Colegio de Santa Catalina de Alejandria (COSCA)

Perdices St. Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental Philippines

STYLISTIC AND DISCOURSE ANALYSIS TOGETHER WITH ENG- 117 LITERARY

CRITICISM

Submitted to
Dr. Consolacion C. Unabia
Professor

Submitted by
Jolina A. Palon
Student
 Maya Angelou “Still I Rise” - Stylistic Analysis

The literary work to be analyzed in this paper is one of the well-known poems by

Maya Angelou entitled Still I Rise. It is an expression of how the narrator feels and how

she behaves in response. The poem serves well to achieve the goal of the stylistic

analysis.

Still I Rise
BY MAYA ANGELO U

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

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.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?
 Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard
’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

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?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
 I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Levels of Language in Stylistic Analysis

The levels of stylistic analysis are categorized as:

Graphological level: This level deals with the writing system of language, punctuation, and

paragraphing.

Phonological level: This level deals with the study of sound system. It also discusses the rules of

pronunciation, rhyme scheme and utterance of the words in the sentence. Phonological devices

include alliteration, consonance, rhyme elements and assonance.

Morphological level: It studies how the words are formed, where are they originated from,

what are their grammatical forms, what is the function of prefixes and suffixes in the formation

of words, how system of gender, number, plural etc. morphological devices include affixes and

coinage.

Lexicon-Syntax level: It is the combination of two words Lexis and Syntax. Lexis means

vocabulary which is used in language. Syntax means sentence construction. Lexico-syntactic

devices include simile, personification, irony, tone, hyperbole, anastrophe, imagery, allusion,

metaphor, natural words, old English words and anaphora.

STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF THE POEM

Graphonological Level:

