Since this particular word is even in the title we as the readers can assume that it is important and relevant to the writer that we understand that we can rise. One last word that was used ten times in the poem was rise. This statement is added onto the poem for us to be able to understand that she has no choice but to rise because of the people who fought for her chance to be able to pursue her dreams. She uses the word by saying “I am the dream and the hope of the slave” (40). This is a word which is controversial in a number of countries and can even be related to primarily in the United States. Another example of a word which excites our reader brains is the word slave. This question is written in a way that is meant to show that we should not be ashamed of who we are and how we look which is an apparent explanation of the main theme of the poem. She shows us her approach to how self confidence should be expressed, using the word “sexiness” to ask the question “Does my sexiness upset you?” (25). Maya Angelou uses a wide range of vocabulary that creates a great deal of imagery and controversy in the way we view the poem. Maya reveals to us that not all atrocities are clear cut and emphasized for us to understand, but no matter how big or small these things seem and no matter who we are we still have the ability to rise.Ĭertain words evoke multiple emotions for people who read them. This powerful line is able to show us that in every circumstance where we feel like the victim whether through speech, emotional abuse, or physical abuse, it is still an act of inflicting hurt and it should be taken with an act of perseverance. An example of this could be when she mentions that “You may shoot me with your words” (21).
Maya also decides to use violence as a metaphor, to show her audience that there is cruelty which is deeper than physical pain. She is also able to show us that something as inconsistent as ‘dust’ can rise even if it is seen as incapable. In these two lines, she is able to address the meaning of treading someone in the dirt or in simpler terms, belittling someone and treating them as if they are minute. She begins by saying “You may tread me in the very dirt” (line 3) however she finishes the sentence saying “But still like dust, I’ll rise”. One circumstance of such a metaphor is through her description of dirt and dust. In “Still I Rise,” there are abundant metaphorical phrases that will keep you extremely attentive when reading them.
Through her use of metaphoric phrases, her choice of vivid vocabulary, and her beautiful similes, Maya Angelou crafts a poem filled with a message of strength and endurance.Īn American poet of remarkable optimism, Maya Angelou can be described as a writer who understands the true usage of contradicting and powerful metaphors. She wrote a poem that insists on the ability of all human kind being able to ‘rise’ from all circumstance. Angelou seems to portray a similar theme as this powerful woman’s. You can discern the story of a young girl who once felt ashamed to appear in the light, and a tale of the same young lady transforming into a woman who has pride in the person she is, inside and out. Portland Public Library - Book of the Week: And Still I Rise: A Book of Poems by Maya Angelou* “Just like moons and like suns / With the certainty of tides, / Just like hopes springing high, / Still I’ll rise.” Maya Angelou -American writer, singer, actor, and civil rights activist-lifts up her arms by the sea, face shining, in a photograph on the library’s bright first edition of “And Still I Rise: A Book of Poems.” Her third book of verse, published in 1978, includes some of her most beloved and evocative work: “Phenomenal Woman,” “Woman Work,” “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me,” and “Still I Rise.Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” can be understood as the narrative of a woman who was discarded and hampered by the world and its cruel definition of beauty and success.
0 kommentar(er)
