Furthermore, Maya Angelou's poem, Still I Rise depicts what is occurs when inequality and discrimination is a factor through the use of repetition and metaphor. Repetition is used in Still I Rise to emphasize the determination and strength of those discriminated against, as variations of the phrase "still I'll rise" (12) are repeated ten times throughout the poem. Still I Rise speaks of the great lengths in which some go to discriminate, and after every one of these scenarios, such as "[you] may kill me with your hatefulness" (23), the speaker states that she will rise; rise above their discrimination and hatred, and continue working towards finding equality. Angelou ends the poem with the words "I rise" (41-3) being repeated three times, proving and …show more content…
The imagery, both similes and metaphors, in Still I Rise portray the actions that the speaker will take in the face of the destructive behaviour of the suppressors. Angelou writes "I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, / Welling and swelling I bear in the tide, / leaving nights of terror and fear / I rise" (33-6). The metaphor in these lines compares the speaker's determination to rise above the suppression and discrimination of the inequality to a roaring and wild ocean, uncontrollable and undaunted. Angelou portrays that through the adversity of inequality, it is necessary to rise above; to become a great and powerful force that will destroy and terrify those that stand in the way of freedom. Literary critic Priscilla R. Ramsey stated that "[Angelou's] autobiographies and poetry reveal a vital need to transform the elements of a stultifying and destructive personal, social, political, and historical milieu into a sensual and physical refuge" (Ramsey, 1984-5). Through the use of this metaphor, Angelou turns the harrowing condition of inequality into something that has the capability to be
She did not complain about her childhood, racism, divorce, losing her friends, or rejection. She has overcome all the obstacles with courage; that is another lesson we can learn. In her poem, she says, “You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise!” Angelou knew who she was. She learned not to live according to people’s opinions.
The ways in which Wilfred Owen’s Disabled and Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise present the overcoming of burdens are very intriguing. Each character possesses a burden that stands in their way, holding them back in life. In Disabled, the individual’s burden is the disability, trauma, and loss afflicted onto him by war and in Still I Rise racism, stereotypes, and a rough history endured by africans is Angelou’s burden. Though the authors experience very different problems and portray opposite atmospheres they contain similarities and use many of the same devices such as symbolism and juxtaposed antithesis points to deliver their messages.
In conclusion, the poem “Still I Rise” is “a poem of pride and protest in which the speaker says that despite the history of oppression for African Americans, she will rise.” (Bouchard 1). This poem inspired many and helped to solidify the legacy of Maya Angelou in my honest opinion. I think this because when I think of her works, this poem is the first one that comes to mind because it is so big in the African American community. I think this poem is one of Angelou’s best works. The stern/confident tone and the symbolism of each line makes this poem an instant
Throughout life graduation, or the advancement to the next distinct level of growth, is sometimes acknowledged with the pomp and circumstance of the grand commencement ceremony, but many times the graduation is as whisper soft and natural as taking a breath. In the moving autobiographical essay, "The Graduation," Maya Angelou effectively applies three rhetorical strategies - an expressive voice, illustrative comparison and contrast, and flowing sentences bursting with vivid simile and delightful imagery - to examine the personal growth of humans caught in the adversity of racial discrimination.
Dr. Maya Angelou is an influential poet, author and historian. Becoming one of the greatest poets of our time was not an easy task for Dr. Angelou she had to overcome a few obstacles starting with attending a segregated school, and facing racial discrimination. Being an African American attending Lafayette Training School, a school that sat on a dirt hill with no lawn, tennis courts, and fence limiting the boarding farmers surrounding the school educators expected Angelou and her fellow classmates to not do great things in life. According to a speech given at her 1940 graduation they were “maids and farmers, handymen and washerwomen” (p.84) and anything higher that they aspired to was farcical and presumptuous. Causing her to feel angry but
Rising Up in Still I Rise by Maya Angelou ? Still I Rise? by Maya Angelou is directed towards blacks on how to be proud of their ancestry, themselves, and their overall appearance. The poem is a special and motivating poem that African-Americans (and other races for that matter) should read and take to heart. According to African-Americans, Maya Angelou states that no matter what white Americans (slave owners) say or do to African-Americans (slaves) they can still rise up to make a better life for themselves and their race as a whole.
Maya Angelou describes the situation, feelings and descriptions of a person (probably herself) who does not need people to try and lift her up. Maya shows us within the poem that all those oppressed in general are strong. Within the poem we are shown some of the feelings and thoughts people have displayed against her, but in reality she won’t let them get her down. Maya’s moral opulence allows her to rise above where her ancestors fell to slavery; carrying herself as a strong woman. Her ancestors dream was to have a life in society without the fear of what might happen to them (slavery). The author herself is portrayed in the...
