racial and sexual oppression

The themes of racial and sexual oppression are shown in "Still I

Rise" through Maya Angelou's powerful use of language and literary
devices, references to the suffering of Black people, and
condemnation of racists and sexists.
Among the themes of Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise" are
oppression and resilience in the face of said oppression. The poem
is the speaker's reaction to both racial and sexual discrimination. It
is her written response to those who persecute her. She is
oppressed because she is Black and because she is a woman. The
empowering poem illustrates the speaker's indomitable spirit and
determination to persevere in spite of the injustices she suffers.

Angelou communicates the theme of racial oppression by

referencing the suffering of Black people. She comes from a culture
and past that is "rooted in pain." She is proud of her heritage and
determined to succeed and live happily in spite of those who
oppress her and her people:
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

PRIDE

The predominant theme on this inspiring poem is pride. The speaker is truly happy with her
identification and expresses this through conveying her superb vanity in numerous approaches for the
duration of the poem. For example, she states in stanza two

I stroll like I've were given oil wells

Pumping in my dwelling room.

This is an affirmative statement wherein the speaker asserts that she walks like a person with excellent
wealth, this means that she holds an upright posture and does now no longer slouch out of
embarrassment or shame. She walks with dignity, happy with her identification. She is assured and
assertive. The allusion to a person with excellent wealth is showed in stanza 5 while the speaker says the
following:

’Cause I chuckle like I've were given gold mines

Diggin’ in my personal backyard.

The wealth the speaker alludes to isn't always fabric however symbolic. She is a gold mine or an oil well
—her wealth lies in her personhood. Her identification is what enriches her and makes her proud. She is
happy with who she is.
SELF EMPOWERMENT

"Still I Rise" is generally approximately self-admire and confidence. In the poem, Angelou well-
knownshows how she can be able to conquer some thing thru her vanity. She suggests how not anything
can get her down. She will upward push to any event and not anything, now no longer even her pores
and skin color, will preserve her back.

Although slavery were lengthy abolished, Angelou noticed its consequences on society and the African
American humans. This poem is her statement that she, for one, might now no longer permit the
hatefulness of society to decide her personal success.

The Enduring Nature of Black Resilience

A very last crucial topic that characterizes “Still I Rise” is the iconic nature of Black resilience. Throughout
the poem, the speaker portrays the character in their resilience thru comparisons to matters which
might be regarded for his or her sturdiness or cappotential to undergo. Ultimately, those comparisons
among the resilience of the speaker and sturdy matters symbolizes the resilient spirit of Black humans in
general.

Angelou’s speaker characterizes their resilience as being much like matters from the herbal global that
undergo thru the weathering down that takes place as time passes. For instance, Angelou tells the
poem’s “you” that, whilst they will be trodden into “the very dirt,” like “dust” they’ll upward push again.
And much like the moon, solar, and the tides of the ocean—all of which fall and upward push—the
speaker will hold to upward push as well.

Angelou makes those comparisons to painting the speaker’s resilience in a selected way. Like the
“certainty” of the styles of the solar and moon, the speaker’s resilience is certain. It won’t fade away or
lessen; it's going to undergo. The speaker is making sure the poem’s “you” that irrespective of what
hateful matters they are saying or do, the speaker will upward push up irrespective of what.

The references to human sports like pumping oil and mining gold paintings additionally the significance
and price of resilience.

The speaker says they stroll like they’ve were given oil wells pumping in her dwelling room, and laughs
like they’ve were given gold mines of their backyard. Of course, the poem’s speaker doesn’t certainly
have oil wells and gold mines. Instead, the speaker makes those comparisons to reveal their resilient
spirit is extra treasured than oil and extra treasured than gold.

Ultimately, the poem’s speaker is spotting that the poem’s “you” can’t recognise the price of the
speaker’s resilience, nor can they lessen the riding pressure at the back of the speaker’s resilient spirit.

Racism

Another essential topic that Angelou portrays in “Still I Rise” is the irrationality of racism. Angelou
conveys this topic thru rhetorical questions that reveal that the motives humans cite for hating Black
humans are trivial.
The “you” who's addressed through the poem’s speaker is portrayed as being disenchanted and
indignant due to the fact the speaker is sassy, hopeful, haughty, and sexy. Those appear to be bizarre
matters to hate a person for, proper? And you in reality wouldn’t oppress a person simply due to the
fact they show off the ones qualities!

That’s precisely Angelou’s factor on this poem. She’s displaying that hatred and worry of Black humans is
irrational. The “bitter, twisted lies” that got here to outline America’s expertise of Black humans because
the early days of the country’s lifestyles didn’t make experience then, and “Still I Rise” argues that they
don’t make experience now. The poem reiterates that the lies that paint Black humans as risky or “much
less than” others are baseless and untrue.

Instead, the speaker rewrites the tale of who they're which will upward push up towards the hateful
“you” that they’re addressing withinside the poem. By revealing the reality of who she is—sassy, sexy,
human—she demanding situations the ancient lies that assist racist ideas. By asking the “you” if they're
indignant and disenchanted due to who she honestly is, Angelou’s speaker exposes the irrationality of
the hatred directed in the direction of Black humans.

Black Feminism

'I' withinside the poem is Maya Angelou herself. It is in line with the author that 'I' in "Still I Rise"
represents Black girls. In this poem, Maya Angelou tells how Black girls upward push and do now no
longer surrender with white community (each male and female, however male especially), and black
guys horrific treatments. It starts while British humans added Black humans to the brand new global
America, to change as slaves due to the fact White humans wished many employees to construct
infrastructures and to paintings withinside the plantations.White humans observed that Black humans
changed into the proper decision to meet the shortage of employees they need. Therefore, the white
imported Black humans from African