Poems are meant to give one an experience or emotion that will have lasting effects on the reader. To create this experience or emotion authors use poetic devices that gives impact to the poem. In the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou, she uses the poetic device imagery, repetition, and figurative language to show her feelings of bitterness, but also create the theme of overcoming or rising above. Maya Angelou was an African American poet who grew up in a time when there was a lot of discrimination towards African Americans and especially the African American women. Because of this she had to deal with a lot of hate and discrimination towards her through most of her life. When she began to write poems most of them were centered around racism and how she overcame that time of her life. Angelou is able to use poetic devices in her poem Still I Rise to express her bitterness and the theme of her poem, overcoming.
Maya Angelou uses the poetic device, imagery in her poem to express her feelings of bitterness and overcoming in a way that other poetic devices couldn’t. Imagery is a clear description of something and it is meant to leave a lasting image in the mind of the reader. Angelou use of imagery in her poem Still I Rise is to help the read have a clear description and image of how she was treated and how she was able to overcome and rise above that struggle. Imagery is shown in her poem by her saying,”You may tread me in the very dirt/ But still, like dust, I'll rise.” This is meant to create an image of being treated unfairly, or rudely in the readers mind, but also to be sure that the reader sees how she was able to overcome as she says in the line, “…like dust, I’ll rise.” Maya Angelou was treated very poorly growing up and...
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... Angelou uses figurative language to express both the theme and experience in the poem, that of bitterness and then being able to overcome.
In incorporating these poetic devices into Maya Angelou’s poem she was able to convey the experience of the poem, that is the experience of overcoming and rising above while also being able to express her feelings of bitterness. In adding Imagery as well as figurative language into her poem she was able to paint a picture for the reader of the bitterness that she was feeling, and the theme of rising above or overcoming. Angelou incorporated the poetic device repetition into her poem to be sure that the reader received her theme of overcoming and rising above and to make known that she did overcome her trials. In using these poetic devices Angelou was able to get her theme and experience that she wanted express through her poem.
No matter what happens, she will always keep her head up. “You may tread me in the very dirt/ but still, like dust, I’ll rise” (Angelou 3-4), she will go above whatever anyone says or does towards her. Maya is saying how she is going to rise like dust, rising up to get away from everyone and everything, but everything has to come down at some point, she’ll make a mess but quietly. No matter what someone does, she’ll rise above it all. “You may kill me with your hatefulness/ but still, like air, I’ll rise”(23-24), even if you kill her, Maya’ll just float up. She’s saying how she will go up and watch from above rather than with everyone else. While she’s had a hard life, she just keeps on moving forward. “Up from the past rooted in pain/ I rise”(31-32), after everything she has gone through, she won’t let this hold her back. Whatever you throw at Maya, she’s just going to put it behind her, it helps build up her ladder, it helps her rise. Remaining calm creates a ripple outward, sending off good, calm vibes in this time sets everyone else
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.
She does a great job at using both of the appeals in “Still I Rise”. Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist, an educator, and a poet. Maya Angelou’s constant use of “I” or “my” in her poem is her greatest use of ethos. This poem is her story so she is telling it from experience. For example, when Maya says “Does my sassiness upset you?” (Angelou 5) she draws in the audience by speaking of herself. She lets the audience know that this is a real thing. Another way that Angelou draws in her audience with ethos is when she says “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave.” (Angelou 39-40) That quote gives Maya Angelou credibility because she knows the hardships of slavery and racism because of her ancestors and culture. The second and most effectively used rhetorical device used is pathos. The entire poem draws in the audience emotionally, even from the first sentence. I believe she was so great at using pathos because it was from her heart. She lived through it, she went through the pain, and she overcame that pain. She was passionate about what she was writing and you could absolutely feel it just by reading it. A great example of pathos and one of my favorite “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 21-24) Maya’s use of words in this stanza appeals to the audience emotionally. While reading it, you feel like those things are directly happening to you. The other use of pathos that is effective is when she claims that she will rise. It appeals emotionally because it gives the audience hope, strength, and determination that they can rise. The more it’s repeated, the more effective it is. The more you say it, the more that she and the audience believe that it is true. The last example of how this poem appeals emotionally is when she says “Does my
Ms. Angelou's rhetorical strategy of comparison and contrast serves as effectively as her brilliant, flowing sentences sprinkled with colorful simile and imagery. Poetic phrases describing a voice "like a river diminishing to a stream, and then a trickle" or the audience's conditioned responses as "Amen's and Yes, sir's began to fall around the room like rain through a ragged umbrella" paint vivid images.
In her first autobiography, Maya Angelou tells about her childhood through her graduation through, “Graduation”, from “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” when she is about to graduate. She starts as an excited graduate because she was finally going to receive her diploma, a reward for all her academic accomplishments. On the day of her graduation finally comes, that happiness turns into doubt about her future as she believes that black people will be nothing more than potential athletes or servants to white people. It wasn’t until Henry Reed started to sing the Negro National Anthem that she felt on top of the world again. Throughout her graduation she felt excited to disappointed, until Henry Reed sang and made her feel better.