Where Rossetti portrays in Remember the intense belief that life must go on despite adversities such as death, Angelou expresses self-belief in Still I Rise in an attempt to break through the barrier of oppression caused by discrimination. Rossetti’s poem Remember does not commence with the idea of belief but rather the concept of death in which the narrator pleas to be remembered once she is deceased, though Angelou immediately depicts the idea of self-belief in Still I Rise. Rossetti uses the directive and euphemism “Remember me when I am gone away” to emphasise vulnerability as death is final, though contrastingly, Angelou uses the simile “But still, like dust, I’ll rise” to demonstrate the narrator’s determination and courage to overcome racial stigmas. Where Rossetti’s poem has a more indirect effect on evoking emotion surrounding the concept of death through imagery “gone far away into the silent land”, Angelou uses the metaphor “you may trod me in the very dirt” to more directly evoke emotion. Similarly, the first person narration demonstrated in both of these poems explore triumph through adversity as where the narrator in Remember aims for integrity and purity in her memory, the narrator in Still I Rise refuses to be disrespected in
Maya Angelou uses repetition, figurative language, and includes different examples of different people to convey and illustrate how a person needs someone. In this poem, repetition is continuously used throughout. One of the main characteristics that a reader will recognize about this poem, is that it contains large amounts of repetition of words and phrases. Throughout the poem, Angelou repeats the words "alone" and "nobody" numerous times. In fact, there is a three line stanza that repeats "alone" three times and "nobody" twice (11-13).
She than rises above the hatred, letting the racism make her a stronger human being. In “Still I rise” explores the sarcastic, defiant, anger, and self assured affirmations to feel entitled and feel more in control of her life. She tries to challenge the thinking of the oppressors and making her feel more powerful. She declares that nothing can suppress her, and knows the way the people of America have painted her race as “bitter twisted lies but still like dust I'll rise”.Bitter” conotes difficult or distasteful for something to accept. Twisted conotes unfairness in a circumstance. Dirt conotes worthlessness or information that embarasses or accused of moral corruption.”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 rise” To explain, she felt as if she tries to feel less powerless by taking responsibility of her situation stating no matter what you do to me I will always rise. Her self confidence and sarcasm, made it seem like she might as well have oil pumps in her back ground. “Cause I laugh like I’ve oil wells pumping in my room” Oil conotes valuableness and luxury , she is so what you say to her do not affect her because she already has whatever she wants.Maya Angelou using sarcasm, and challenges her oppressors saying to them no matter how much you try to undermine her rights, she
"Still I Rise” and “Pretty Beyond Belief" show different perspectives of alienation. Digression of alienation of an individual is shown in “Still I Rise,” evident in Amy Tan’s struggle to fit in into the norm of beauty. Progression of alienation of an individual is shown in “Pretty Beyond Belief,” evident in Maya Angelou’s tone of confidence in the poem. Firstly, in the tone of Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise,” Maya is not feeling alone.
Our generation has escaped a lot of struggles, even with that being said, we still have our own struggles that we need to overcome May Angelo had fought her own struggles, mainly struggles to make sure people of color do not have to through the struggles she herself has endured. I have read great poems she has written over the time and she considered herself to be a poet and playwright, but for this essay I will mainly focus on her poem called “ Still I Rise” which was published by Random House in 1978 which she eloquently writes about how she will rise, I will analyze each stanza to the best of my knowledge while using my life stories to relate to each stanza and conclude by giving my opinion about the poem and who she wrote it for and whether I believe her targeted audience got her message.
I believe this is the theme because just by reading the title of her poem; “Still I Rise” i can tell its about a person who has faced many difficulties and has been ridiculed many times throughout her life and instead of giving up she decides to stay strong and continue to stand up even though the world is trying to push her down. Also another reason why i believe the theme of her poem is, “to never give up” because of her history. Maya Angelou is a Black- American who was born in the year of 1928. she has been discriminated throughout her life only being judged by the colour of her skin. Just as how Harriet Tubman was a black- Canadian who helped many slaves through the use of the underground railway as a escape path back to their native land, she has also suffered being discriminated by the use of words and in further cases, being abused. In that era African- American women were treated brutally and were always being pushed down and were not even treated like humans. They never got the respect they deserved and were treated like absolute disgrace just because of the colour of their skin. The theme of Maya Angelou’s poem is very significant because she was born during the generation where black people could not say what they wanted without others reacting with distraught and anger. Just by the title of the poem it tells us that no matter what difficulties we come across in our life we have to manage to stay strong and keep
... "I rise, I rise, I rise" The evidence above demonstrates that life doesn't frighten me. where the repetition is used to comfort her, in still I rise repetition is used to stress her confidence in a brighter future. therefore the poem ends in hope.
Maya Angelou was a poet who was born in 1928 and passed away in 2014. The Poem “Still I Rise” can have a different meaning depending on who is reading it. To Maya Angelou it symbolizes her strength and courage to stand up to everyone who tried to bring her down and showed racism toward her in life. To others reading, it reveals the ability of humans being able to get past feeling hurt while delivering a sarcastic response for everyone who treated the writer poorly. “Still I Rise” shows how Maya used every day poetry writing to address the theme of racial discrimination. The poem depicts a person who has the ability to stay positive throughout her life in order to always move forward.