Devin Burke
Afram – 3
Kehinde Solwazi
11/20/14
Still I Rise
Whenever I read still I Rise, I think of a strong Black woman. Maya Angelou describes what it was like during the 1950’s. No matter what people said about her, she was still able to push forward. That’s what the poem says to me when I read it. It would be difficult not to have a reaction to a poem that deals with the sensitive topic of racism. Maya Angelo talks about racism in this poem. She will not allow herself to be “beaten” or “broken”. The way she talks about racism in this poem. Angelou says ,“You may write me down in history with your bitter twisted lies” ; The fact that Angelou uses the words “bitter” and “twisted” almost describes the horrible things that colored people had to put up with in America. We get the impression that this abuse had been going on for years because she says that it had been written “down in history”. When she says, “You may trod me in the very dirt” , the word “trod” suggests that Angelou was beaten down and stomped on by a society that wouldn’t tolerate her. She was literally treated like “dirt” as if she was nothing. Even through everything that happened to her, she stood tall. Another line I like is, “Just like moons and like suns ,with the certainty of tides, just like hopes springing high, still I’ll rise.” She compares herself to the moon, sun and flowing tides. These are all things that happen every day. She refuses to allow herself become another victim. Still I Rise is a poem that deals with racism and leaves the reader feeling a sense of happiness and pride. She takes us in and shows us what she has to deal with. She shows the reader that the human spirit can overcome anything. Her refusal to be “broken” should be an inspiration to