Post by Admin on May 15, 2017 21:27:48 GMT
Still I Rise is a powerful, empowering poem all about the struggle to overcome prejudice and injustice. It is one of Maya Angelou's most popular poems.
When read by those who understand the meaning of repeated wrongdoing, the poem becomes a kind of anthem, a beacon of hope for the oppressed and downtrodden.
It is a reminder of the abuse of power by those who sit in government, the judiciary, in the military and in the police force. For members of the public, for society, it sends out the clear, repeated message of hope. No matter the circumstances, there must always be hope to cling on to.
Analysis
This stirring poem is packed full of figurative language and when read through comes over as a sort of secular hymn to the oppressed and abused. The message is loud and clear - no matter the cruelty, regardless of method and circumstance, the victim will rise up, the slave will overcome adversity.
Little wonder that Nelson Mandela read this poem at his inauguration in 1994, having spent 27 years in prison.
Although written with the black slavery and civil rights issues in mind, Still I Rise is universal in its appeal. Any innocent individual, any minority, any nation subject to oppression or abuse could understand the underlying theme - don't give in to torture, bullying, humiliation and injustice.
There are 43 lines in total made up of 7 quatrains and 2 end stanzas which help reinforce the theme of individual hope, 'I Rise' being repeated in mantra fashion.
This is a poem aimed at the oppressor. Note the first 'You' in the first line and the rhyme scheme abcb, which tightly knits the stanza together. It's worth going through the rhyme's effect because the full rhymes such as eyes/cries, hard/backyard, surprise/thighs continue up to the last two stanzas when the scheme changes from abcb to abcc and aabb, giving an absolute solid ending to the piece.
If this poem were a sculpture it would have a granite plinth to stand on. And the natural imagery is far reaching and the voice loud. There are moons and suns, tides and black ocean; there's clear daybreak and ancestral gifts, all joining together in a crescendo of hope.
Similes and metaphor abound. Every stanza has at least one, from the first ...'But still, like dust, I'll rise.' to the last...'I am the dream and the hope of the slave.'
There's a defiance in the poem as you read through, as if the speaker is trying to prick the conscience of the oppressor, by reminding them of past wrongs and present realities. The word sassiness suggests an arrogant self-confidence, backed up by the use of haughtiness, and sexiness. The poet's use of hyperbole with these three nouns adds a kind of absurd beauty.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as some surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Stanza 6 brings the oppressive issue to a climax so to speak. Three lines begin with 'You', the speaker choosing particularly active verbs - shoot, cut, kill - to emphasise the aggression. But all to no avail for the oppressed will still rise, this time like air, an element which you cannot shoot, cut or kill.
All in all, an inspirational poem with powerful repetitive energy, a universal message and a clear, positive pulse throughout.
When read by those who understand the meaning of repeated wrongdoing, the poem becomes a kind of anthem, a beacon of hope for the oppressed and downtrodden.
It is a reminder of the abuse of power by those who sit in government, the judiciary, in the military and in the police force. For members of the public, for society, it sends out the clear, repeated message of hope. No matter the circumstances, there must always be hope to cling on to.
Analysis
This stirring poem is packed full of figurative language and when read through comes over as a sort of secular hymn to the oppressed and abused. The message is loud and clear - no matter the cruelty, regardless of method and circumstance, the victim will rise up, the slave will overcome adversity.
Little wonder that Nelson Mandela read this poem at his inauguration in 1994, having spent 27 years in prison.
Although written with the black slavery and civil rights issues in mind, Still I Rise is universal in its appeal. Any innocent individual, any minority, any nation subject to oppression or abuse could understand the underlying theme - don't give in to torture, bullying, humiliation and injustice.
There are 43 lines in total made up of 7 quatrains and 2 end stanzas which help reinforce the theme of individual hope, 'I Rise' being repeated in mantra fashion.
This is a poem aimed at the oppressor. Note the first 'You' in the first line and the rhyme scheme abcb, which tightly knits the stanza together. It's worth going through the rhyme's effect because the full rhymes such as eyes/cries, hard/backyard, surprise/thighs continue up to the last two stanzas when the scheme changes from abcb to abcc and aabb, giving an absolute solid ending to the piece.
If this poem were a sculpture it would have a granite plinth to stand on. And the natural imagery is far reaching and the voice loud. There are moons and suns, tides and black ocean; there's clear daybreak and ancestral gifts, all joining together in a crescendo of hope.
Similes and metaphor abound. Every stanza has at least one, from the first ...'But still, like dust, I'll rise.' to the last...'I am the dream and the hope of the slave.'
There's a defiance in the poem as you read through, as if the speaker is trying to prick the conscience of the oppressor, by reminding them of past wrongs and present realities. The word sassiness suggests an arrogant self-confidence, backed up by the use of haughtiness, and sexiness. The poet's use of hyperbole with these three nouns adds a kind of absurd beauty.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as some surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Stanza 6 brings the oppressive issue to a climax so to speak. Three lines begin with 'You', the speaker choosing particularly active verbs - shoot, cut, kill - to emphasise the aggression. But all to no avail for the oppressed will still rise, this time like air, an element which you cannot shoot, cut or kill.
All in all, an inspirational poem with powerful repetitive energy, a universal message and a clear, positive pulse throughout.