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| Still I Rise by Maya Angelou | Summary and Question Answers |
1. How does the narrator reflect the history through the present poem?
The narrator reflects the history by saying that history is written by the people in⅞ power. They write what they like. So whatever written in history may not be true. These may be lie. Regarding the poem, the poet says that history has written so many lies regarding black community. They have demoralized and oppressed the truth of the black people.
2. Why does the narrator laugh at the voices?
The narrative laugh at the voices to show that even if she is opressed, she isn't broken from within, she hasn't given up. She has still that strength to cope up with all the difficulty to come forward to rise up to get what she deserves.
3. Where does she rise from? Describe.
She will rise from the dirt like a dust she will rise like a hope, like air, like a morning after night. Just like dust rises from the dirt, she will rise every time no matter whenever the so called white people try to oppress her in dirt or in bad situation.
4. How does she rise? Justify.
Just like dust rises from the dirt, just like air rises no matter how much one tries to keep it still, just like fine morning rises after the dark night, she also rises like dust, air, hope and morning. She rises like the Tides of the moon or rays of the sun with hopes for the slaves and dreams of the ancestors. Though there are many friends to stop her beauty and existence she rises with hope and optimism.
5. What type of change does the narrator want in society?
The narrator wants her society to be free from all kinds of discrimination, all kind of oppression, misery etc. She wants everyone to be free from all kinds of hindrances. She wants equality in her society. She wants justice for her community and ancestors who suffered a lot due to discrimination.
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6. What is the rhyming pattern of the poem? Illustrate.
The rhyming pattern of the poem 'Still I Rise' is that the first 7 stanzas follow a rhyming pattern of abcb, the eigth: ababcc, and the ninth: ababccbbb. It is a 9 stanza poem that is separated into uneven sets of Lines.
7. What are the comparisons made by the poet in the poem? What figures of speech are used for it?
Angelou in this poem makes so many comparisons. For example she compares herself with dust, air, hope, morning etc. and says that just like dust Rises from the dirt, she will rise. Just like air rises from the Earth, she will rise. Just like morning rises from the dark nights, she will rise like morning. And just like hope rises from one's mind she will rise. To make these comparisons the poet uses similes and metaphors throughout the poem. For example lines in the poem like "But still like air, I will rise" "But still, like dust, I will rise" "Just like moons and like Suns", "I laugh like I have got gold mines" etc. makes the use of simile.
Similarly lines in the poem like "you may trod me in the very dirt" , "you may shoot me with your words", "you may kill me with your eyes etc. make the use of metaphor.
8. Explain these lines in reference to the poem:
Just like moons and like Suns
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Maya Angelo in her poem says that no matter how much she will be oppressed by white people, she will not give up and she will still rise again and again. In this above mentioned lines she says just like the moons and suns keep on rising, just like Tides keep on moving forward, just like hopes always rises up She will also rise and move forward.
