Still I Rise
by Maya Angelou
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.
Meanings of Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
The poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou is highly suggestive of the defiance, resolution, and determination of a woman from a marginalized community to rise above others in the face of discrimination. Specifically, it speaks of the suppression of the women of African American community in the United States.
Meanings of Stanza -1
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.
This is the first quatrain or four-lined stanza of the poem that presents the defiance of the poet. She states that the historiographer may not appreciate her role in the history books and hide it through twisted lies and bitter truth or he may call her dirt. She will still rise up like dust. She means that she will rise up despite the fact that she has been crushed throughout history and that her role has been diminished. This stanza contributes to the main idea of racial discrimination by the use of “still” which points to the defiance of the poet.
Meanings of Stanza -2
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.
The poet asks her interlocutor two rhetorical questions and then responds to them. She asks him whether he has realized her teasing and why he is feeling sad. However, she, despite her seeming poverty and penury, is walking in a graceful manner as if she owns a petro-dollar industry. She states in metaphorical terms that it seems that oil wells are pumping in her living room. This stanza contributes to the overall meaning of the poem by showing that an African American woman is not afraid of demonstrating her confidence.
Meanings of Stanza -3
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Using two beautiful similes, Maya Angelou states that she is going to rise up, and it is her fate. It is a divine work like that of the moon, the sun, and the hope that does not subside in her. She states with certainty all these things will rise up and that the tide has turned as she is destined to rise. The poet is confident of good days coming ahead. The stanza contributes to the main idea in that it presents a hopeful African American woman determined to achieve something in life.
Meanings of Stanza -4
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Presenting a number of rhetorical questions, this stanza shows African American woman, or the poet herself, in a highly defiant tone, looking squarely at the interlocuter to point out his/her machinations. She asks them whether they want to see her as a broken lady. Do they want to see her submit to their will or a weak soul crying before them? This question wrings in her ears and comes on her lips, knowing full well the consequences. This also shows the confidence of the lady in question. Interestingly, this stanza contributes to the main idea of resolution and determination by presenting a confident lady.
Meanings of Stanza -5
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.
This stanza presents one rhetorical question in which the poet asks her interlocuter whether her pride in her achievements offends him/her. Then she explains that she is habitual of showing as if she is a very rich lady and that she has gold mines and that too in her backyard. She means that she is habitual in showing pride in her race and color and that the listeners or interlocutors should not mind this direction of her behavior. This stanza further contributes to the meaning of the poem about her resolution to rise up.
Meanings of Stanza -6
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.
This stanza presents the reverse picture. It shows how the interlocuter is alleged of racial suppression. The poet states using the second person that the person in question uses words to express their hatred toward the poet and other women of her race. They could kill her, but they could not stop her from rising up. This is a direct conversation with the interlocutor after the rhetorical questions in which the poet asks the interlocutors that they should stop obstructing her and her race through words or deeds. This stanza contributes to the overall meaning of the poem about the resolution of the poet.
Meanings of Stanza -7
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?
This stanza presents more rhetorical questions, but they are related to her sexual attraction. She states that it could be that her sexiness comes as a surprise due to the color of her skin, but that she has another thing that is like diamonds and that lies between her legs. This is her sexuality, she states, is precious to her and that it has the same attraction as other ladies. This stanza contributes to the main idea by stating the reasons for her defiance and resolution.
Meanings of Stanza -8
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.
This stanza presents the past of the speaker. She is of the view that she has been shamed and blamed during the entire period of history. She has suffered heavily. She has been drowned in the sea of blackness whose tides have made him swell and well. This history of ups and downs, however, is punctured with her rise that is definite now. The stanza contributes to the main idea of resolution, which is definite and final.
Meanings of Stanza -9
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.
This stanza again presents her determination. She states that the nights of terror and fear have gone. The dawn is now clear and beautiful. Her ancestors, who were slaves, have given her the gifts due to which she is destined to rise. The repetition of the anaphora “I rise” shows her confidence in her resolution and determination to rise up against heavy odds in life.
Summary of Still I Rise
- Popularity of “Still I Rise”: Maya Angelou, a famous American poet, wrote this poem. It was first published in 1978. The poem speaks about the resolution the poet to overthrow prejudices and injustices. It also summarizes the struggle and the positive attitude of the speaker against racial and gender discrimination.
- “Still I Rise” As a Representative of Courage: As this poem is the reflection of the speaker’s determination, she expresses her thoughts about how she will face the haters. She is determined to be strong and is ready to overcome everything with her self-esteem. At the outset, she narrates how people judge and perceive her, the problems she undergoes, and the resultant torture she suffers. She displays a highly positive attitude even after facing criticism. She resolves and says that she will never allow anyone to let her down and will continue to rise.
- Major themes in “Still I Rise”: Courage, pride, and injustice are some of the major themes crafted in the poem. The poet speaks about the biting criticism of dark skin in society. Also, she details how people want to kill them with hatefulness. But, the speaker is really proud of her identity, which she expresses in various ways in the text. She openly challenges those who want to hold her down. Instead of wallowing in stress and fear, she aims to live a happy and confident life.
Analysis of Literary Devices in “Still I Rise”
literary devices are used to bring depth and clarity to the text. Maya Angelou also employed some literary devices in this poem to describe her feelings. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem is given below.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /i/ in “With your bitter, twisted lies”.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “You may write me down in history”; “You may shoot me with your words” and “I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide.”
- 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?”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, 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”.
- 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”.
- 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. For example,
“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.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought or clause that does not come to an end at a line break and moves over the next line. For example,
“You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”
Analysis of Poetic Devices in “Still I Rise”
Poetic Devices refer to those techniques a poet uses to bring uniqueness to his text. The analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem is given below
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. In this poem, there are nine stanzas with each stanza having four verses.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Each stanza in the poem is a quatrain.
- Trochee: Trochee means there is a one stressed and one unstressed syllable in a line.
- Stressed and Unstressed Syllables: These two types of syllables are used in trochee such as the first is stressed and second is an unstressed syllable in “Still I Rise” and this pattern continues throughout the poem such as, “You may write me down in ”
- Repetition: There is a repetition of the words “I rise” which has created a musical quality in the poem.
- Refrain: The lines that are repeated at some distance in the poems are called refrains. The phrase, “Still I’ll rise” is repeated in the first, third, and fifth stanzas with the same words. Hence it has become a refrain.
Quotes to be Used
The lines stated below can be used in a speech to lift the spirits of the people, motivate them and teach them how to ignore negative voices. These powerful words speak about the unbreakable courage of a person.
“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.”
