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Linda Galay

Ms. Jacobs

Freshman comp 2

26 October 2017

Poetry Analyses

The Civil Rights Movement, also known as the American Civil Rights Movement,

encompasses the strategies, groups, and social movements in the United States whose goals were

to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. They also aimed to

secure legal recognition and federal protection of the citizenship rights given by the Constitution

and federal law. In the poem Still I Rise by poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. Its

message of triumph over adversity throughout the poem and sets a strong tone.

Maya Angelou was an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage,

screen producer, director, performer, and civil rights activist. Angelou writes from her

perspective as an African-American woman who endured unthinkable acts and cruelty, yet she

empowered herself through her inner strength. Angelou is drawing her energy from the centuries

of mistreatment. The theme of "Still I Rise" is really about self-respect, confidence. In the poem,

she uncovers how she will overcome anything with her self-esteem. She shows how nothing can

get her down and counters about the oppression of black people the triumph over adversity. In

the poem she asks the readers rhetorical questions like Did you want to see me broken?

/Bowed head and lowered eyes? /Shoulders falling down like tear drops weakened by my soulful
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cries.(Line 16) She asks these questions because she wants the audience to really think about

what it is that she is saying and not just listen but understand. Angelous audience is America.

As Angelou speaks to America, she uses a tone of self-confident assertiveness in her

poem Still I Rise. Her anger and confidence is felt with sarcastic humor. She addresses the

poem to her audience of oppressors by beginning with the word, You. The tone of the poem is

an inward silent cry of everyone who has been discriminated against at some point in their lives

in some shape or form, individually or collectively. It epitomizes the mental torture of the victim

more than the physical aspect. The feelings of despair must not destroy their spirit; it must be

used as a positive to not only give them strength to rise above the torment, but to defeat it by

showing the tormentors that they will not be conquered by their prejudice. It also says that those

persecuted in this manner have a humility their persecutors will never have until they ask for

forgiveness. The tone goes from Simple like, from, lines I rise, I rise, I rise to playful also the

lines that symbolizing it are That I dance like I have got diamonds at the meeting of my thighs.

the tone is also Dramatic Im a black ocean, leaping and wide/Welling and Swelling I bear in

the tide/leaving behind nights of terror and fear (Line 33). In some cases people say Dont

listen to the tone listen to the message and in this case she made sure her message was heard by

her tone.

In conclusion, the tone of the poem is defiant and no matter what happens or what is

thrown at Maya Angelou, she will always rise. All in all, the poem still I rise is an inspirational

poem with powerful repetitive energy, a universal message and a clear, positive pulse throughout

the poem. Not only does the poem speak to overcoming adversity but it gives readers a chance to

understand why African Americans need empowerment. There are so many situations that try to

destroy their spirts but to listen to angelou will cause them to really think about their inner
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strength. This poem is still relevant today when so many events remind us of how far we havent

come within the last 50 years.

Work cited

Angelou Maya Still I rise The Norton Introduction to Literature / edited by Kelly mays,

WWNorton, 2017