . The line lengths vary and the number of syllables and beats in each line also varies, giving the poem a sprightly, unpredictable feel. It belongs to a strong spoken-word tradition where poetry is returned to its oral roots: these are words meant to be recited, chanted, declaimed out loud in the living voice.
And the shift from more ordered abcb quatrains into a less predictable form in the poem’s final stanza is perhaps best analysed as a broadening out rather than a breaking down: the poet’s passion, confidence, and optimism burst into new life, and can no longer be contained by the conventional four-line stanza form. The form of the closing lines of ‘Still I Rise’ thus enact their meaning: they are rising above the past (embodied by the more traditional quatrain) and becoming something more individualised, spirited, and bespoke.
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Still I Rise Essay
Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” is a powerful and inspirational poem that has been empowering people for generations. The poem is about overcoming adversity and rising above it all, no matter what life throws at you. Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist and writer who fought for equality, and this poem is a perfect example of her strength and resilience.
The poem starts with the line “You may write me down in history”, which immediately sets the tone of defiance and determination. Maya Angelou is saying that even though she may not be remembered fondly by those in power, she will still rise up and be victorious. This is seen throughout the rest of the poem, as she talks about how nothing can keep her down, and how she will always prevail in the end.
The poem is full of hope and inspiration, and it is easy to see why it has been so empowering for so many people. Maya Angelou’s words are a reminder that no matter what life throws at you, you can always rise up and overcome it. So, next time you’re feeling down, remember Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” and let it give you the strength to keep going.
The poem I’ve chosen to write a detailed description and analysis of is Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise.’ The ways in which my own knowledge, experience, and cultural identity may influence the way I read and interpret the poem will be considered in this essay.
I will also be looking at what Maya Angelou herself has said about her writing, to see if this gives any clues or different interpretations of the poem.
Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first volume, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of seventeen and brought her international recognition and acclaim. Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’ is a powerful and inspirational poem that celebrates the strength and resilience of the human spirit. The poem is about overcoming adversity and rising above it. It is about never giving up, no matter how hard life gets.
Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. Her parents divorced when she was only three, and she and her brother were sent to live with their grandmother in rural Arkansas. Maya Angelou’s early life was marked by tragedy and struggle. At the age of eight, she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend and subsequently stopped speaking for five years. Maya Angelou overcame this traumatic experience and went on to become a successful writer and civil rights activist.
Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’ is a poem about hope, about never giving up despite the odds. The poem is also about pride and self-respect. Maya Angelou is saying that no matter how hard life gets, no matter how many times you are knocked down, you can still get back up and keep going. The poem is an anthem for anyone who has ever faced adversity and triumphed over it.
Maya Angelou was a remarkable woman who overcame tremendous odds to become one of the most successful writers of her generation. Her poetry is powerful and inspirational, and ‘Still I Rise’ is one of her most famous and well-loved poems. If you have ever faced adversity in your life, this poem is for you. Maya Angelou’s words will inspire you to never give up, no matter how hard life gets. So rise up like the Phoenix that she so often used as a symbol for herself, and keep going.
The title of this poem, “Still I Rise,” gives off a very powerful and strong vibe. If the reader does not know anything about the author’s past, it might be hard to guess what the poem is actually about and who it is targeted towards. However, we find out in the last stanza that it is written for her ancestors & other slaves making it clear that she herself is a black African American woman writing about the painful pasts of black people.
Maya Angelou writes this poem in a very strong and determined tone, which I think is effective in sending out the message she wants to communicate. For example, the use of capitalization in the word ‘I’ shows immense pride and confidence, which is something that black people lacked during the time Maya Angelou was writing this poem.
By using phrases such as “I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide”, Maya Angelou is not only hinting at her African roots, but also trying to reflect the vastness and power of the black community. In addition, the repetition of “I rise” at the end of each stanza further emphasizes Maya Angelou’s determination to overcome all obstacles in her life.
