Still I rise, paragraph 1: “you may shoot me/cut
me/kill me”
Physical and emotional
suffering “you”
“bowed head and lowered
eyes”
“past that’s rooted in pain”
“huts of history’s shame”
“you may shoot me/cut me/kill me”
“You may” -> modal verb, used as an
anaphora
“you” is a direct address to other (white)
people who doubted and hurt her
“me” is referring to her or the general black
community, personal pronoun, directly
associating herself with the actions,
highlights how she has experienced it
The violent language is used in a
metaphorical sense
It creates a semantic field of violence that
symbolises her past life and racist narrative
of her ancestors
There is a shift in tone and her playful tone
that is persistent throughout the poem is not
as evident. 
She is explicitly talking about violence and
pain
could also be speaking about how society
has treated her and her ancestors in the past
“bowed head and lowered eyes” -> image of
slavery, lower status, worship
cannot look master in the eyes, disrespectful
Symbolic of the subservient attitude of her
ancestors
expect to see her “broken”, mad
she creates a semantic field of pain and
shame which contrasts the rising past in the
previous stanza
it is as if everything is falling apart
 “past that’s rooted in pain”

the pain is part of their past and identity

she views the past as painful

“rooted” creates connotations of a plant,

highlighting that the pain is part of them, like
a plant’s roots

“huts of history’s shame”

“huts” highlights poverty, lower class, a

stereotypically poor community which
would often be associated with the African
American community

“history’s shame” -> bitterness about the

history of her race and ancestors

she blames her capturers for their “past

that’s rooted in pain”

sees it as shameful and unforgivable

Still I rise, paragraph 2: “sassiness” “sassiness” -> price, arrogance, confident,

Femininity ”haughtiness” defiant
“sexiness” stereotypical characteristic of an African
“oil wells/gold American woman
mines/diamonds”
“dance like I’ve got “haughtiness” -> arrogance with pride,
diamonds at the meeting of attitude of lower status would be expected
my thighs” from African American women, resilience
“I’m a black ocean”
“sexiness” -> feminine connotations, women
were defied by being openly sexual,
however this wasn’t accepted by society
highlights that she is not afraid to question
these standards

“dance like I’ve got diamonds at the meeting

of my thighs”
“dance” -> Maya Angelou was a dancer in
her early years, this could show freedom as
dancing was often seen as provocative,
sexual
She is defying social norms
“diamonds” links to the semantic field of

Still I rise, paragraph 3:
Hopeful/empowering
“leaping”,”springing high”
“like moons and like suns”
wealth with “oil wells” and “gold mines”
wealth is often not associated with black
history, this shows that she is defiant
“meeting of my thighs” -> sexual innuendo,
which would be seen as humorous by the
audience
embracing sexuality and femininity
defying social norms
Diamonds symbolises how precious
femininity is
“I’m a black ocean” -> metaphor 
“black” is referring to her ethnicity
“ocean” -> vast compared to the sea,
represents her belief in the strength of her
race
highlighting that there is something to be
discovered
what you see on the surface does not
necessarily represent the truth
“I’ll rise” to “I rise”
“leaving behind” “leaping”, “springing high” -> bouncing back
“I rise” repetition from all the suffering
“like moons and like suns” -> simile, contrast
“tides” represents her hardships and achievements
the celestial imagery highlights the racial
segregation
moon, sun -> positive natural imagery,
uplifting feeling
“tides” -> inevitable, tides are determined by
the moon
the tide rises and falls, which can be seen in
the attitude and tone of the poem
later on she is said to “bear in the tide”, the
“tide” now representing the pain,
oppression and racism she has experienced
the verb “bear” is used to represent that she
is tolerating and enduring
it also creates a metaphorical idea of birth,
which could represent her birthing this new
idea and attitude
“I am the dream and the hope of the slave”
“the” generalises the slave and makes it
more relatable
 She represents the past hopes of the slaves
that she is now presenting - freedom,
speaking up for her and her race, defying
expectations
Conclusion: 
Point Evidence Techniques Keywords:
(you need + Analysis
at least TEA: Techniques, Propaganda
three) Effects, Analysis
Naivety
Patriotism
(Meanings/ Futility
interpretations) Isolation
Identity 
Introduction: 
Emotional
Shellshock
Disabled Paragraph 1 “shivered in his The verb shivered has Society
ghastly suit of grey” connotations of weakness, Future
How physical and anxiousness and fear, Resent
emotional suffering “Legless, sewn short presenting to the reader a Rebuke
is presented  at the elbow.  contrasting viewpoint on Sacrifice
Physical and war and how they would Warning
emotional suffering expect a young soldier to Exposing
is presented through react. This in turn would
the unnamed evoke sympathy. 
disabled character This could emphasise the Language
effect and seriousness of
when he “shivered in
his ghastly suit of shell-shock/ptsd, Techniques:
grey”. highlighting the grave Simile
impacts of war.. Wilfred Metaphor
Owen opens the poem like Hyperbole
this to raise awareness on Personification
the detrimental impact of Adjectives
war and contrast the Verbs
Propaganda of the time. He
Modal verbs
did this to reveal the truth to
Connotations
the public and ensure they
are informed before they so Onomatopoeia
eagerly sign up for such a Personal pronouns
barbaric war.  Alliteration