The poem is divided into eight

stanzas. Each of the first to
seventh stanzas contains four
lines. The eighth stanza,
however, comprises 15 lines.
There is predominant use of the
question
mark in the poem as this could
be seen in lines 5, 6, 13, 14
17, 25 and 28. This is, perhaps,
related to the background of the
poem, which has to do with the
Black American slaves’
constant
but purposive quest for identity
and freedom from the white
masters’ oppression and
tyranny.
Also in the poem, both
commas and full stops are
employed, virtually in equal
proportions.
These beautify the lines with
courage and hope, reveals the
teary and sorrowful nature of
the
poetic persona, thereby. There
is a conscious use of
“apostrophe” in the poem as a
graphological
tool to indicate the colloquial
nature of the language-use in
the poem; e.g:
I’ll - (lines 4, 12 and 24)
‘Cause - (lines 7 and 19)
Don’t - (line 18)
I’ve - (lines 7, 19 and 27)
That’s - (line 31)
I’m - (line, 33)
By implication, the use of
“apostrophe”, probably, shows
the care-free attitude of the
poetic persona to her uncaring
audience (the white masters).
The poem is symbolic as its
form
represents its title. The
successive repetition of “I rise”
in three Lines in the final stanza
of the
poem cuts the image of a
rising phalanx. Thus, the form
of the poem is quite suggestive
of a
group of people rising
against the tide of oppression
and tyranny – and that is,
the Black
American slaves. The structure
of the stanza typical of
lamentation – the poem began
with an
6|Page
equal stanza of four not until
towards the end of the poem,
eight. This suggests an
outpouring of
one’s cares
The poem is divided into eight
stanzas. Each of the first to
seventh stanzas contains four
lines. The eighth stanza,
however, comprises 15 lines.
There is predominant use of the
question
mark in the poem as this could
be seen in lines 5, 6, 13, 14
17, 25 and 28. This is, perhaps,
related to the background of the
poem, which has to do with the
Black American slaves’
constant
but purposive quest for identity
and freedom from the white
masters’ oppression and
tyranny.
Also in the poem, both
commas and full stops are
employed, virtually in equal
proportions.
These beautify the lines with
courage and hope, reveals the
teary and sorrowful nature of
the
poetic persona, thereby. There
is a conscious use of
“apostrophe” in the poem as a
graphological
tool to indicate the colloquial
nature of the language-use in
the poem; e.g:
I’ll - (lines 4, 12 and 24)
‘Cause - (lines 7 and 19)
Don’t - (line 18)
I’ve - (lines 7, 19 and 27)
That’s - (line 31)
I’m - (line, 33)
By implication, the use of
“apostrophe”, probably, shows
the care-free attitude of the
poetic persona to her uncaring
audience (the white masters).
The poem is symbolic as its
form
represents its title. The
successive repetition of “I rise”
in three Lines in the final stanza
of the
poem cuts the image of a
rising phalanx. Thus, the form
of the poem is quite suggestive
of a
group of people rising
against the tide of oppression
and tyranny – and that is,
the Black
American slaves. The structure
of the stanza typical of
lamentation – the poem began
with an
6|Page
equal stanza of four not until
towards the end of the poem,
eight. This suggests an
outpouring of
one’s cares
The poem is divided into eight
stanzas. Each of the first to
seventh stanzas contains four
lines. The eighth stanza,
however, comprises 15 lines.
There is predominant use of the
question
mark in the poem as this could
be seen in lines 5, 6, 13, 14
17, 25 and 28. This is, perhaps,
related to the background of the
poem, which has to do with the
Black American slaves’
constant
but purposive quest for identity
and freedom from the white
masters’ oppression and
tyranny.
Also in the poem, both
commas and full stops are
employed, virtually in equal
proportions.
These beautify the lines with
courage and hope, reveals the
teary and sorrowful nature of
the
poetic persona, thereby. There
is a conscious use of
“apostrophe” in the poem as a
graphological
tool to indicate the colloquial
nature of the language-use in
the poem; e.g:
I’ll - (lines 4, 12 and 24)
‘Cause - (lines 7 and 19)
Don’t - (line 18)
I’ve - (lines 7, 19 and 27)
That’s - (line 31)
I’m - (line, 33)
By implication, the use of
“apostrophe”, probably, shows
the care-free attitude of the
poetic persona to her uncaring
audience (the white masters).
The poem is symbolic as its
form
represents its title. The
successive repetition of “I rise”
in three Lines in the final stanza
of the
poem cuts the image of a
rising phalanx. Thus, the form
of the poem is quite suggestive
of a
group of people rising
against the tide of oppression
and tyranny – and that is,
the Black
American slaves. The structure
of the stanza typical of
lamentation – the poem began
with an
6|Page
equal stanza of four not until
towards the end of the poem,
eight. This suggests an
outpouring of
one’s cares
The poem is divided into eight stanzas. Each of the first to seventh stanzas contains four

lines. The eighth stanza, however, comprises 15 lines. There is predominant use of the question

mark in the poem as this could be seen in lines 5, 6, 13, 14 17, 25 and 28. This is, perhaps,

related to the background of the poem, which has to do with the Black American slaves’

constant but purposive quest for identity and freedom from the white masters’ oppression and

tyranny. Also in the poem, both commas and full stops are employed, virtually in equal

proportions.These beautify the lines with courage and hope, reveals the teary and sorrowful

nature of thepoetic persona, thereby. There is a conscious use of “apostrophe” in the poem as

a graphologicaltool to indicate the colloquial nature of the language-use in the poem; e.g:

I’ll - (lines 4, 12 and 24)

‘Cause - (lines 7 and 19)

Don’t - (line 18)

I’ve - (lines 7, 19 and 27)

That’s - (line 31)

 I’m - (line, 33)

By implication, the use of “apostrophe”, probably, shows the care-free attitude of

thepoetic persona to her uncaring audience (the white masters). The poem is symbolic as its

formrepresents its title. The successive repetition of “I rise” in three Lines in the final stanza of

thepoem cuts the image of a rising phalanx. Thus, the form of the poem is quite suggestive

of agroup of people rising against the tide of oppression and tyranny – and that is, the

