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?no
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?The title mean like if someone ever try to put you down only thing it's going to do is make you stronger.
- Why would someone with such a difficult childhood be able to say “Still I Rise”?Still I rise even when you put me down.
- What words support the idea that the author has had a difficult childhood?"Still I Rise"
- To whom is the poet writing?The poet writing to anyone that is doubting her and telling her she can't make it.
- What does the poet mean, “I’ll rise,” and what is the impact of the repetition of this phrase? The poet means no matter what happens, she will always make it in the end. The repetition of that phrase is to make the reader understand that no one will be able to stop her in her journey of life.
- Why does the author ask questions of the reader? To interact with the reader, so they can get even more involved in the poem.
- What is a key word in each stanza?The key word in each stanza is I rise.
- What words does she use that reflect her personal style? She used diamonds, sassiness, haughtiness, sexiness, dream, and hope.
- Find a picture for each stanza to reinforce the power and message of the poem.