Furthermore the
alliterative/guttural phrase
Structural
‘ghastly suit of grey’ creates Techniques:
a melancholic tone for the
Repetition
stanza. Ghost-like imagery
suggests how war has left
Rhetorical questions
him lifeless and highlights Anaphora
the menacing nature of war. Juxtaposition
The colour ‘grey’ has Semantic field
connotations of dullness and Sibilance
monotony, which can Consonance
suggest he is on the brink of Assonance
death. The ‘suit of grey’ Direct address
could imply he is almost a
Caesura
prisoner at this ‘institute’
Enjambment 
further highlighting the lack
of treatment for injured
soldiers who have been
mentally affected by the
conflict. On the other hand
the ‘suit of grey’ could be
seen as a metaphorical
device to describe his skin
and the extent of his
illness/disability.

Owen highlights the physical

effect of war on the soldiers
in the line ‘legless, sewn
short at the elbow’ Here
Owen uses dysphemism to
accentuate the harsh reality
of the disability. This is
further emphasised by the
sibilance of ‘sewn short’
where the harsh s sounds
highlight the reality of war
for many young soldiers. In
addition his brutal honesty
for the disability can reflect
the lack of sympathy for his
situation. Wilfred Owen
does this to critique the
ignorant society and their
attitudes towards disabled
people. The caesura at
‘elbow. Through the park..’
marks a strong juxtaposition
between the melancholic
tone of the first few lines of
the stanza and the
forthcoming joyful image.
The juxtaposition also
accentuates his sadness by
suggesting the things he will
 no longer be able to do like
play. The anaphora of ‘voices
of’ creates a haunting tone
where his disability is
inescapable. He is almost
trapped seeing others enjoy
themselves while he is stuck
slowly dying away. The
sounds of play ‘saddening
like a hymn’ may sadden him
because he knows that these
boys' deaths are inevitable
because of war and they
might not be far off the age
that boys signed up at. 
Disabled paragraph “Now he will never Owen presents the pressure
2: feel again how slim of masculinity and loss
girls’ waists are” through the character's
The pressure of regrets ‘Now he will never
masculinity and loss “All of them touch feel again how slim girls’
of it  him like some queer waists are’. The time phrase
disease” ‘now’ shifts back to present
tense where he is listing
“He thought he'd what he will no longer be
better join. He able to do. The shift in tense
wonders why. could reflect how no matter
Someone had said how hard he tries to escape
he'd look a god in his suffering he is always
kilts.” drawn back to the harshness
of the reality of the present.
The harsh adverb ‘never’
highlights the cruel reality
that the may ‘never’ find
love again. The character is 
in his teenage years and
would otherwise be out
socialising and enjoying his
youth yet this injury means
he may never do that again.
In addition it was quite
common to marry at a young
age during the early 1900s
and his disability hindering
his possibility to find a
relationship accentuates
further his loss of
masculinity.  
This is further reinforced
when ‘all of them touch him
like some queer disease’. In
the first half of the 1900s
‘queer’ had connotations of
weird and unnatural which
highlights the judgemental
society of the era and how
disabled people lacked
proper care and treatment.
His loss of masculinity is also
emphasised by  ‘queer
disease’ as it suggests this is
the end of women looking at
him. This shows how one of
the boy's greatest regrets is
how he may never find love.
‘Touch him’ could refer to
his caregivers and nurses
and he feels that they are
the only women who would
touch him and even then
they ‘touch him like some
queer disease’. This suggests
an angry tone which could
be critical towards his
government who convince
young men to act so naively
and for being led into such a
brutal war with  no
experience and warning of
danger. 

