About Maya Angelou° https°±±www²poetryfoundation²org± poets±maya³angelou9=9:MNJK 'NOLM 8<8NO[ &VVNOLMTRSJKTW# '\ ± &THIMNFGQR² 26NOVMNFGQR² ³ 8<8NORSUFGT
<@<=MN\ <@<=JK (,MNUVJK WMNJK 595UJKRS# "I´ Too" is a cry of protest against American racism² Its speaker´ a black man´ laments the way that he is excluded from American society even though he is a key part of it² In this poem´ black people respond to racism and segregation by developing vibrant and independent cultural traditions² The poem "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou is very similar in terms of a similar message and purpose² The speaker´ a black woman´ praises her strength´ her body´ and her ability to rise up and away from her personal and historical past² There is nothing´ the speaker declares´ that can hold her back² She is going to "rise" above and beyond anything that seeks to control her´ referring to people who are racist and discriminate black people² No matter how hard people try to put black people down´ the speaker will prove to them the abilities of black people² 9=9:NOWQRJK The title of this poem is "Still I Rise" which can be interpreted as never giving up² Maya Angelou wrote this poem to empower African Americans to fight against racism² The quote´ "you may write me down in history´ with your bitter´ twisted lies´ you may trod me in the very dirt´ but still´ like dust´ Iµll rise" is an example of how she still rises even after facing discrimination² 8<8SJKFGPQJKU The speaker shows signs of confidence´ pride´ and a strive for justice² She fears nothing as she faces discrimination´ but still she rises with pride² The speaker strives for justice and the empowerment of African Americans²9=9:MNJKRSJK The major poetic themes of this work are self³empowerment´ perseverance´ and injustice² Throughout the text´ the speaker´ addresses her own oppressor² The "you" she refers to represents the varieties of injustices that people of color´ women´ and all marginalized communities have dealt with´ as long as history has been recorded² She throws a prior self³derogatory way of thinking to the side and addresses herself lovingly and proudly² The poet seeks to empower herself´ as well as all those who have doubted their abilities´ strength´ beauty´ intelligence´ or worth² This is seen through lines like "You may trod me in the very dirt ± But still´ like dust´ I'll rise"² Tone° Maya´ the speaker´ takes a strong and determined tone throughout her writing² By addressing her's´ and all marginalized communities' strengths´ pasts´ and futures head³on´ she's able to create a very similar mood² A reader readingø6ZORR , 5OYHｶfeeling inspired´ joyful´ and reinvigorated with courage and strength² Imagery° This poem is filled with vivid imagery² To begin with´ there is visual imagery in the very beginning through the line´ "But still´ like dust´ I'll rise²" So´ here the image of "dust" helps the speaker to make her point² According to her´ no one can control the dust when the revolutionary wind arrives² Likewise´ she will rise like dust particles and blind those who didn't believe in her² The following stanzas contain some more images² For example´ readers can find the image of oil wells pumping oil² The third stanza has images of the moon´ sun´ and tides² In this stanza´ she depicts the tides that are springing high² It is compared to "hope"² There is an image of a black individual who is in extreme distress² This image represents how they were tortured and made silent by the unlawful fist² Angelou uses the images of "gold mines" and "diamonds" to heighten the irony of this piece² Lastly´ the "black ocean" unfolds how powerful the speaker and her people are² Their greatness is like that of the immensity of the ocean²
9=9:UUQRV Literary devices are used to bring depth and clarity to the text² Maya Angelou also employed some literary devices in this poem to describe her feelings² 8<8NORSNOQRJK³ There are a lot of similes used in this poem´ such as´ "But still´ like dust´ I'll rise" ;"Just like moons and like suns" and "'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines"².2RSFGLMJKU\° This poem is filled with vivid imagery² To begin with´ there is visual imagery in the very beginning² Through this line´ "But still´ like dust´ I'll rise²" So´ here the image of "dust" helps the speaker to make her point² According to her´ none can control the dust when the revolutionary wind arrives² Likewise´ she will rise like dust particles and blind those who trod her before² The "black ocean" unfolds how powerful the speaker and her people are²Their greatness is like that of the immensity of the ocean² 7;7MNJKWUUNOHIFGQR TXJKVWNOUT#Such as´ "Does my sassiness upset you?" ;"Does my sexiness upset you?" and "Did you want to see me broken?" 595FGUFGSMNUFGVJK The first stanza of the poem starts with stating how words have no power over her² The second stanza tells about the confidence and a positive attitude that the narrator possesses² The third stanza is the comparison of certainty of nature with her resilience and determination to rise against challenges² The fourth stanza tells that the society would like to see the character as weak and broken because of the struggles that she has faced² The fifth stanza talks about the attitude she actually has and the confidence she has grown despite all the problems she had to overcome and what kind of person she is² In the sixth stanza´ she is confronting those attempting to beat her down and oppose her² In these lines the narrator says that she is unstoppable and that she will rise no matter what they say or do² The seventh stanza focuses on the importance´ power´ and confidence of the narrator as a woman² The eighth stanza talks about her struggles as an African American person and how she had dealt with them² The last stanza tells the audience about what the narrator is leaving behind and all that she has gained through her fighting and perseverance² The poem takes the reader through a series of statements the speaker makes about herself² She praises her strength´ her body´ and her ability to rise up and away from her personal and historical past² There is nothing´ the speaker declares´ that can hold her back² She is going to "rise" above and beyond anything that seeks to control her² The title of the poem´ø6ZORR , 5OYHｶis a proclamation against the society that tries to dominate the speaker's voice² The speaker or the poetic persona represents the poet's voice² She represents the black community as a whole² Throughout this poem´ she tries to break through the shackles of domination and raises her voice to say that she and her people are no longer mute² They have got the voice to proclaim their rights² No matter how hard they try´ she will prove to them the abilities of black people² The phrase´ "I rise" is not about a singular uprising² It's a collective revolutionary voice that consists of the raging uproar of a class´ oppressed and betrayed for a long time² 9=9:XUTV ³Almost every stanza contains a shift in tone which emphasize her points² ³Each stanza is a different emphasis on the way she overcomes² ³each stanza contains 2 lines of negative diction followed by 2 lines of positive diction<@<=MNFGW NOV WMNJK WUTJK UKL WMNJK GHJKLMNOTTNOTLM UKL WMNJK SUJKRS$ 9=9:MNJK JKTIJ$ <@<=MNJKUJK IJUJKV WMNFGW HIMNFGTLMJK$ Angelouµs tone changes throughout the poem´ ¶Still I Rise´¶ and the voice of the speaker is sometimes pained´ sometimes angry´ and sometimes even idealistic and hopeful² Though the specific tone changes from stanza to stanza´ Angelouµs dominating tone is consistently challenging and feisty´ communicating to the reader the determination of the poet to make herself heard no matter how uncomfortable her audience may be with her message²
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