Analysis Of Still I Rise By Maya Angelou - 1080 Words

â€Å"What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger†, this famous quote means that whatever suffering you are going through it will make you tougher and wiser. Still I rise is a poem written by Maya Angelou, an African American poet and a civil-rights activist. This poem was written around the civil rights movement, when people where being segregated by their race. Throughout this poem we are shown the thoughts and feelings people have displayed against her, but she will not let them get her down. Her dark past allows her to have strength and rise above the criticism where her ancestors fell to slavery. In poem Still I rise the main message is about people’s opinion against others who are different color and gender, the narrator expressing her†¦show more content†¦Racist people do not want colored people to become successful and be happy. They do not think black women deserve to be happy or have pride as shown in stanza 2, 4 and 5,† Why are you beset wi th gloom?/‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells/Pumping in my living room†,(poems). The â€Å"oil wells pumping in my living room† symbolizes her success. Maya Angelou notices that the people around her are â€Å"beset with bloom†, meaning to attack with hate, when she succeeds. Maya directs these questions to the people that thrive seeing her sad and broken down to try to make them feel guilty,† Did you want to see me broken?/Bowed head and lowered eyes/Does my haughtiness offend you?/Don’t you take it awful hard/‘Cause I laugh like Ive got gold mines/Diggin’ in my own backyard†,(poems). Maya’s success has been received with bitterness so she asks these questions knowing it is what society wants, she wants to make them feel guilty. Shreyna Bardhan states that these racist â€Å"expect her to bow her head down and lower her eyes, looking at the ground with shoulders drooping in despair, they expect her to speak in weakness voice†, (Bardhan). These people in society resent her from being assertive and having any sort of power, success and happiness for herself, as if they have supremacy. People being criticized will always find the strength to fight back and not let negative thoughts from others bring them down. This is proven in stanza 3Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Still I Rise By Maya Angelou993 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscussed in class starting with Maya Angelou’s â€Å"Still I Rise.† Angelou starts off her poem stating, â€Å"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.(Lines 1-4)† From these lines, Angelou speaks on the strength that African-American have each day. Blacks have been seen in history as an abomination, and their names have been dragged through the mud just because of their skin color. But Angelou tells people that none of thisRead MoreAnalysis Of Still I Rise By Maya Angelou917 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Still I Rise† is an inspiring poem written by Maya Angelou, she delivers a powerful message from within to provide her African American ancestors an opportunity to rise above segregation and racism. Maya Angelou expresses her pride throughout the poem and describes different hardships in her past. Angelou incorporates her past experiences, powerful views, and over comings while also expressing the tone regarding her pride, feminist values, strong confidence, and close ties with African AmericanRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Still I Rise By Maya Angelou1959 Words   |  8 PagesMaya Angelou was a highly respected spokesperson for African Americans as well as for women of the twentieth century. She spoke on the behalf of all enslaved African Americans who suffered during the civil war. Most of her works are considered autobiographical because they contain many of her own experiences. She is a natural narrative writer that uses a lot of imagery and repetition in her poems.She has a great influence in the field of literature as a woman’s activist. She has received numerousRead MoreStill I Rise by Ma ya Angelou Literary Analysis Essay756 Words   |  4 PagesIn the poem ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou, the poet uses repetition, metaphors and similes to express to her audience about how she has overcome racism in her life through demonstrating a strong, proud and defiant attitude to inspire others. The poet uses repetition of the word ‘rise’ to show that she has overcome and risen above racism. In the line, ‘you may trod me in the very dirt but still, like dust ill rise’ it expresses to the reader one of the key ideas in her poem, that no matter howRead MoreUxt Task 1945 Words   |  4 PagesRunning head: Analysis of â€Å"Still I Rise† 1 Analysis of â€Å"Still I Rise† When reading, â€Å"Still I Rise†, by Maya Angelou, I immediately get a sense of perseverance and pride. The author seems to be addressing her adversaries directly through her words. I love the imagery used in this poem. I can almost see the dust rising and can feel the swelling of the black ocean that the author mentions. â€Å"Cause I walk like I got oil wells pumping in my living room†(Angelou, 1978), and, â€Å"Laugh like I’veRead MoreStill I Rise1705 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Still I Rise† Poem Analysis â€Å"Still I Rise† was written by Maya Angelou, who is an African-American poet. A majority of her poems are written on slavery and life as a African- American woman. â€Å"Still I Rise† is one of the many well known. She discusses how she is treated differently and refers to her ancestry and relates to events they went through during the time of slavery and the events she continues to go through during her time period of life. â€Å"This poem has been an inspiration to peopleRead MoreThe Importance of Determination Essay687 Words   |  3 Pagesovercome the obstacles that stand in their way. â€Å"Mother to Son† by Langston Hughes and â€Å"Still I Rise† by Maya Angelou are two different works written by two different authors yet they both convey the same message. Together, the two authors stress the significance of pushing harder when faced with conflicts rather than simply giving up. Using figurative language and repetition, Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou effectively emphasize this message in both of their poems. In both poems, both authorsRead MoreAnalysis of the poem Still I Rise1268 Words   |  6 Pages2014 An Analysis of the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou African Americans have been oppressed for centuries. Despite this discrimination, people of this race have fought hard for their freedom and respect. This pursuit of equality is evident inMaya Angelou’s poem, â€Å"Still I Rise†. Angelou integrates numerous literary ideas such as various sounds, poetry forms, and key concepts.The poetic devices incorporated in Maya Angelou’s work, â€Å"Still I Rise†,heightens theRead MoreMaya Angelou: Speak Up Essay example1127 Words   |  5 PagesMaya Angelou experienced a life-changing event at the vulnerable age of eight: her mother’s boyfriend raped her. As a result, she chose to be mute for five years due to the emotional trauma this caused. Soon, a family friend named Mrs. Flowers, a wealthy and intellectual woman from Stamps, Arkansas where her grandmother resided, read with Angelou and helped Maya to express herself through writing. Mrs. Flowers taught Maya â€Å"words mean more than what is set dow n on paper. It takes the human voiceRead MoreMaya Angelou: A Model Woman Through Influential Literature Essay1708 Words   |  7 Pagesinfluence on society itself. Maya Angelou is a great example of the model woman. She has beaten the odds and has become one of the most well known African American women of today. She is an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. Her most influential work comes from her extraordinary books and poems. Her literature has influenced the young and old with their contents. Maya Angelous literary significance