Still I Rise, By Maya Angelou

In the poem, Still I Rise by Maya Angelou, Maya uses a selective word choice as well as similes and personification to express her message in her poem. The main idea of Still I Rise is that with all of the negativity that is thrown at a certain person, they will not let the hatefulness affect them in any way, but will allow the negativity to help them rise to be a better version of themselves. To prove my reasoning, a string of words in the poem releases a pessimistic atmosphere with words such as ‘pain,’ ‘fear,’ ‘terror,’ and ‘gloom.’ These words tend to spread an adverse feeling throughout the poem. The words that were previously listed represent the negativity that is targeted at a person. In contrast to the sullen emotions that crept through

Maya used the word “rise” at the end of stanza 1,2 & 3 to tell us despite all odds she will rise to the top to making a transition to using “rise after every line from 16-18 where Maya states” leaving behind nights of terror and fear, ill rise, into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear, I rise” where you can see she is determine and trying to get to the top. The use of repetition is further exemplified when the poet repeats the words ‘I rise’ 5 times in the last stanza. This puts an emphasis on the message of the poem, reminding the reader of what her goal was, trying to express at the beginning of the poem, when she first compared herself to dust saying, “you may tread me in the very dirt bust still, like dust ill rise” where if you step in dirt or kick it, dust will go up into the air. Maya uses the word rise in three different ways through the poem, still I rise, ill rise and I rise to show her progressed on what she trying to achieve, An she show it by her strong attitude by first stating “still I rise” letting her audience know she will keep getting up no matter what, to changing over to “I’ll rise letting it known there no falling again it her time to shine to the transition of “I rise” which show her taking action and achieving her goal, in lines 38 she said “leaving behind nights of terror and fear” and in lines 40-43 “I rise, I rise, I rise”

8.) The theme of the poem is strength and persevering through one’s struggles. This is enhanced evident when the author directly references "sexiness, "sassiness," "diamonds at the meeting of my thighs." This is all during a time when the author is facing severe hardships. No matter how depressing the situation was, she still remained positive and could even be interpreted as mocking the aggressor. Another strength of the poem 's thematic power lies in its applicability. Angelou 's poem is forceful in how it depicts individuals who commit themselves to persevering and triumphing over any adversary that wishes to remove them. This can be seen in the closing of the first stanza, "You may tread me in the very dirt/ But still, like dust, I’ll rise." This is where the poem 's resilient theme is a universal one. Everyone goes through struggles at some point in their life, and oftentimes it can be associated with an adversary. Her theme of strength is truly an important one. This poem can also be for many different people Angelou is speaking about the internal power an individual possesses. As such, her poem could be used as inspiration by a person in

“You may trod me in the very dirt but still, like dust, I’ll rise.” She is speaking out against all her oppressors and telling them that they can no longer treat her as they have in the past and that she has

In Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise,” Angelou uses similes and the placement of her ideas to establish that self-esteem generates strength to resist humiliation. Angelou includes examples of society belittling the speaker to establish their humiliation. Angelou follows the incidents and examples of humiliation with similes that create images of elevation, to establish the speaker’s strength to continue after humiliation. Angelou uses similes to associate valuables with the speaker to establish their self-esteem. By placing an example of the speaker’s self-esteem between two different displays of the speaker’s strength, Angelou establishes the influence self-esteem has on a person’s strength to continue after humiliation. Angelou’s strategic placement of examples, which demonstrate the speaker’s self-esteem, and her use of similes establish self-esteem as the source of the strength one needs to overcome humiliation.

This poem is about Maya Angelou and how people brought down the blacks and women but she just kept her head up through the tough times. No matter what happened or what is thrown at her she will always “rise above it all.” “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, Maya. "Still I Rise." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 02 May 2017.) The meaning of this quote is that people will talk behind your back and spread rumors around about u but you have to keep your head held high. People will continue to bring you down all throughout your life you just have to stay strong and ignore what people say. This text impacted confidence and self acceptance. It was written because Maya Angelou was treated badly because of her race. The message she was trying to say is that it doesn't matter what race you are. You should be proud of who you

In many pieces of writing, the speaker must create many subtle ways to introduce the deeper meaning of a text to the reader. Most use rhetorical devices, which is an art and study that uses language effectively and persuasively to get a point across. In “Still I Rise”, by Maya Angelou, the speaker is telling a tale of a woman, who has continued to overcome the many obstacles in front of her. Maya Angelou is an African American poem who as a civil rights activist, has been put through many tests to determine her strength. Although the speaker has a sarcastic response towards the people who look down on the speaker, the narrator describes her strength to always survive and a person’s ability to overcome hurt and criticism.

