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gavinm still i rise

Page history last edited by gavinm 12 years, 6 months ago

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 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.

The message within the poem. The questions below are aimed at helping you get the MEANING of this poem.

What does the title mean? It means to be good and better.
Why would someone with such a difficult childhood be able to say “Still I Rise”? He shows that he was successful at everything and not give up.
What words support the idea that the author has had a difficult childhood? When he said you hert me with your words.
To whom is the poet writing? To man who hert him when he was a kid.
What does the poet mean, “I’ll rise,” and what is the impact of the repetition of this phrase? They meaning when it says i'll rise is that i be the best at anything.
Why does the author ask questions of the reader? He wants to know the right answer about the poem.
What is a key word in each stanza? I'll Rise.
What words does she use that reflect her personal style? She talks about how she did everything that she though she couldn't do.
Find a picture for each stanza to reinforce the power and message of the poem. Kids