...Still I Rise Irene Lange Intro to Humanities Task 1 Still I Rise Prior to beginning this assignment, I had never heard of the poem, “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. I had only recently been introduced to her and her works after she passed away in 2014. It was then that I had seen what an impact this woman had in the lives of so many people. My first reaction to the poem was that it appeared that she was being defiant. Her questioning in several paragraphs, made it seem as if she is almost taunting the reader with her responses. There is the repeating theme of her “rising” throughout the poem. In the last paragraph she addresses “slaves” which suggests that the entire poem is about racism, sexism and black rights. To me, the poem seems to make it clear that she has risen above the racism and sexism of other people and what they may think of her past or her actions. This poem was written in 1978, and while there were no “slaves” at this point in history, there remained many areas in the south that were segregated. The women of the Post Modern Era had to work hard to defend their rights. Angelou’s works became part of the Black Power Movement of the 1970s. She was a civil rights activist and worked with both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr to help improve the rights of the African American. Maya Angelou was a remarkable woman. Into adulthood, Maya had held various job titles including “a cook, a waitress, a madam, a prostitute, a dancer, an actress, a playwright and...
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...The tone of both poems are very similar, In Still I Rise, one can picture Mya Angelou standing tall, chest poked out, and head hung hide reciting each line clearly and powerful. The entire poem shows a person’s empowerment and self-worth. Angelou shows her confidence in the line, “Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells pumping in my living room.” Brooks is also a woman who is very proud of her roots and heritage. However the tones are different. Angelou’s tone is of a person who is confident and triumphed. A person who knows exactly who she is and has no problem with letting the entire world knows. In Brooks’ poem she is trying to instill confidence into someone. The poem reminds me of someone’s grandmother talking to a person who is kind of lost in this world and is not completely sure of their selves. In the stanza “I could not have told you then that some sun would come, somewhere over the road, would come evoking the diamonds of you, the Black continent-- somewhere over the road. You would not have believed my mouth.” Both poems are very unique. In Still I Rise Angelou uses a unique rhyme scheme. She starts out with a line that that does not rhyme with anything, but line two and four always rhymes. An example of that would be “you may shoot me with your words, you may cut with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll.” There isn’t any rhyme scheme in the poem “to the Diaspora”...
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...“Still I Rise” Maya Angelou I could tell right away from the poem’s description, imagery, and repetition that she was directing her thoughts towards someone who was trying to hurt her. “Still I Rise” and “I rise” were her saying over and over you can keep trying to put me down but I’m going to keep getting up. She portrays a strong woman with supreme attitude and stresses that the person didn’t like her how she was. She identifies that she has a strong attitude with words like “sassiness”, “haughtiness” and “sexiness”. Her self-described attitude can be compared to today’s reference of a “Diva”. I am interested in her strength in an era where the woman’s movement was just beginning. She was so far ahead of her time and willing to talk about it. I can tell in her words that she has been brought down in the past by this person. She describes being shot down by their words, being glared at and having hate directed at her. She keeps telling the other person that I will not let you bring me down and every time you do, I will get stronger and stronger. She references that she creates waves like the moon and the sun, that she is challenging and the other person doesn’t like it. She felt the other person was trying to break her down and be dominating but she was a strong woman and would not let that happen. In the end, she says she is leaving all her negatives in the past and focusing on the future. She is a wanted person and she has pride. Maya Angelou was an author...
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...Still I rise Favorite Poem Essay Maya Angelou’s poem Still I Rise is an astonishing piece of art. The reason I chose this poem is because it’s not only a poem, it’s a story. The poem is about Maya Angelou’s beliefs being a women of color about discrimination. It’s not just her personal story but a universal experience for those with an African American background. Throughout the poem, Maya Angelou uses many poetic devices to give us more in-depth meaning behind what is in the poem. These poetic devices help her poem flow, create emotion, and makes the read more interesting. The poetic devices Maya Angelou focused on throughout her poem are repetition, rhyme, metaphor, and symbols. These poetic devices work together to create an overall effect on the meaning of the poem, creating the poem to be more thought-provoking to the reader. The first poetic device Maya Angelou uses throughout her poem is repetition. In the poem, she continuously uses the phrase “I’ll rise” (Angelou 12). The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the hope and confidence she has to overcome the struggles she is facing as an African American. The idea of moving forward and being a successful individual despite what society may bring towards someone is given off by this repetition of the strong phrase. The repetition allows the reader to notice the importance of never giving up on their own beliefs even when they’re different. These words at the end of the stanzas gives it strength and brings the poem back...