Maya Angelou responds to the racism she experienced in the Jim Crow South by being confident in her own skin and not letting the world’s remarks get under her skin. She wrote, “Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise”. Angelou repeats the words “I rise” in the poem to emphasize that no matter what the world uses against her, she will never give up on herself nor her future. She uses metaphor, calling herself history’s shame, to demonstrate that the world has rejected her for an extensive period of time and it although seems like the hate society has for her is so ingrained into the their lives, she will still live with confidence and freedom. Maya Angelou does not allow her past to cripple her and instead she uses it as a source of confidence and motivation to keep going. She beautifully illustrates the fact that one can heal themselves and previous trauma is not

Overall, this demonstrates, even though you may face hardships, it’s important to rise with pride and stay hopeful. This may also suggest that she refuses to pushed down by her peers, as dust is known to rise. As a black woman, you could assume her life has been troublesome. However, she didn’t let her peers dictate her future. In addition, the same theme is reflected when she consistently repeats the phrase “Still I Rise” throughout the poem.

It is where we learn that the poem is not limited, she is speaking for all black people that have been oppressed as well. It also shows how whites were vicious enough to make false accusation of her and the fellow black people. The next lines “You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, ill rise.” (3-4) are powerful because although the wording might seem to be more metaphorical rather than literal, some of her own ancestors might have been unfortunate enough to have been physically abused by the white oppressors and she won’t let that go unforgotten. At the end of that line she continued to incorporate a simile saying “but still, like dust, I’ll rise.” and that gives us a meaning that even after being treated poorly, she will still continue to rise above it all and won’t let them bring her down. She will no longer tolerate being treated like

“Still I rise” the poem by Maya Angelou brings such a powerful message, and a unfamiliar characteristic to Maya. This poem perceives Maya as confident, sexy, and having self respect. Maya personality shares that others destructive and hateful acts should not ruin someone's self respect, self esteem, and self worth. She reveals that discriminators and haters have a destructive craving to destroy others pride, and view of themselves. In this poem she shows emphasis on the phrase

The main message of this poem is the ability of overcoming all the discrimination and gloom from society. Throughout the poem ,the narrator always uses a seconds person and first person pronouns "you" and "I" which creates a contrast. The use of those pronouns grabs reader"s attention because "you" can partly be adressed to the readers showing that they might be the "white society" who is oppressive and discriminative towards the narrator and other people. The pronoun "I" represents her and other African-American people .Also

Angelou expresses this to show that no matter how many times society judge her, degrade her, or dehumanize her she will continue to believe and have faith in herself because she's aware that she can stand above any anything if she adopts this mentality. An example of this is “Just like moons and like suns, with the certainty of the tides, just like hopes springing high, still, I’ll rise”. In this line, Angelou uses metaphor to compare herself to a force of nature which, in this case, is the “moons”, “suns” and the “tides”. She does this to show that they “rise” each day, and the strength within this inevitable event is what Angelou compares her own strength with; she asserts that as long as the universe is in existence, she will continue to "rise". It is in the author’s intention to show her unwavering optimism and fierce determination, which implies that although the author is a black person, she refuses to submit and undergo a life of oppression as her ancestors before she had.

‘Still I Rise’ is about an African American who addresses the white oppression on blacks. The author, Maya Angelou portrays this impact in her poem as a building point for her. She uses the phrase “Bringing the gift that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and hope of slave” to bring her whole idea together. As you read through it more you see that she is taking the strength that her ancestors had and learning form it and letting her ancestors wish that they had for the future and making it happen. Still I rise was published in 1987 which was a very controversial time because that was when speaking out about the mistreatment of about the blacks was challenged.

In this poem, she explores optimism from a motivational and faithful point. She is not simply saying, this sadness is over and I can be happy again, or if you speak positive energy it will surround you, she is saying no matter what the world may throw my way, I will rise. Angelou uses a sassy and powerful tone to portray her message of success. Angelou uses imagery, similes, and metaphors to explore the depths of her faith in herself. She uses similes by saying she laughs like she’s got gold mines in her backyard, dances like she has diamonds in between her thighs, walks like she has oil wells in her living room. She goes on to say that she is a black ocean, wide, and swelling in the tide. Possibly the most powerful connotation she uses is in the last stanza, “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave.” Optimism is not the only theme explored in this work, this poem also explores oppression, specifically that of African Americans, freedom, and success. While optimism may not be the most important theme in this poem, it is still an important message that this poem portrays