The pressure of masculinity

and society to join war is
highlighted when “He
thought he'd better join. He
wonders why. Someone had
said he'd look a god in kilts.”
The verb ‘thought’ can
highlight his lack of
judgement and his
impulsivity as he had no
logical reasoning behind his
enrollment. Furthermore
one could question whether
 he did think and make this
decision on his own, or was
merely convinced by peers
or the propaganda. In
addition the idea of war
being glamorised is
emphasised when ‘someone
had said he’d look a god in
kilts.’ The verb look can
imply he cared a lot about
his appearance highlighting
his vanity. In addition the
simile of ‘god’ has
connotations of powerful,
strong and masculine which
could be another factor
which lead him to enrolling.
The character may have
wanted to fit the masculine
stereotype and joining war
was seen as the cool and
masculine thing to do. Being
referred to as a ‘god’ almost
puts you on a pedestal
above everyone else and
therefore in a society where
great importance is placed
on representing the
masculine stereotype of
being superior, this would
further influence his careless
decision making. 

Disabled  paragraph “Half his lifetime Owen presents the

3: lapsed in the hot character's waste of youth
race” and life when he describes
Wasted youth / Loss “Now, he is old” that ‘half his lifetime lapsed
of youth  “He’s lost his colour in the hot race’. The idea of
very far from here” wastefulness is seen in ‘half
his lifetime lapsed’ where
‘lapsed’ highlights how life
has passed quickly and
majority of his ‘lifetime’ was
him being at war. It can also
imply how there is not much
life left in him and that war
has left him lifeless. Owen
uses this line as a criticism to
the armies and war in
general for the waste of
human life. Another
interpretation of the use of
the verb “lapsed” could be
how the trauma of war
causes people to mature
faster.
‘Hot race’ highlights the
propaganda of the time
where war was glamorized
and presented as the cool
thing to do. ‘Hot’ also has
connotations of violence and
intensity which emphasises
the perilous dangers of war. 
The concept of war ageing
young people was
mentioned by the writer in
“Now, he is old;” which
emphasises the detrimental
effects of war mentally and
physically. ‘Old’ juxtaposes
‘youth’ from the previous
line and this irony suggests
that even though it has only
been one year he feels he
has aged so much. The
repetition of shift in tense
‘now’ signifies the definitive
end to his happier
memories, attractiveness,
and youthfulness. 
Owen uses the metaphor of
‘he’s lost his colour very far
from here’ to highlight to
the reader that the character
is drained of his energy/life.
The colour imagery is used
throughout the poem to
emphasise he has lost his
youth and the devastating
impacts of war. Another
interpretation of ‘lost his
 colour’ could be shock of
war and the PTSD he has
been through and this is
reflected in his appearance.
The writer uses ‘he’s’ and
‘very far from here' to
convey how the vague
location and anonymity of
the character highlight the
ungratefulness of society on
the unnamed soldiers and
their sacrifices. This
reinforces the idea of
dehumanization where the
character is known for his
disability rather than his
humanity. From this reader
is able to gain an insight to
the horrors of war and
therefore sympathise with
character; Owen successfully
is able to raise awareness for
the futility of war and
prevent the government
from ever using such
Propaganda to wrongly
influence the minds of young
teenagers.  

TEA: Techniques, Effects, Analysis

(Meanings/ interpretations)
Introduction: 

Poem Y, “You may shoot The direct address ‘you’ suggests she is targeting her
paragraph 1: me/cut me/kill oppressors and could be trying to intimidate them. The
Physical and me” repetition of aggressive harsh verbs ‘shoot’ ‘cut’ and ‘kill’
emotional “Up from a past creates a semantic field of violence.  Highlights the
suffering that’s rooted in segregation of society and the unfair and unjust treatment of
(society) pain” Black people. Anaphora of the modal verb ‘you may’
“Do you want emphasises her perseverance and resilience and no matter the
to see me reaction, they will ‘rise’.  Angelou’s tone juxtaposes the violent
broken?” message further reinforces. Past rooted in pain emphasises
her strong will and how no one can stop her belief in
freedom. 
 Repetition of the plosive sound ‘p’ can highlight her disgust of
society’s unjust treatment. The metaphorical phrase ‘rooted in
pain’ reflects slavery. Furthermore it could also reflect the
unforgettable ‘pain’ caused by the segregation laws and the
discriminatory treatment of African-Americans. ‘Rooted’
suggests the immense amount of time of the African-
Americans' unfair treatment and how deep-rooted it is. 

The rhetorical question with direct address ‘you’ is meant to

make the audience deeply think about segregation if that's
what they really want. Angelou uses this phrase to address to
her oppressors that if seeing her ‘broken’ was their ultimate
then they have failed, reiterating resilience. She uses the
personal pronoun ‘me’ to reflect her own personal experience
but also represents the African-American society as a whole. 

