Racism In Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise'

The poem “Still I Rise”, written by African American poet, Maya Angelou, portrays a powerful message throughout. In “Still I Rise”, the author talks about how people drag her down and put out false accusations about her, but she affirms that she will rise above all of the lies and hatefulness thrown at her. The author of this poem never points out her ethnicity, yet it can be inferred by the oppression she encounters and how unapologetic she came to be African American. This poem has been important throughout the years because she is not only speaking for herself, she is speaking out for all the people who have been ill-treated by society. This autobiographical poem has lead Maya Angelou to be one of the most important black female poets in America because it not only targets her initial adulthood experiences but her encounters with sexism and racism. “Still I Rise” became so popular that it was later turned into a drama by Maya herself. “The play works brilliantly enough as art; but it is, in addition to an aesthetic triumph, a practically applied course in Afro-American history, anthropology, music, folklore and, above all “style”. (Redmond 50) granted, Maya was determined to show black excellence through her play and was able to open up African American history to people from different backgrounds. Once we go
Maya Angelou effectively defends her dignity in the face of discrimination and prejudice in “Still I Rise”. Angelou took us in and showed us what it was to be her, this is one of the many reasons why she came to be the most important black female poets in America. In her poem, “Still I Rise”, not only does she targets her initial adulthood experiences but her encounters with sexism and racism as well. She strives to continue the legacy of her ancestors and tries to accomplish everything they were not able to at that time, she will no longer let the oppressor