Still i rise poem summary

Buy Study Guide “ And Still I Rise, it shares its title with a play she wrote in 1976 and was written during a highly prolific time in the author’s career. By the time "Still I Rise" was published, Angelou had already achieved recognition for three autobiographies in addition to her previous two volumes of poetry. Angelou considered this poem a personal favorite and recited it frequently at public readings. She once stated in an interview that she often turned to this poem to empower her during difficult times. Like Angelou’s autobiographical novels and plays, the poem embraces themes that embody both the African-American experience and feminism: racism, oppression, defiance, and hope. Angelou summons the pain and suffering of her African ancestors and proclaims her determination to cast off the chains of slavery not just as a black person, but specifically as a black woman in America. She will rise above the negative past and triumph over her detractors. Growing up in the 1930s, Angelou was raised by both her grandmother and mother. Both women were strong-willed, self-reliant, and, most astonishingly, successful in business—a remarkable feat for African-American women at the time. Nonetheless, Angelou witnessed firsthand their continuous efforts to survive in the face of racism and misogyny, fueling the defiant tone of “Still I Rise.” The poet refuses to be tied down by these societal issues and proclaims that she will overcome any obstacles as the powerful woman she know...

An acclaimed American poet, storyteller, activist, and autobiographer, Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. Angelou had a broad career as a singer, dancer, actress, composer, and Hollywood’s first female black director, but became most famous as a writer, editor, essayist, playwright,...

Angelou said, “ All my work, my life, everything I do is about survival, not just bare, awful, plodding survival, but survival with grace and faith. While one may encounter many defeats, one must not be defeated.” This poem is a true representative of this firm confidence to live no matter what. Still I Rise’ is a poem from the third volume of poetry ‘ And Still I Rise’ which she published in 1978. In an easily approachable manner, which is a characteristic of all popular poems, this poem outrightly speaks of the unknowable strength of the human spirit which can rise against everything. Angelou also wrote a play of the same name. The poem speaks of the spirit of Black people in particular but by the end, we know it is the undefeatable spirit of whole humanity that fights against limitless crimes and injustice. In the United States, white people have always exploited people of other races especially Black people who were the result of the slave trade and immigration. Due to rampant discrimination, Black people suffered immensely. Maya Angelou’s own life went through critical phases but her steadfastness helped her to go through everything and triumph in the end as a great icon for the indomitable Black spirit. This poem is like a final banner of victory of Black lives. The poem begins with the fact that the White oppressors are also the one who writes the history of their country. Afro-Americans have a tradition of singing spirituals. It is a religious song that fills one w...

SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at The underlying meter of “Still I Rise” is trochaic tetrameter, which means that most lines in the poem consist of four metrical feet known as trochees (TROH-keez). A trochee is a metrical foot that has one stressed and one unstressed syllable, as in the words “ some-thing” and “ for-est.” For an example of the poem’s use of trochaic tetrameter, consider the second stanza (lines 5–8): Does my | sass-i- | ness up- | set you? Why are | you be- | set with | gloom? ‘Cause I | walk like | I’ve got | oil wells Pump-ing | in my | liv-ing | room. The lines in this quatrain all contain four metrical feet, each of which consists of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. The only exceptions to this rhythmic pattern are the final feet of the second and fourth lines, which have just one stressed syllable. These lines are catalectic (CAT-uh-LEK-tik), which means they’ve dropped the unstressed syllable at the end. As you can hear if you read the poem aloud, the catalectic lines help create a swinging rhythm, which is established by the slight pause that naturally arises from the missing syllable. Angelou’s use of this metric...

The Poem, Still I Rise, totally speaks about self-empowerment, self-esteem, perseverance, injustice, hope, and resilience. The poem lines here explain how women are oppressed in some situations when they come up and how they are holding those things in a high manner. This poem was published in 1978 but somewhat it relates to present conditions also, we’ll know about these when moving forward with the lines. In these lines, again poet is asking questions to the oppressors that, do you want to see me broken, head held down, eyes with tears, weakened souls? These questions were raised because the feelings she faced is somewhat different because she is a black woman. We don’t know what they have faced in their life. Hello and welcome to Learn Immense, where you are going to love literature by reading our articles. Contents hide 1 Can you imagine the world without literature? Of course, No. 2 Why one must learn literature? “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb inside of… Once upon a time, Summary and poem (line by line explanation ) Contents hide 1 About the Author 2 OVERVIEW OF THE POEM: 2.1 FIRST STANZA: 2.2 SECOND STANZA 2.3 THIRD STANZA: 2.4 FOURTH STANZA: 2.5 FIFTH STANZA: 2.6 SIXTH STANZA: 2.7 SEVENTH STANZA: About the Author The poem “Once Upon a Time” was written… The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams Contents hide 1 The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams 2 Overview of the Poem – The Red W...

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou is a poem published in 1978, written in response to the surge of anti-black racism in America. Angelou was an American civil rights activist as well as a poet, and often wrote about womanhood, black identity, equal rights and the pride and dignity of the black community. This particular poem focuses on maintaining courage and resilience in the face of oppression. The Civil Rights Movement lasted from 1954 to 1968. Still I Rise, written 10 years later, not only encapsulates Angelou’s experiences during the movement, but is also a nod to the fact that oppression and racism was (and is) still part of the everyday society. The tone of this poem is courageously unrelenting, inspirational and strong. There is an underlying air of impressive dignity. Angelou remains calm and steady, yet proud and firm. She does not back down, nor does she compromise her class. Still I Rise | Summary Maya Angelou acknowledges that her image in history may be twisted by the bitter lies of the people who try to oppress her. They trod her name into the dirt of the ground, but she will still rise like the dust does. She asks the people whether they are offended by her sassy nature. She asks why they are so upset that she walks with the confidence of one who has oil wells pumping in her room. She will still rise, with the same certainty that the sun and moon and the tides do, with her hopes high. Angelou asks the people whether they want to see her broken, with her head bow...