Poem Y, “I dance like The verb ‘dance’ have connotations of freedom, which could
paragraph 2: I’ve got also be used to upset their oppressors. ‘Diamond’ is a precious
diamonds at stone and has connotations of luxury and wealth which
the meeting of reflects her confidence and self-belief. Maya Angelou hints at
femininity  my thighs?” the suffering women have faced but taunts her audience
“Does my through her apparent confidence. Angelou goes against the
sassiness upset norm of society by associating success and power with
you” women. These weren’t values expected to be associated with
a woman as they were presented as submissive and inferior to
men in society. Angelou juxtaposes all this by presenting
herself as a force to be reckoned with. The metaphor
‘diamonds at the meeting of my thighs’ embraces femininity
and tries to raise awareness of how society views women. 

Angelou uses another rhetorical question to this time address

the reaction to her ‘sassiness’. ‘Sassiness’ has connotations of
confidence and boldness which again would go against
societal expectations of women and African-Americans’. Not
only does she face prejudice against her race as an African-
America’ yet also the prejudice and societal pressures against
women. Therefore, Angelou highlights both aspects of
oppression throughout her poem to raise awareness for
women and African-Americans alike. 

Poem Y, “I am the This metaphor linked to slavery highlights the progression in

paragraph 3: Dream and the society and how she is living out the life that her ancestors
hope of a wished for. However, she knew that there is much more
endings / past / slave” progression towards equality needed which she could see
present / “I rise” perhaps as her true ‘dream’ and ‘hope. Angelou mentions this
general vision to emphasise the effect of standing up for your beliefs, thus
and viewpoint  empowering her society and audience. Angelus ‘Still I Rise’ is
 written 15 years after Martin Luther King’s, I have a dream
speech. She was also prominent in the civil rights movement
and her ideas and dreams must have coincided with Martin
Luther King. 
The constant of repetition ‘I rise’ throughout the poem further
strengthens her message of empowerment and perseverance.
‘I Rise’ is also reminiscent of Martin Luther King’s repetition of
‘I have a dream’. Furthermore it is repeated like a mantra,
which is used in spiritual meditations and prayers to aid
concentration and focus. The positive aspect and element of
‘hope’ further highlights the belief in change and equality. 
Conclusion: 
Introduction: Wilfred Owen’s anachronistic poem, “Disabled” takes the listener behind the perspective of a surviving WW1
soldier returning from the bowels of blood-soaked conflict, from which he hasn’t returned whole but fractured and broken,
both mentally and physically. The poem follows fractions of his life, seen through a first person and intensely individual
perspective that illustrates both the past and present - demonstrating how the war impacted his outlook on life. Owen
presents how the optimism and purity of the soldier's youth has long passed in the war, leaving him crippled and vulnerable.
Additionally, Owen walks the listener through the societal pressure to be masculine, especially during a time like the war and
how this magnified his emotional anguish. 
Disabled Paragraph 1 - Rhyming scheme of the poem *  The unconventional rhyming scheme of this
(structure)  poem mirrors the cluttered and chaotic mental state
How physical and - “He sat in a wheeled chair, waiting of the main character. Alternatively, Owen could be
emotional suffering is for dark” (physical/emotional) hinting at his unconventional feelings regarding the
presented  morality of war - which heavily contrasts the falsely
- “And shivered in his ghastly suit of glorified image that propaganda and war
grey”  (physical/emotional) paraphenalia had painted of it. Owen exposes the
true life story of millions of soldiers who have
- “Legless, sewn short at elbow” survived identical experiences to come out the other
(physical/emotional) end, no longer “whole”. He speaks of how their
battle scars have stripped them of their identity -
ingraining the war in the very fabric of their being so
- “Voices of boys rang saddening like a
that their suffering may never end. His disability has
hymn” (emotional/physical/missing
now formed his identity. Most crucially, the poet
past)
reveals the awful lie of promised glory and pride as
well as the brutal horrors him and his fellow soldiers
witnessed instead.
*  The poem opens with the blanket pronoun, “He”,
supporting the idea of a universal experience.
However, in doing so, Owen strips the soldier of his
personal identity - much like how the war and simply
being one soldier in a million has stripped his identity
as well. His grave injury has left him in a “wheeled
chair”, depriving him of any possible future within a
society that was judgemental and unequipped for
disabled people.
*  The wheeled chair has connotations of the
inability to move, indicating he has most probably
lost his legs, linking to later in the poem where he
has “thrown away his knees”. The verb “threw” is
colloquial language that symbolises the soldier’s
carelessness and naivety when it came to enlisting in
the war. However, it could also represent the
soldier’s anger at the government that hid the true
horrors of war to enlist innocent young boys like
him. Alternatively, “threw” implies how he believes
the sacrifice was futile and victory wasn’t worth the
agony. 
* His physical distress is further portrayed through
the verb “shivered”, which has connotations of
anxiousness and frailty, illustrating how quickly his
youth has been “poured down shell-holes” and left
him a mere husk of the man he was before. The verb
invokes a feeling of coldness and sterility, a quality
common to the “institutes” where he’s likely
spending the rest of his days, deprived of the
warmth of his mother or a family he never had. The
coldness of his state suggests the chilly embrace of
death he keenly waits for. 
* This is further backed up by how he is “waiting for
dark”, this metaphorical term being a euphemism for
him waiting for death. The “darkness” sets the tone
for the rest of the poem and builds a cyclic tone
where the poem ends on an equally somber note.
Owen conveys how much the war mentally impacted
the soldiers, the majority of them returning with a
condition known as shell shock, later discovered to
be PTSD. While exposing this condition to the public,
Owen challenges the conventional notions of
masculinity, revealing men are vulnerable to mental
health issues as well. In the main character’s case, he
has nothing left to live for in a society ill-equipped to
give disabled people opportunities or provide
suitable mental healthcare. Instead, he’d rather die,
showcasing his desperation to escape his thoughts.
Him simply waiting implies the lack of value he gives
his life. Instead of anticipating the next day, a far
more optimistic notion, he craves an ending. This
conveys the futility of life following the war. 

