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“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise" is an expressive and potent statement of resilience,

courage, and defiance in the face of oppression and discrimination. Angelou creates a poem that

celebrates the speaker's unwavering spirit and her resolve to overcome the obstacles presented in

her way. She achieves this through strong imagery, repetition, and tone changes throughout the

poem.

The speaker of the poem is a marginalized person who has experienced deceit,

repression, and hatred. The speaker immediately recognizes the attacks on her by saying, "You

may write me down in history / With your bitter, twisted lies." (lines 1-2). She claims that

despite these efforts, she will rise like dust and resist those trying to crush her. The tone of the

poem is sassy and self-assured, as seen in lines like "'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells /

Pumping in my living room" and "'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines / Diggin' in my

backyard." (lines 5, 8, 19, 20). This sass serves to query the reasons behind the oppressive forces'

outrage at her fortitude and accomplishment. The speaker is empowered by her self-assurance

and confidence, which help her overcome the criticism.

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Throughout the poem, repetition is a critical literary strategy. The speaker emphasizes her

unwavering tenacity and refusal to succumb to loss by using phrases like "Still I'll rise" and "I

rise." These reiterations amplify the poem's upbeat and inspirational theme while giving the

reader a sense of strength and resolve. The poem also uses tone shifts, going from an aggressive

and combative tone to one of triumph and hope. The speaker is subjected to several types of

oppression, which are highlighted in the lines "You may shoot me with your words, / You may

cut me with your eyes, / You may kill me with your hatefulness" (Lines 21, 22, 23). The tone

changes in the following lines when the speaker declares, "But still, like air, I'll rise." This

change represents the speaker's capacity to overcome the hostility and negativity aimed at her, as

evidenced by how she rises like air, a necessary and unyielding force.

To illustrate the speaker's journey from a past steeped in suffering and oppression to one

of empowerment and hope, Angelou uses strong imagery. The speaker emerges "out of the huts

of history's shame" and bids farewell to "nights of terror and fear" in favor of a "daybreak that's

wondrously clear." (Lines 29, 35, 37) These striking pictures show a change, a rebirth from a

state of weakness and oppression to one of power and freedom. With the words "Bringing the

gifts that my ancestors gave, / I am the dream and the hope of the slave," the speaker also

expresses her connection to her ancestors. (Lines 39, 40). This picture highlights the speaker's

contribution to continuing the fight for freedom and equality while highlighting the tenacity and

legacy passed down through the generations.

Finally, "Still I Rise" is a powerful and inspiring poem that honors the unwavering spirit

of people viewed as being on the periphery of society. With the help of repetition, tone changes,

and powerful imagery, Maya Angelou deftly crafts a profound message of resilience, self-
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assertion, and hope. In addition to being a monument to the unwavering resiliency of the human

spirit evident throughout the poem, it is a call to rise above injustice and discrimination.
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Work Cited

Angelou, Maya. "Still I Rise by Maya Angelou." Poetry Foundation, 1994,

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise.