“Still I Rise” By: Maya Angelou Published: 1978
Maya Angelou was woman of many talents. She is best known for her bold poetry but was also a singer and civil rights activist. Born on April 4th, 1928, she faced many hardships as a black woman in the mid-twentieth century. Her writing was an outlet for her to voice her struggles and shed light on the intense racism and bigotry that existed during her lifetime. One of her poems titled “Still I Rise” describes her fight for equality and her determination to not let anything or anyone hinder that fight. Throughout the poem Angelou asks frequent rhetorical questions in each stanza that emphasize the ridiculous and ludicrous nature of the racist white people she sees in her everyday life. She further reiterates her strength by basically saying that anyone who views her as less of a person due to her gender and color of her skin do not bother her in the slightest because they are not worth a second thought. She uses “You may” statements in order to convey that they can be hurtful towards her because she has all the power. She will not let the negativity of people who are irrelevant ruin her day.
“Still I Rise” is a heart filled poem that speaks out about racism. It not only portrays how she is viewed as a black woman but how she handles being viewed in a negative light because of things she cannot control such as her race and gender. In the first stanza Angelou writes “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”. There is so much power in just the first stanza as she is able to clearly portray her resistance against people trying to tear her and the black community down through lies and false allegations. When she writes that she will be “like dust” and “rise” she alludes that not only does the racism and sexism she experiences in daily life not affect her, but in fact makes her stronger as it makes her resist even more. In the fourth stanza Angelou asks “Do you want to see me broken? / Bowed head and lowered eyes?” She is mocking racists as she asks rhetorically what they are even trying to accomplish by treating her this way and makes it clear that she will not show them any form of gain by acting this way. This poem not only shows how Angelou deals with the discrimination she faces in daily life but also depicts to anyone else in a similar situation that the ignorance of other people should not affect you as they should not be relevant in your life if they are treating you this way.
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