BlackAmerican slaves. The structure of the stanza typical of lamentation – the poem began

with an equal stanza of four not until towards the end of the poem, eight. This suggests an

outpouring of one’s cares

Phonological Level

There are, a great number of phonological features in the poem which promotes a

degree of musicality in it. Rhyme, as a prosodic element in a poem, is utilized in a good measure

in the poem. This is noticeable in lines 2 and 4, 6 and 8, 10 and 12, 14 and 16, 18 and 20, 22 and

24,26 and 28, 33 and 34, 35 and 37, and 39 and 40. The musicality which the use of rhyme

evokes in the poem appears to have made it attract attention to the condescending message

which the poetic persona is trying to get across to her audience. The use of repetition in “1

rise”, which, though, begins the poem as “I’ll rise” is another noticeable phonological feature

which assists in placing emphasis on the resolution of the defiant poetic persona not to allow

anything deter her from achieving freedom

Alliteration

The same sounds in the beginning of the words in line is a term for alliteration.

"Dance like I've got diamonds"

The words beginning with the consonant "d" are examples of alliteration. The line rolls off the
tongue when spoken aloud, suggesting the joy and ease of the speaker dancing.

"Bitter, twisted lies"

The "i" vowel is repeated here, making the impact of the word "lies" even more powerful.

"Does my sassiness upset you"

The consonant "s" is repeated here, making the line very taunting.

"Does my sexiness upset you"

The consonant "s" is repeated here, making the line very taunting.

"Huts of history's shame"

The consonant "h" makes the line heavy in sound, like the meaning of the phrase.

"Welling and swelling"

The letter "e" sound and the rhyme of the two words creates a powerful image of the speaker
rising like an ocean's tides.

Assonance

Another sound feature found in the poem is assonance or the repetition of vowel sound.

The repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /i/ in “With your bitter,

twisted lies”.

Where assonance appears in the poem:

Line 1: “me,” “history”

Line 2: “With,” “bitter,” “twisted,” “lies”

Lines 4-4: “But still, / dust, I'll ”

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. In the poem, the sound of /l/ in

“Welling and swelling I bear in the tide” and the sound of /t/ in “Out of the huts of history’s

shame”.

Repetition

Similar to the refrain of a song, repetition can also be used to create a particular

rhythmic effect and set a poem's mood. In “Still I Rise,” Angelou's speaker repeats the refrain, “I

rise” is to convey the power of Black resilience and set a triumphant tone. There is a repetition

of the words “I rise” which has created a musical quality in the poem.

Morphological Level

One way of producing deviation at the morphological level is by adding an ending to a

word that would not normally be added to (Short, 1996:51).Morphology is the study of

the internal structure of words. The lower unit of syntactic organization is the word.

Morphemes are the building blocks for words. Morphemes can be classified into free

morphemes and bound morphemes ( Yule, 2010: 68-69). Free morphemes can stand

alone by themselves as single words, for instance 'mean and leave'. By contrast, bound

morphemes are forms which cannot stand alone by themselves and are usually related

to other forms, such as ' re-, -ist, -ed, -s).

LEXICO-SYNTACTIC LEVEL:

Lexical level

Although, a cursory look at the poem would suggest that the reader might not

have difficulty in understanding the message in it, it is noteworthy that the poem employs some

words and expressions that demand a careful analysis for their meanings to be properly

decoded. This is because such words are not usual collocations – a situation which creates

some stylistic effects. Such unusual collocations include the ‘words’ in ‘You may shoot me with

your words, ‘cut’ and ‘eyes’ in ‘You may cut me with your eyes’, ‘kill’ and ‘hatefulness’ in ‘You

may kill me with your hatefulness’ and ‘black’ and ‘ocean’ in ‘I’ am black ocean. They

bring about strikingly metaphoric meanings that draw the reader closer to the import of the

poet’s message. It is not unlikely that the poet does this to show the inequality between the

white masters and the black American slaves. Apart from metaphor, simile is also employed by

the poet to some stylistic advantages. The simile in each of ‘…like dust’, ‘… like air…’

and’…like I’ve got diamonds’ creates an imagery which helps in enhancing the reader’s

understanding of the message in the poem.