* Ghastly suit of grey: Owen suggests how soldiers

are stuck in a limbo between life and death, even
when conflict is over by referring to his “ghastly suit
of grey”. The adverb “ghastly” is similar to “ghostly”,
a word with connotations of death, mirroring his
borderline existence. 
- Since he has “lost his colour”, he has been trapped
in a repetitive monotonous “grey” whilst waiting for
“darkness”, furthering the idea of him being trapped
between life and death. The alliteration on the
guttural “g” sounds spotlight the bleakness of his
situation and how far his physical disability limits and
pains him. 
* The reader discovers the extent of his injury when
he is described as “legless” with his arms ``sewn
short at elbow”. The sentence itself is blunt and
doesn’t make any effort to hide the magnitude of his
injury. This was done purposefully to exhibit the
harsh reality of soldiers during the war. The caesura
pause works to intensify the impact of the short
sentence and create a parallel between the
incomplete state of his body and the sentence. A
similar effect is created by the absence of the article,
“the'' where the sentence has a fractured feel to it.
Being “legless” could be a direct reference to his
injury or a common colloquialism for being heavily
intoxicated. This equates the soldier’s honourable
sacrifice with the actions of a foolish drunkard,
implying society’s ignorance. 
- His arms being “sewn short” could hint at how his
own life has been prematurely cut short due to his
inability to move forward - can’t get married or have
kids. 
- Voices of boys and how he misses youth and the
time before the war. The noun, “voices” is repeated
in the next line to represent his envy of the
enjoyment of others and how he’s resentful due to

        Disabled  paragraph
2: “Voices of play and pleasures after
day” (missing the past/childhood)
Wasted youth / Loss of
youth  “glow lamps budded”  (missing the
past/childhood)
“Poured it down shell holes till the
veins ran dry”
“Half his lifetime lapsed”
what he’s lost. A ringing is an ongoing sound - like his
suffering, which is neverending. Hymns are a holy
song often sung at funerals that implies how the
youth are remembering the sacrifices of the WW1
soldiers in a solemn manner despite him being alive -
it’s as if once he’s served his purpose, he’ll be put in
a casket and disposed of. 
- Alternatively there is a feeling of longing
manifested by the saddening tone of the boy’s
voices, he misses the innocence of “his youth last
year” and how purity and relaxed nature of
childhood has passed in the space of a year.
- the sadness in their voices contrasts how they
should actually be celebrating their sacrifices - which
should be in a more happy and celebratory manner -
shows how the citizens of his “Town” secretly know
that there was no honour in the bloodshed and that
war was wrong.
link to next paragraph - his childhood was
incomplete as he signed up at only the age of
nineteen, just like how his body is no longer whole
and he is only a husk - never lived the full
experience 
* The voices of these boys could be prompting him
to reminisce of life before the inevitability of war as
well as the death of his childhood. There is an
assonance and internal rhyme created on the words
“grey”, ''play”  and ''day” that produces a repetitive
and lackluster tone, mirroring the lack of energy in
his day to day routine. This lack of eagerness for life
starkly contrasts that of his optimistic childhood
where the highs of football and the cheering of
crowds at a “goal” were some of the pleasures he
used to take pride in. His naivety compelled him to
view the war in a similar light, yet this time he was
made privy to the screams of butchery. The presence
of play and pleasure “after day” heavily contrasts the
way he spends his evening in the present, “waiting
for dark”. 
- The “glow lamps” likely emit a soft and comfortable
glow denoting innocent souls of the children the
soldier once was. They also symbolise the hope and
purity of youth, this contrasting the destruction of it
during the Great War. The lights themselves
represent the home he immaturely left. The budding
of these lights is symbolic of the “voices of boys”
maturing into those of men, bringing the onset of
the pressure to be hyper-masculine. 
- For young men and boys in the war era, growing up
fast was common especially as the horrors of combat
met them at a young age. This is supported by the
verb “lapsed” that suggests how the trauma of war
caused boys to mature faster, it also supports the
semantic field of waste created by the wasted blood
and youth. It has only been a year since he was
enlisted “last year” and returned to the “Town”