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...Still I Rise by Maya Angelou is a very moving ballad poem, and has a positive and strong tone throughout it. The main theme of this poem is discrimination. It portrays a strong woman living with confidence and a positive attitude. The reason why I chose to write my essay on Still I Rise is because it has a very powerful message. Although this poem was written in 1978, I feel as if anyone can relate to it even in this time period. Everybody experiences discrimination at some point in their lives, and this poem teaches readers to have pride and hope in their selves in order to overcome any obstacle that comes their way. There are quite a few poetic devices in the poem I will be focusing on such as similes, metaphors, repetition and imagery. All of these devices create an overall powerful poem. Angelou incorporates several similes throughout her poem. The first simile is at the end of the first stanza, where she compares herself to dust; "But still, like dust, I'll rise." This particular simile also depicts imagery, as it creates a picture of a rising cloud of dust in his or her mind. Another simile is "Just like moons and like suns", found on the first line of the third stanza. This compares how Angelou continues to raise herself emotionally every day to stay strong, just like how the sun and the moon both rise every day no matter the circumstance. The writer's use of similes deepens the meaning of the poem by giving the reader a perceptible connection to the profound themes...
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...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...
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...Analysis of "Still I Rise" Initial Thoughts I have always enjoyed Maya Angelou's poetry. After reading "Still I Rise" I have a feeling of joy and pride. I picture the struggles she must have gone thru throughout her life. I imagine the pain and hurt she has endured and yet she is still a confident, secure, black woman. I feel as though she is taunting and chastising those that have ridiculed her: "Does my sassiness upset you?," "Does my haughtiness offend you?," and "Does my sexiness offend you?". I picture her speaking these words to those that have hindered her with a smile on her face, filled with confidence. I rejoice in her strength. I applaud her for standing up for herself and others that have gone thru the same suffering. I love how she states an insult that she has received and comes back with self assurance and a relentless stance: "still I'll rise." The wittiness is comical and clever: "'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my living room," "'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines Diggin' in my own back yard," and " That I dance like I've got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs?" Historical Context Angelou, a Postmodernism poet, wrote "Still I Rise" in 1978. Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1928 as Marguerite Johnson (Biography.com). Angelou grew up during an age with racial prejudice and gender inequality in the United States. African Americans did not get the right to vote until 1965. Even to this day, there are still racial tensions...
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...After extensive research I have come across a poem that I believe to be “the best poem in the world.” Still I Rise written by Maya Angelou is an inspirational poem symbolizing defiance and her strength to overcome negative criticism and oppression. There are many references to slavery and feminist rights throughout the piece that have a very powerful effect. She uses various amounts of poetic devices to further encapsulate the theme in this poem. These include the use of imagery, symbolism, metaphors and similes along with numerous sound devices. Maya Angelou utilized figurative imagery to exemplify the sad reality, which was the oppression of African Americans during slavery along with the mistreatment of women. “You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.” (3-4) In relation to the past events of slavery and the manner in which women were treated, these lines portray an image of poorly treated races and sexes being walked all over. The word choice “Trod” and “Dirt” have connotative meanings because the majority of people would associate these words with animals. The poet is not meaning this literally, where as she is really figuratively comparing the culprits of this mistreatment to animals. There are many other examples of figurative imagery in this poem such as comparing “Oil Wells” (7), “Gold” (19) and “Diamonds” to these women and slaves. This use of imagery is used because all of these minerals are now valued higher then they were in the past. Along...
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...began to demand their rights as American citizens. The African American struggle for civil rights followed a variety of approaches, including the nonviolent tactics of King and the more aggressive methods of Malcolm X. As the movement began to rise, African American literature became more attuned to the events of the decade challenging political ideologies and revolutionary changes. One of these influential figures being Maya Angelou who is remembered as a poet, an author, an actress, a dancer, an educator, even a film director but also as a civil rights activist. While Angelou impacted the world through various aspects, her poetry was used as a political weapon...
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...Marywood University is unlike many other higher education schools I looked into. Marywood is not only a school with goals like many other universities, but also a school with a strong set of core values that can be applied to the outside world. One of those Marywood values is empowerment and also service. Empowerment is a value that uplifts a person so they can achieve their full potential. These values are clearly seen in the novel A Good Man by Mark Shriver the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. The core value empowerment is notably expressed throughout the poem “Still I Rise.” Throughout the poem, Angelou continues to say “I rise” in a way that indicates she wishes to empower and overcome all obstacles. She states the following: “Does my sexiness upset you Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I’ve got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs?” (Angelou)...