Although this poem is short, it is very effective in delivering its message of hope and empowerment. Maya Angelou’s use of carefully chosen words and phrases allows readers to feel the emotion behind the poem and understand the struggles that she and her people have gone through. “Still I Rise” is an important work that highlights the strength and resilience of black people, and serves as an inspiration for all those who face difficulties in their lives.
In the poem, Maya asks questions in each line. These queries, without a doubt, are directed at “white people” or “haters” who may be critical of the originator’s race.
Maya is being somewhat playful in asking these questions, because she knows she is wealthy and she knows that she has come a long way as well as the black people in America. She asks these questions in a playful way to those who do not appreciate her success.
The poem is also very truthful in the lines ‘I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,’, because Maya is admitting that she is different, she is unique and also that her culture (being black) is so vast and broad that it cannot be measured. I like this poem because it shows Maya’s strength as a black woman and how nothing can bring her down no matter the oppositions she faces.
Maya Angelou was not just an author, but a great leader and inspiration to all African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. She was able to show her people that they were not alone in their fight against racism and injustice. With poems like “Still I Rise”, Maya Angelou gave hope to those who were struggling. She showed them that it was possible to overcome any obstacle, no matter how difficult it may seem.
Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” is a powerful and inspiring poem that speaks to the resiliency of the human spirit. It is a reminder that no matter how hard life gets, we must never give up. We must always keep fighting for what we believe in. Maya Angelou’s words have helped countless people through tough times. They continue to inspire us today. Thanks for Maya Angelou, “Still I Rise” is more than just a poem – it is a movement.
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Analysis of the Poem “Still, i Rise” by Maya Angelou
This essay will analyze Maya Angelou’s poem “Still, I Rise.” It will explore the themes of resilience, empowerment, and overcoming oppression that Angelou addresses in her poem. The piece will discuss the poetic devices she uses, such as repetition, metaphor, and imagery, and how these contribute to the poem’s powerful message. It will also consider the poem’s historical and cultural context and its relevance in contemporary discussions on race and gender. On PapersOwl, there’s also a selection of free essay templates associated with Analysis.
How it works
In this poem “Still, I Rise” by Maya Angelou an African American female poet that provides an interesting blend of tones: humorous and defiant, comical and furious, self-assured and bitterness. In the poem, the use of different literary devices was used such as repetition, rhyme, symbolism, imagery, hyperbole, metaphor, rhetorical question. Angelou shows signs of repetition throughout the poem, for example, she repeats the phrase 'still I rise'. Using the expression 'still I rise' she is declaring that whatever challenge comes her way she will face it and she will continue to rise from it. Need a custom essay on the same topic? Give us your paper requirements, choose a writer and we’ll deliver the highest-quality essay! Order now
'You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies, you may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise'. To me, this stanza shows how much respect and confidence she has despite the difficulties.
In fact, by using apostrophes to identify the oppressor character as 'you,' Angelou implies the reader may also be participating in oppressive social structures and attitudes. The first word “You” from the poem is significant. This is a poem that is aimed at others. The poem describes how a black woman is willing to speak up for herself and the fellow African American people especially black women. When Angelou wrote this poem, it was on a personal level. This was not just any poem, it was also a promise she made to herself that her success would not be determined by hatred and negativity that goes through society. Throughout this poem, Angelou is showing both anger and confidence. She is initially puzzled by how the oppressors did not want African Americans to succeed or become more than the image society holds towards African Americans.
Angelou states that her happiness makes the oppressors miserable, and she would like to know why that is? She taunts her oppressors, Realizing the effect of her behaviors and personality on the fact that she confuses them with her power and confidence. She then goes on to insist that the color of her skin inherent humanity, importance, strength, and elegance. Angelou then expresses that 'like dust,' a subtle literal depiction: God created all humans the same from 'dust' in the Bible, and once they die, humans return to 'dust.' Angelou acknowledges the full humanity of herself by asserting that she is 'like dust;' she is just about as much a creation of God as anybody else. To me, this poem fundamentally is about dignity and trust. Angelou describes in the poem how her self-esteem conquers all. She reveals how nothing will come down on her. She will rise to any occasion and nothing will hold her back, not even the color of her skin.