Disabled paragraph 3: “Now, he will never feel again how
slim Girl’s waists are...touch him like
The pressure of some queer disease” (female
masculinity and loss of it  attention/can’t move on with family)
“strong men that were whole” (loss of
masculinity/female attention)
“women’s eyes passed from him” (no
longer seen as masculine/b4 and after
war context/owen’s bitterness at
women)
“hot race” (naivety/rush of
youth/pressure to be masculine)
“blood smear down his leg”
(naivety/masculinity)
disabled. Owen criticises the army generals and the
government for lying to innocent young men, but
also warns young men to not take the glitz and
glamour of ‘esprit de corps’ and uniform at face
value. Instead they should be wary of the endless
consequences to serving. His arguably anti-war poem
is supported when a “leap of purple” leaves his leg.
The purple has connotations of royalty and power,
this leaving his body symbolises the patriotism and
sense of ‘King and country’ leaving him.
Alternatively, it could translate to the power that the
generals had over him, departing his body. He no
longer answers to them due to the unjust nature of
their duty - sending young men like him out to die
whilst they stay “smiling”. 
 The main character has metaphorically poured his
youth down “shell holes”, the verb “poured” as well
as the running of “purple” blood conjures a semantic
field of wastefulness, signifying the ebb and flow of
vigour and vitality leaving the soldier’s body. He lost
the “blue” and “purple” of before, for it to be
replaced with “grey”. The noun “veins” relates to the
veins of ores and precious material that were heavily
depleted during the war, mirroring the expendability
of the soldiers. 
Nonetheless, the pressure to be masculine manifests
itself in his devastation at no longer being able to
attract a partner or build a potential family and move
on with his life, he will “never feel again how slim
Girl’s waists are”. His injury has deprived him of the
ability to form intimate relationships since his
deformation has moulded him into a monster in
women’s eyes. This is ironic in the sense he joined
the army for the attention of women, pleasing the
“giddy jilts”. He is now viewed as “some queer
disease”. The determiner “some” implies a lack of
care on society’s part regarding the wellbeing of
their soldiers due to the age-old notion that men
who showed emotions or signs of weakness were
effeminate and ‘not manly’. Alternatively it could
display how men in the war were considered
disposable. Comparing him to a disease implies his
condition is contagious and “justifies” why he’s
ostracised from society. The inability to move on in
the way deemed fit for a man makes him feel no
longer “whole”, like the other uninjured and
sheltered people. War propaganda had often
portrayed soldiers as heroic and masculine,
prompting men to believe that those that didn’t
enlist were cowards. Many enlisted for the macho
and attention of women. This notion was proved
wrong when he returned home to the revulsion of
women and shunned instead of welcomed like a
typical hero. 
 Owen utilises a synecdoche and
enjambment on the “women’s eyes”,
implying how their gaze is only fixed on the