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...Hear Her Roar: The Feminist Strengths in Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise Trista James English Composition 1102 Professor Cameron Indian River State College April 10, 2013 Maya Angelou Maya Angelou Abstract Growing up during times of common race and gender discrimination, Maya Angelou has proven to people she is a strong African American woman who would not allow inequality of any kind bring her down. This paper describes the feminist strengths Angelou refers to and implies in her two famous poems Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise. Hear Her Roar: The Feminist Strengths in Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise Maya Angelou was born in the South on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis Missouri. Throughout most of her life she was raised in Arkansas, which in turn subjected her to a life full of brutal discrimination. Angelou was given a gift that no other of her time had. Over a hundred poems published, they all consist of words of wisdom and strength to some degree. In her two poems Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise, Angelou reveals her, “I am a woman hear me roar” attitude she is best known for. This paper depicts the feminist strengths in her two poems Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise. For a female to have an “I am a woman hear me roar” attitude, she must have patience, confidence in herself, and never rely on anyone else for financial or...
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...K. Weir English 1020 Prof. T. M. November 24, 2009 Still I rise: Against all Odds Maya Angelou is an accomplished African-American author, poet, historian, and civil rights activist in the United States. Growing up in the South, she continues to face greater challenges for both being black and a woman. Most of her literary works, if not all, provide not only messages of oppression, and moments of unhappiness, but have a rich context of triumphs, resilience and hope. Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise” can be viewed from both cultural and historical perspectives. As a source of inspiration, the poem shows African Americans and women that the human spirit can transcend difficulties. In her poem, “Still I Rise,” Maya Angelou includes sturdy themes of racial oppression, personal value, cultural pride, and fervent optimism To observation of racial oppression as a theme in Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise,” can be view from a historical perspective base on diction used through out the poem. DiYanni states, “The older form of historical criticism, still in use today, insists that a literary work be read with a sense of the time and place of its creation….Understanding the social conditions and the intellectual currents of that time and the world illuminate literary works for later generations of readers” (2166). It is not a secret that racial oppression against African Americans originates from slavery. The residue of racial oppression is not just about physical bondage, but also mental...
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...Maya Angelou “ Still I Rise” The Poem “ Still I Rise “ Immediately drew me in with its powerful words. For example in the first stanza it reflects the concept of slavery seen with the words “ You may write me down in history” “(The Academy of American Poets, Inc.)” .The poem offers a mixture of tones however in the end its tone is mainly victorious. This poem is not only addressed to one person it is addressed to all the public it is extremely political and somewhat controversial. This made me want to analyze the different meanings the poem may have hidden within. The poem was written by Maya Angelou in 1978. This was Angelous most famous point of her career. She had just published three autobiographies and published two other volumes of poetry. “ Still I Rise” is part of “ And I still I Rise” a volume of poetry made up of thirty-two short poems. This volume also included one of her most famous poems “ Phenomenal Woman”. The thirty-two short poems carry a similar theme throughout the volume. Maya Angelou focused a lot on her race, strength and resiliency. Maya Angelou was born on April fourth 1928 in St. Louis Missouri United States of America. She was born Marguerite Ann Johnson. Her father Bailey Johnson was a doorman and a naval dietician and her mother Vivian Baxter Johnson worked variously as a card dealer, boarding house proprietor and registered nurse. Maya Angelou and her family moved to Long Beach, California, however after he parents were divorced, her and...
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...Running head: Analysis of “Still I Rise” 1 Analysis of “Still I Rise” When reading, “Still I Rise”, by Maya Angelou, I immediately get a sense of perseverance and pride. The author seems to be addressing her adversaries directly through her words. I love the imagery used in this poem. I can almost see the dust rising and can feel the swelling of the black ocean that the author mentions. “Cause I walk like I got oil wells pumping in my living room”(Angelou, 1978), and, “Laugh like I’ve got gold mines diggin’ in my own back yard” (Angelou, 1978), tells me that the author feels that her life is joyous and priceless, and can’t be taken away. As the phrase, “I Rise” (Angelou, 1978), is repeated again and again, it’s as if I can hear the author’s voice becoming louder and louder, declaring that her spirit will not be broken. It is the voice of someone who has not only persevered, but has triumphed and now thrives! “Still I Rise” was published in 1978, during the postmodern era. This was a period that saw much political and social change, particularly for African Americans. The 60’s brought about desegregation and the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Maya Angelou lived in the South, Arkansas, for a time during her childhood. There was much white resistance to the ending of segregation in the Southern states. During the 60’s and 70’s, many American cities were swept by race riots. Civil Rights activists organized marches and protests around the country...
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...based upon the events that she faced, but was then able to overcome. Maya Angelou, through her autobiographical poems, “Phenomenal Woman” and “Still I Rise”, conveys to readers the importance of inner strength and perseverance to overcome obstacles.__________________ One of the most prominent themes in both “Phenomenal Woman” and “Still...
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