Still I Rise
Maya Angelou
Still I Rise
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 back
yard. 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.
Maya Angelou: Youth
California
Age 3: Parents’ Divorce
Shuffled in different homes
Racism and Poor treatment from men
Age 7: raped by mother’s boyfriend
Boyfriend gets arrested and murdered
Turned mute for more than 5 years,
thinking her voice killed him
Age 17: child of wedlock
Was divorced 3 times
Maya Angelou: Career
Thought her career options were limited
Tried drugs
Acted as prostitute
Family encouraged her to try different jobs
1950s: started career as singer
Wrote song lyrics and poems
End of 1950s: developed skills as writer
Published nationally praised verses and
autobiographical narratives
Currently an author, poet, playwright, director,
performer, singer, professional stage/screen
producer
Maya Angelou: Still I Rise
Reflecting on the poor treatment
her race received as slaves (and
discriminated even after freedom)
Active in Civil Rights Movement
Joined Harlem Writers’ Guild
Helped build Organization of
African American Unity
Involved herself in TV
productions
Worked for Dr. Martin Luther
King & made protests
The Harlem Writers Guild
Founded in 1950
Oldest organization of African
American writers in the United
States
Purpose: supporting African
American writers to publish their
work (books, journals, etc.)
Honored by United Nations (UN)
Society of Writers
OAAU
Abbrev. of Organization of African-American Unity
First established by Malcom X, an African American
Muslim minister, who was a public speaker and a civil
rights activist (used very harsh, direct words to white
ppl)
Designed to promote cooperation between African
Americans
To speak out against slavery and unjust oppression
“conquer oppression, relieve suffering, convert
meaningless struggle into meaningful action”
Expired soon after Malcom X’s assassination
Assassination occurred while he was making a speech for
the OAAU, received 16 consecutive shots
Repetition
You may write me down in history
Out of the huts of history’s shame
With your bitter, twisted lies,
I rise
You may trod me in the very dirt
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
But still, like dust,
I’ll rise.
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Just like moons and like suns,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
With the certainty of tides,
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear,
Just like hopes springing high,
I rise
Still
I’ll rise.
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
You may shoot me with your words,
Bring the gifts that my ancestors gave,
You may cut me with your eyes,
I am the dream and hope of the slave
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air,
I’ll rise.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Why Repetition?
The meaning of “I Rise”
She will not lose hope and stand up, to fight against the
discrimination and to speak up
She will begin a new page of history for the black race,
where they are equal with all other races
For emphasis: that she will not surrender and support
her race stand up
Showing strength and persistence of her race (as she is
the representative of black women in this poem)
Because it is the main message the poet wants to send
Inverted Word Order
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 back yard.
Inverted Word Order
The three most common usages of inverted word order
are in interrogative sentences, conditional sentences
(without if), and declarative sentences that begin with a
negative word.
The phrase in this poem, however, cannot be distinctly
specified in one of the group. It sounds like an
interrogative sentence in the beginning with a “Don’t
you,” but it ends with something like an imperative-like
sentence. It is also similar to a declarative sentence in
the fact that it starts with a negative word.
Why Inverted Word Order?
In this poem, the phrase “Don’t you” is used to:
Show overpower: usually, bullies or older brothers tell
younger kids “Don’t you dare touch this,” or “Don’t you
tell Mom about this,” because the two words create a
feeling of threat and power.
Comical device (as a way to make fun): along with the
“Don’t you,” the poet adds the phrase “take it awful
hard.” This creates a tone that is comical and belittling,
as if a bully would tell a kid “Don’t you cry, sissy.”
In short, the poet is implying that she (and the other
mistreated ones) is of higher level than the “masters,”
although it may seem like the black women are of a
lower class.
Simile
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 back yard.
You may shoot me with your words, You may cut
Why Simile?
The main reason Maya Angelou made use of similes in
this poem was to express her feelings in a more vivid,
comparable way. It is often easier to relate to one’s
feelings with something that is already existing, so that
others can picture the scene in their heads without
much difficulty.
Dust and Air: used to describe the way in which the
speaker “rises.” Dust and air are both invalid and
difficult to see. By using these two words to compare a
single action, the poet allows readers to think of a
quiet, subtle rise, yet continuous.
Simile Patterns
“Just like moons and like suns, Just like hopes
springing high…”:
These three words are used to describe how regular,
natural, and full-of-spirit her “rise” is.
The sun and the moon are both things that mark the
start of day or night. Therefore, it could also be
interpreted that the speaker wishes to mark the
beginning of a new page in the black history (and
promote black and white equality).
Simile Patterns
“Like I’ve Got”
This phrase is repeated (this method overlaps with
repetition) to accentuate the fact that the speaker has a
source of confidence in her heart. As comparisons, she
uses oil wells, gold mines, and diamonds, which are all
known to be valuable and desirable.
Metaphor
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.
Metaphor Meanings
I’m a black ocean: This metaphor is used to show that
the speaker is a black person, one who has so much
resentment and grudge in herself, that she can be wild
waves attacking the shores.
Shows that her words represent many others who have
suffered like her (ocean being something vast)
“Black” has a connotation of being gloomy and
depressing, which is another reason why the speaker
used the adjective.
Metaphor Meanings
I am the dream and hope of the slave.
Indicates that the speaker is representing the AfricanAmerican (Perhaps even other races) slave population.
The speaker is being directly addressed as dream and
hope. Dream and hope are both more of futuristic
words than of present or past. Therefore, this
comparison implies that the speaker will contribute to
the bright future of the slaves and will not fall down
despite any mistreatment. It also suggests the speaker’s
confidence and strong will, because the tone in which
this is said is very declarative.
Rhyme Scheme
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.
Effect of Rhyme Scheme
The rhyme scheme in this poem is abcb, until the last
stanza, where the pattern is a little varied.
By having a rhyme scheme, the poem is more
rhythmical and melodic. The transition is smoother,
and it is easier to read.
Poet’s purpose: The poem being conversational and
comfortably-spoken, the poet needed a way to prevent I
from being too free-style. Therefore, to create some
order and pattern, she used the rhyme scheme.
Consonance
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.
Why Consonance?
Consonance is the repeating of a consonant sound. What
distinguishes it from alliteration is the fact that the repeated
consonant sounds are often a few words apart.
Poet’s purpose: Even when apart, same consonants have a
very vivid impact on the reader, especially when reading
aloud. What consonance does to a phrase is, it strengthens
the power of the statement by making it sound as if the
speaker is repeating the word. The ‘p’ used in “past that’s
rooted in pain” is the most significant out of all three
because the consonant has a very bold, attacking, and
somehow offensive sound. Saying the sound twice
emphasizes the hardships that the slaves and black people
had to deal with.
What is special?
Instead of making it specific to her life, the poet uses
broad words, which allows many people (not only black
women) to relate to it.
The poet uses words with bad connotations, such as
haughtiness and sassiness, and turn them into positive
words in the poem (as if others were jealous).
Although the theme and background of the poem is
dark and gloomy, the poem sounds a bit comical, as if
the speaker is making fun of “you.”
Maya Angelou Reading
Still I Rise
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOqo50LSZ0
Thank You
Youjin (Jenny) Jang 8B