Still I rise,  Paragraph 1: The main link of ‘still i rise’ to
‘disabled’ is societal pressures’. Link
Physical and emotional from femininity in still i rise to
suffering  masculinity in disabled.  sense. While she doesn’t lose any limbs, she
“You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes, You
may kill me with your hatefulness"
“Up from a past rooted in pain” -
context with her being raped at a
young age, experiencing the guilt of
her rapists death
“bowed head and lowered eyes” -
submissiveness - carry into femininity
via the submissive aspect - black
femininity  a semantic field of violence on the verbs “shoot”,
sound men, instead of on the heroic
soldiers - as promised in propaganda. 
 He’s lost everything to the “hot race” for
glory, leaving him “cold” and “shivering”.
The juxtaposition of the two demonstrate
how much the war changed him. His
naivety and the burden of peer pressure
inclined him to enlist. He compares his war
injuries to the “blood smear down his leg”
after a game of football, this exemplifies
how physical wounds were seen as badges
of honour - something that made one
masculine. Instead of being a symbol of
pride, his injuries are a source of shame,
contrasting his youth. 
* Much like the soldier featured in Wilfred Owen’s
poem, Maya Angelou faces her fair share of
adversity, however this time in a slightly different
experiences the crushing effects of discrimination
based on her identity as an outspoken black woman.
Unlike Owen’s principal character, she is highly
resilient, continuing to “rise” above her hardships
instead of wallowing in self-pity. Unlike Owen’s
character, she is unafraid to challenge the people
who have caused her suffering, instead repeatedly
directly addressing them with the direct pronoun
“you”, them likely being racists and misogynists.
Angelou’s repeated use of the modal verb “may '' is
intentionally inviting instead of imperative,
symbolising how she’s risen above their hatred and is
still ironically polite in her address. Alternatively, she
defies the stereotype of black people being
“illiterate” for using ebonics in their speech. She uses
“cut” and “kill” to showcase the range of adversity
she is able to overcome. Even when they “kill” her
she seems to resurrect symbolising the eternal
nature of her spirit and how black people cannot be
destroyed, they’ll forever advance, from
emancipation, to equal rights and further.  The harsh
and powerful choice of words are aggressive and
monosyllabic with hard, percussive consonants.
These words are commonly associated with male
violence, symbolising how she overcame the trauma
of her rape, which occurred at a very young age. Her
use of these words suggests how she uses them as
weapons, taking back the power and drawing
internal strength. The repetition of “you may” is an
example of syntactic parallels that creates rhythm to
emphasise her ability to overcome. Metaphors are
used on all three syntactic phrases to suggest how
she won’t be pierced by the oppressor’s hateful
language, brutal gaze and metaphorical killing of her
spirit. 
* Maya utilises the verb “rooted” to show how deep
her pain is embedded into her and her people - a
pain her ancestors had to experience through

Poem Y, paragraph 2: semantic field of wealth on “oil wells
pumping in my living room”, “I’ve got
gold mines diggin’ in my own
Femininity  backyard”, “I’ve got diamonds at the
meeting of my thighs”  where her eyes are “lowered” to those that align her
Female sexuality: “I’ve got diamonds
at the meeting of my thighs” and
“sexiness upset you” (don’t analyse
this fully)
“Just like suns and like moons” -
menstrual cycle (empowerment of
women) 
“Sassiness, haughtiness”  expectations of women’s behaviour, depicting how
“I am a black ocean”
slavery. However, this pain could also be a reference
to how she was raped at 8, also carrying the trauma
of the death of her rapist. The adverb “up” indicates
how she has risen, conquering her traumatic past.
Alternatively, “rooted” is a metaphor for a tree,
indicating natural imagery which is used in
conjunction with “ moons”, “suns” and the “certainty
of tides”. Regularly nature has a calming and
stabilising aspect to it, which is contrasted by the
instability of her childhood. 
However, Maya equates her strength to overcome
hardship with that of natural forces that are
“certain”. Celestial imagery used on the “suns” and
“moons” implies that her hope will constantly return,
similar to the way the Sun sets and rises everyday.
Alternatively, the roots can symbolise her ancestors,
people who were enslaved to suffer bondage - them
sacrificing their lives for emancipation being the
reason that she (the tree) is still supported today. 
* When her head is “bowed” and eyes “lowered”,
she communicates the submissive and obedient
nature she once had to adopt as a young black
woman, in order to conform to the stereotypical
behaviours assigned by society. Her head being
“bowed” is contrasted by how she “rises”. A
semantic field of struggle and shame is evident with
her “shoulders falling” and “soulful cries”, suggesting
she is resentful of when she accepted the abuse and
conformed to sexist standards. 
The poem also depicts the development of her
femininity in contrast to the loss of masculinity in
Owen’s poem “Disabled”. Her femininity advances
from conforming to society’s traditional expectations
own beliefs. The repetitive nature of a woman’s
menstrual cycle can be seen in the quote “Just like
suns and like moons”. Alternatively, the phrase could
be suggesting how despite the many ups and downs
in female progression, they will always bounce back.
The simile reinforces that her feminine identity
won’t be limited in the patriarchal society in which
she exists. Instead of being meek and timid, she
unabashedly flaunts her “sassiness” and
“haughtiness” to the listener. These arrogant and
rambunctious traits juxtapose the traditional
she’s taken on an identity of her own instead of the
one prescribed to her. Her shameless arrogance is
further apparent when the poet describes a semantic
field of wealth when she claims she has “oil wells”,
“gold mines” and “diamonds”. The “oil wells
pumping in my living room” are significant as they
represent her self-confidence and assuredness in
herself. She flaunts her wealth and self-sufficiency,
demonstrating how she doesn’t need a man by her
side to provide for her. The fact that it is a passive
income emphasises her superiority. Her “gold mines”
are also a passive income, suggesting how people are
 working under her - reversing gender roles and
empowering her. The fact that this is also taking
place in her “living room” implies that a place that
was once known as a ‘woman’s place’ has become
one of power and productivity. Additionally, her
associating with oil is ironic as it’s not a resource
typically associated with black history, instead with
those who oppressed black folk - indicating how
black people have wrenched back power from their
oppressors. Gold mines and oil wells were typically
places which have had their vitality ripped from
them by white oppressors - now she is the
beneficiary. Her continued use of sarcasm,
particularly when she mentions “diamonds at the
meeting of her thighs”,  is used to suggest sexual
promiscuity. This carefree nature regarding her
sexuality demonstrates how she has been freed from
the binds society has placed on a woman’s body.
Comparing her sexuality to a rare stone suggests it’s
preciousness - which was abused when she was
raped at the age of 8. In flaunting her sexuality, she
defies the prejudice placed on black women’s
bodies. As they were perceived as “naturally” sexual,
this aspect had to be surpressed to make them
“appropriate” to the public eye. 
By directly referencing her genitals she rejects the
societal pressure of women having to be polite and
gentile. Her making this stand exhibits her
confidence and bravery. She isn’t afraid to directly
address the listener, asking if her “sexiness upsets
you”, flipping the focus onto those who find her
sexuality disconcerting - referencing Sarah Baartman
who was put on display to be ogled at for her ethnic
features. 
* Instead of constricting herself, she is a “black
ocean”, something that takes up space and is
mercurial - constantly changing. By doing this, she
challenges the traditional notion that women were
supposed to be seen and  not heard, not speaking
up. Her proclaiming herself a “black ocean”, conveys
how she wears her race proudly, which was unlike
many black women during the time Maya Angelou
grew up. Many women would use items like hair
relaxers and skin lightening creams to conceal their
ethnic features, being told their natural ones were
unattractive. By wearing her identity proudly, she
defies those stereotypes and has metaphorically
“risen”. 
The sophisticated language used throughout this
stanza is contrasted by the colloquial language in the
previous ones, bringing an elegant flair to the poem.
Her dignity contrasts the way black women were
perceived, which was often as unrefined and
common. The natural imagery in the phrase implies
she possesses the might of the ocean and that she
regards herself as an unstoppable force that is
forever breaking down the barriers of conformity
and social constructs. The force of the ocean is one

