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.
The message within the poem. The questions below are aimed at helping you get the MEANING of this poem.
- What does the title mean? no what matter what you do she still will rise
- Why would someone with such a difficult childhood be able to say “Still I Rise”? she was able to say she will still rise she had good famliy
- What words support the idea that the author has had a difficult childhood? she uses words that tell you that she had a hard life
- To whom is the poet writing?she is talking to the people that are talking about her
- What does the poet mean, “I’ll rise,” and what is the impact of the repetition of this phrase?she wants them to no no matter what she will rise over what ever happens her
- Why does the author ask questions of the reader?to get you invoved in the poem,
- What is a key word in each stanza? the key words are soulful ,bitter,gloom
- What words does she use tshehat reflect her personal style?the fact that she uses the word haughtiness
- Find a picture for each stanza to reinforce the power and message of the poem.
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,I am the dream and the hope of the slave. i rise
Repetition - I Rise
RHYME_Welling and swelling
SYMBOLISM- haughtiness VAIN
IMAGERY- CAN SEE slaves oil mines
Hyperbole-You may shoot me with your words
Metaphor-That I dance like I've got diamonds
RHETORICAL QUESTION- Does my sassiness upset you?
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