How does the use of repetition help emphasise the theme(s)?Ĭonsider the poem's title, 'Still I Rise'. Why does she choose this comparison, do you think? What does it tell us about the people she is addressing? The narrator compares her behaviour to material riches like oil wells etc. How does the narrator describe herself? What is your impression of the narrator? Who is narrator in the poem? And who does this person address?ĭescribe the tone of the poem.Discuss the questions and prepare your answers, before you share your work with the rest of the class. If you're always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.ĭivide the following topics between the groups. Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest. Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. If you can't change it, change your attitude. While one may encounter many defeats, one must not be defeated What do the quotes below tell us about Angelou as a person? Do any of them fit with the message of the poem you just read?Īll my work, my life, everything I do is about survival, not just bare, awful, plodding survival, but survival with grace and faith. Maya Angelou left us with many inspirational quotes. Do you find any resemblance between her life and the life of the narrator of the poem?

This is Maya Angelou’s talking about how “love liberates”.Search for information about Maya Angelou's life and family background. She has the most incredible voice and presence.Īnd here is another video I found on Youtube that I just had to share. Here is a video of Maya Angelou reading Still I Rise. The images of the oil wells “pumping” and the gold mines “Diggin'” are so strongly evocative I just love it. It’s as though she knows her oppressors are so materialistic and mercenary, that the only way they can describe her joy and sexiness is to say she looks like she has a lot of money. Though her oppressors might think they have ended her by subjecting her to poverty, still, she walks like she has all the wealth in the world. The poet writes that she walks “like I’ve got oil wells/ Pumping in my living room” and that she laughs “like I’ve got gold mines/ Diggin’ in my own back yard”. By specifically talking about the “meeting of thighs” Angelou gives the ultimate defiance of a woman she owns and loves every part of herself, and rises up, dazzling and sexy.Īnother couple of images I love, and that I want to talk about, are the “oil wells” and the “gold mines” mentioned in the second and fifth stanzas. Another phrase that gives a great symbol bash to all of that is “Does it come as a surprise/ That I dance/ Like I’ve got diamonds/ At the meeting of my thighs?” This gives me goosebumps every time I read it. This is something that Maya Angelou overcame in her own life, and she speaks with such inspiring strength here. It seems to overcome sexism and the oppression of women in particular. The recurring questions in the piece are brilliantly provocative: “Does my sassiness upset you?” “Does my haughtiness offend you?” and “Does my sexiness offend you?” she asks. The dust rising, for me, delivers the image of a ghost - perhaps even the ghosts of slaves - that no oppressor or murderer can escape. This idea, coupled with the soulful rhythm, creates a palpable atmosphere of unstoppable defiance. In the first stanza, Angelou writes that although she may be trod into the very dirt, she will still rise like dust (“like dust, I’ll rise”). Still I rise contains so many images that I love. Angelou’s voice is resounding and sensually rhythmic, and carries so beautifully her message of strength and positivity. The poem roots itself in the history of the African-American people, with it’s talk of slavery, and that gorgeous image of the “black ocean, leaping and wide” - such a powerful metaphor for overcoming oppression. But the poem’s scope is not limited to one people it speaks of the universal notion of the defiance of the downtrodden. It is a wonderfully defiant, human, uplifting cry from the deep heart of America, which tells a story that I’m sure speaks to us all. This is probably Maya Angelou’s best-known poem, and for good reason. I am the dream and the hope of the slave. Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

Maya angelou still i rise quotes