Poem Y, paragraph 3:
compare the history of the two here
General Vision and “out of the huts of history’s shame” -
Viewpoint and ending of links to growth and moving on from a
the poem painful origin and past  phrase “I’ll rise” is repeated at the end of every
(resilience)  “Still, I’ll rise” - “Like dust, I’ll rise”
“Welling and swelling i bear in the
tide”
“Leaving behind nights of terror and
fear”  supporting the theme of naturality running through
“hope and dream of the slave”
to be reckoned with, implying that as the oppressors
have gone too far, they deserve punishment.
Alternatively, she could be insinuating that she is a
single drop in the vast ocean representing black
people, or all the tears they have cried. 
Perhaps the clearest difference between the two
poems can be seen in the overall tone and ending of
the poems that is evident from where she claims, “I’ll
rise”, “I’ll still rise” and finally to where “I rise”. The
stanza in an anaphora to emphasise how she will
overcome the trauma and discrimination meeting
her at every corner of her life. Her metaphorically
rising depicts her resilience, the comparison to dust
shows how she can fall but also rise like dust when
disturbed. Dust, at first glance, is something dirty
and insignificant, but Maya transforms it into an
advantage because dust is also a natural substance -
the poem. The dust can also represent black people
as a whole, it being usually seen as worthless like
slaves were. However, despite dust being trodden on
and symbolising the lowest of society, it can still
raise a storm. 
* The ending of the stanza changes to the adverb
“Still”, demonstrating her persistent tone and
perseverance. At the end, Maya repeats three times,
“I rise”. This symbolises the progressive attitude
Maya has towards all the experiences that came
before, she is not wallowing in self-pity like Owen’s
character, but forever moving forward. By rising
above all her trauma, she defies the oppressors that
her ancestors faced. In finally rising, she achieves
what her ancestor wanted, making her their “hope”
and “dream”. The repetition of the phrase is almost
like a chant, implying that it’s a mantra to him. 
* The terms “welling” and “swelling” describe the
triumphs of her people. However, these can also
support the imagery of an ocean as the rhymed
participles replicate the rocking motion of waves.
These two verbs juxtapose the other to represent
the highs and lows of life, and how Maya perseveres
through them. In the end, she is “leaving behind
nights of terror and fear”. The verb “leaving”
suggests how she has moved past the trauma of her
childhood. She’s leaving the “huts of history’s
shame”, this being a reference to the poorly built
housing for slaves