Semantic Features

The sentence types that are commonly used in the poem are the imperative and

the interrogative. The use of these sentence types harmonizes with the tone and the mood

of the poetic persona. While the pseudo imperative sentences such as the following:

subject verb object complemet

you May write Me Down in history Line 1

you May shoot Me With your words Line 21

you May cut Me With your eyes Line 22

you May kill Me With your hatefulness Line 23

 Show the dare devil poetic persona’s attitude of calling her listener’s bluff, the

interrogative sentences, such as the following:

Does my sassiness upset you? (line 5)

Why are you beset with gloom? (line 6)

Did you want to see me broken? (line 13)

Does my haughtiness offend you? (line 25)

Does my sexiness upset you? (line 25)

have the illocutionary force of probing the reasons for the oppressor’s

oppressive tendencies which are to the detriment of the poetic persona. Again, in the poem,

both simple and complex sentences are used in a considerable proportion. There is cohesion in

the structural patterns of the poem through the use of the conjunctions, ‘but’ and ‘like’ as we

have in the following lines:

But still, like dust, I’ll rise (line 4)

Just like hopes springing high, (line 11)

But still, like air, I’ll rise, (line 24).

Bondage, on the other hand, manifests through the use of subordinators like ‘cause’

(because] and ‘that’ as shown in the following lines:

Why are you beset with gloom?

“Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells (lines 7-8)

Don’t you take it awful hard. Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines (lines 18-19)

Does it come as a surprise?

 That I dance like I’ve got diamonds (lines 26-27).

The use of these devices, especially, bondage (which shows dependency) probably

depicts the servitude in which the Black American slaves were to their white masters, while

slavery lasted in America. Most of the simple sentences utilized in the poem are inverted as

follows for stylistic effect:

...like dust, I’ll rise (line 4)

Still I’ll rise (line 12) ... …

like air I’ll rise (lines 24)

Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise (lines 31 - 32)

126 Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise (lines 37-38)

Inverting structures in a text manifests one of the concepts of style known as deviation

from the norm, and it is a form of foregrounding inversion in this poem may have to

do with the audacious poetic-persona doing the unusual by confronting her oppressor-

listener. Besides, and very importantly, the fronting of the adjuncts in the above-cited structures

is a means by which emphasis is achieved.

Figures of speech

There are different figures of speech used to unite an attractive meaning and themes in the poem.

1. Personification

"History's shame" personifies history and gives it the attribute of feeling an emotion like shame.
2. Imagery

It is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. In the poem Still I

Rise are “You may write me down in history”; “You may shoot me with your words” and “I’m a

black ocean, leaping and wide.”

3. Simile

It is used to compare an object or person with something else to make the meanings

clear to the readers. 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”.

4.Anaphora

It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. The poet

repeats the words “You may” in the opening lines of the poem to express her ideas. In the poem,

there are anaphora such as:

“You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”

5. Rhetorical question

Rhetorical question is a question that is not to receive an answer; it is just posed to

make the point clear. Such as:

“Does my sassiness upset you?”

“Does my sexiness upset you?” and

“Did you want to see me broken?”

 6. Metaphor

The poet uses many metaphors throughout the poem:

"You may trod me in the very dirt" The speaker states that even if her oppressor tries to trample

on her as one might trample an object or living creature in the dirt, she will still rise. The speaker

is not literally squashed by the oppressor, but the oppressor nonetheless tries to trample on her

spirit.

"You may shoot me with your words" The speaker refers to the violence of shooting with a gun,

but she uses the metaphor to illustrate instead the pain of her oppressor's hateful language.

She will not be pierced by the harshness of his words.

"You may cut me with your eyes" The speaker refers to violence again, this time using the

example of cutting, as with a knife. However, she refers to the oppressor's cruel looks as so

painful and hurtful that his regard is sharp and cutting, like a knife.