This phrase demonstrates her confidence and feeling of superiority to those around her because she has to be bold and unforgiving to be taken seriously or even noticed. When Angelou states “like air, I’ll rise” (24) from “a past that’s rooted in pain” (31), she is depicting that although she and her people have suffered in the past, there is nothing that can hinder her from rising now. This feeling of invincibility and pride is what allows her to fight racism and overcome hate. When a people are oppressed, they must muster up all of the courage, confidence, and ego they can obtain to pursuit
... all audiences can face their personal hardships. No matter the color of your skin or gender, Maya Angelou’s works are timeless testaments to the potential of the human spirit to overcome adversity, and constant reminders that even if the world is against us, we must still rise.
Within the poem we also see the usage of onomatopoeia, this is where the author uses words to imitate sounds, some of the words used to imitate sounds within the poem are, ‘history’, ‘twisted’ ‘dust’, the author is trying to give us the feeling of what it would have been like living in the real world of racism. Angelou also makes good use of rhymes and the frequent asking of rhetorical questions such as ‘Does my sassiness upset you’. Maya is asking the question for which she does not expect an answer because she already knows the answer, but rather she is making a statement. Another language factor used are the similes ‘Just like hopes springing high’. This suggests the simile of nature which is used to describe oppression which also tells us that oppression will not last forever.
Maya Angelou uses powerful imagery to transport the reader into a specific event. One of the most influential pieces of imagery the author used
Maya Angelou’s excerpt from her book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” reveals the challenges facing a young black girl in the south. The prologue of the book tells of a young Angelou in church trying to recite a poem she has forgotten. She describes the dress her grandmother has made her and imagines a day where she wakes up out of her black nightmare. Angelou was raised in a time where segregation and racism were prevalent in society. She uses repetition, diction, and themes to explore the struggle of a black girl while growing up. Angelou produces a feeling of compassion and poignancy within the reader by revealing racial stereotypes, appearance-related insecurities, and negative connotations associated with being a black girl. By doing this she forces the
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).
This poem is Maya Angelou speaking to the audience as she explains the problems she has overcome such as; racism, sexism, bullying and other problems in her life that she has managed to move on from.This poem is set in a first person narrative, Angelou explains to the audience about the good and bad times within her life, presented in a graceful way. By the poem being set in first person narrative, this allows the audience to connect to the poet on a deeper level because the tone of the poem is more intense throughout, making it more real for the audience. This genre of poetry is lyric poetry, relating to Angelou’s feelings and thoughts throughout the poem, addressing the audience directly.
The poem “Still I Rise”, written by Maya Angelou, explores this concept, featuring the emotional and spiritual self-discovery of the author. Angelou expresses that she will not succumb to discrimination towards her African-American heritage, but rather show pride and understand her true value and worth. This passion and fervour can also be seen in ‘The Awakening’, with Edna’s unapologetic view of women causing her to break social norms and go against society at the time. Angelou’s spiritual discovery is represented through the repetitive motif of mining imagery, such as oil wells, gold and diamonds. Angelou relates this to her experiences as an African-American woman, using domestic settings such as the living room and the backyard, coupled with attributes such as sexiness and sassiness. The characteristics mirror those of the mining resources - they must be ‘mined’ in order to fully discover the true nature and essence of these women. These powerful and rare riches are placed within domestic settings, allowing such profound and personal discoveries to revitalise these environments as well as presenting possibility for change, even throughout ordinary
Maya Angelou’s word choice in “Phenomenal Woman” is simple and dull, but it fits the poem perfectly once it is read. The words used in the poem are not powerful but it keeps you reading. It makes the readers a have different opinion on the poem. Also it makes the readers analyze what she is really trying to say. For example, in the poem Maya Angelou states “Men themselves have wondered, What they see in me. They try so much, But they can’t touch, My inner mystery.” It is a little confusing on what she is trying to say because of her word choice and the way the sentences are connected, but reading furthermore into the stanza, it begins to become more understanding. Then too, If she had used a different word choice the poem would not have been so intriguing. For example, if she would have said “Men don’t really understand my personality”, instead of “Men themselves have wondered, What they see in me.” then the readers would not have to put much attention into it and the theme would be completely different. Moreover, another example would be “ It’s the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth, The swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet. I’m a woman Phenomenally’’. She uses simple phrases like “fire in my eyes”, “flash of my teeth”, “swing in my waist”, etc. to show the phenomenal woman she is. The word choice that Maya Angelou portrays in this poem, makes woman realize that
Maya Angelou is a well acclaimed poet, author, and civil rights activist. Though she passed away in 2014, her work continues to awe and inspire people worldwide. Angelou had written numerous poems, but in this analysis I will be focusing on “Caged Bird,” “Phenomenal Woman,” and finally “Touched by An Angel.” In these works we see her approach issues such as equality, racism, feminism, love and many more issues as well. Angelou is a very skilled poet; though some people find her work too straight forward and little more than common text broken into stanzas. Maya Angelou 's poems are easy to understand; and though I do enjoy her work, I find that how she structures her poems can be confusing