Maya Angelou compares herself specifically to what a slave dreams of, that is, equality and freedom. She calls herself the “ ambassador” of equal rights, and hence she identifies herself as a high figure who will take the first step to fight racism and equal rights. Maya wrote this poem in a very unique way, for most of the poem that instantly guides the reader through the poem, there is a rhyme every other line. In this poem, creativity is dominant, particularly after Maya asks her oppressors. Most of the images are conveyed by similes and metaphors, which give readers a clear view of what Maya is trying to convey. In the line “You may shoot me with your words,” Angelou compares every hurtful word that people say to the fact that those words feel like a bullet being fired at her. Maya uses such powerful vivid imagery that allowed readers to develop a better understanding of how being discriminated against feels. This shows that words can have a very powerful effect on someone, especially when using words in a hateful way Because words can mark someone like a gunshot wound they mark forever.
The that states “The sun will always rise tomorrow” explicitly relates to this simile, as Angelou connotes to the reader by contrasting herself to the sun that she is certain tomorrow she will always ' rise ' again just like the sun, no regardless of what happens to her. It tells us that she was proud of herself and that she is a strong and independent woman. In her poem, Maya Angelou uses literary methods to express effectively what she was trying to convey to the listener. She conveys to the public her strong, focused and positive approach to racism, Angelou's poem encourages the readers to be confident and optimistic at all times, and never let anything get in the way you want to do in your life.
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The Analysis of The Poem ’still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou
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Maya Angelou (Bio | Poems), born in 1928, lived through some of the worst oppression and inequality for African American people.Although slavery had been long abolished, Angelou saw its effects on society and the African-American people. 'Still I Rise' is her declaration that she, for one, would not allow the hatefulness of society to determine her own success.
The featured poem that caught my attention was Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise". I enjoy Ms. Angelou's work and was pleased to see her work being featured. The poem reads as follows: Still I Rise By Maya Angelou You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt
For instance, the lack of freedom and treatment endured by African Americans could have influenced the form and content Angelou chooses. In the first stanza the poem reads: You may write me down in history/ With your bitter, twisted lies/ You may trod me in the very dirt/ But still, like dust, I 'll rise (Angelou 1-4).
"Still I Rise" is a poem by the American civil rights activist and writer Maya Angelou. One of Angelou's most acclaimed works, the poem was published in Angelou's third poetry collection And Still I Rise in 1978. Broadly speaking, the poem is an assertion of the dignity and resilience of marginalized people in the face of oppression.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) 'Still I Rise' is a poem by the American poet Maya Angelou (1928-2014), published in her 1978 collection And Still I Rise.A kind of protest poem which is defiant as well as celebratory, 'Still I Rise' is about the power of the human spirit to overcome discrimination and hardship, with Angelou specifically reflecting her attitudes as a black ...
Still I Rise Essay. Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" is a powerful and inspirational poem that has been empowering people for generations. The poem is about overcoming adversity and rising above it all, no matter what life throws at you. Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist and writer who fought for equality, and this poem is a perfect ...
In 'Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou, identity is presented by the writer, knowing and accepting her identity. She doesn't ever second guess it and learns to love it. The poem shows a woman who gets dragged down by society because of her identity but rises above it and won't hide it.. In 'An Unknown Girl' by Moniza Alvi, identity is presented as a chasm between two cultures, one Indian and the ...
Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" can be understood as the narrative of a woman who was discarded and hampered by the world and its cruel definition of beauty and success. You can discern the story of a young girl who once felt ashamed to appear in the light, and a tale of the same young lady transforming into a woman who has pride in the ...
Essay Example: In this poem "Still, I Rise" by Maya Angelou an African American female poet that provides an interesting blend of tones: humorous and defiant, comical and furious, self-assured and bitterness. In the poem, the use of different literary devices was used such as repetition
Analyzing Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" for Students Essay. Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise" is like a big anthem about bouncing back no matter what life throws at you. It celebrates how tough the human spirit is, especially for black women who've been through a lot historically.