"You may kill me with your hatefulness" The oppressor's hatefulness could literally kill her, but in

this line the speaker speaks of death metaphorically. The oppressor's hate toward her might kill

her spirit, but she will still rise above the pain.

"I'm a black ocean" The speaker refers to herself as a powerful force of nature. She is as strong

and as majestic as the ocean, and the term "black" denotes her race. She is a powerful black

woman.

"I am the dream and the hope of the slave" The speaker embodies the hopes and dreams of her

slave ancestors. She wants to achieve all that they were unable to do.

"Did you want to see me broken" The speaker refers to a broken spirit.
Style

1. Diction

The diction of this poem is simple and appropriate since most of the lines are

short and easy to understand.

2. Tone

Within ‘Still I Rise’ Angelou takes a strong and determined tone throughout her writing.

By addressing her’s, and all marginalized communities’ strengths, pasts, and futures head-on,

she’s able to create a very similar mood. A reader should walk away from ‘Still Rise’ feeling

inspired, joyful, and reinvigorated with courage and strength.

CONCLUSION:

'Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou concludes by departing from the quatrain form used up

until this point, instead ending with fifteen lines which see the refrain 'I rise' repeated multiple

times. Angelou asserts that she, and others, rise from the 'huts of history's shame' at how it

has treated black people over the centuries.

Maya taught her enemy and audience with play of words and her tone in this poem. So

when she gave the audience the last stanza she gave me an idea of what the theme could

really be. The poem is all about her past and how she still got back up when people put her

down about her color. It presents the bold defiance of the speaker, implied to be a black

woman, in the face of oppression. This oppressor, addressed throughout as “you,” is full of

“bitter, twisted lies” and “hatefulness” toward the speaker, and hopes to see the speaker

“broken” in both body and spirit.

 Broadly speaking, the poem is an assertion of the dignity and resilience of marginalized

people in the face of oppression because Angelou often wrote about blackness and black

womanhood, "Still I Rise" can also be read more specifically as a critique of anti-black racism. It

is an inspiring and moving poem that celebrates self-love and self-acceptance. The poem takes

the reader through a series of statements the speaker makes about herself. She praises her

strength, her body, and her ability to rise up and away from her personal and historical past.

A major shift happens just after the seventh stanza when the speaker starts constantly

saying “I rise”. The poem goes from a negative tone to a more positive and inspiring one

because the speaker emphasizes they will overcome whatever adversity is thrown at them.

Angelou, or the speaker, will not let a misrepresentation of history keep her from acknowledging

the past of her people. She uses “I'll rise” to show that she will make her voice heard and speak

the truth and her mind. The poem, as conveyed by its title, is about confidence, self-respect,

and resilience. This is something that Angelou learned as she grew up–a well-documented

narrative that is masterfully-explored in her memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (as well

as in the memoirs that came after this). It speaks to the strength that Angelou learned from her

life experiences and from the women who raised her. The poem essentially reminds us that

hardship will be overcome, that women’s voices were never meant to be suppressed; that we

can be confident, sassy, assertive, funny, sexy, haughty, and everything else–and do not have

to apologize for it. I especially love these two stanzas here:

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

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?

The first stanza acts as a powerful climax to a mighty poem. And the second claims a

woman’s sexuality as her own, not for anyone else’s taking. It embodies the boldness and

tenacity of it all. The victim will rise up, the slave will overcome adversity, the woman will

become all she was meant to be, and more. We have come a long way. But there is still work to

be done. As long as prejudice and bigotry still exist–though they may exist in more “subtle” ways

than before–we need to continually strive for better. “Still I Rise,” though written forty-four years

ago, is still so relevant today. Throughout the entire poem, the lines “I rise” are repeated like a

mantra, attesting to the power and strength of Blackness as well as womanhood. The “I”

referenced in the poem is not singular–it acts as a collective voice that consists of all those who

have been oppressed before. Like dust, like air, like hopes springing high, we will rise.