The 1978 poem, Still I Rise by Maya Angelou presents a defensive speaker, implied to be a black woman, in her face of abuse. This stirring poem is filled with figurative language. The message was overall discussing the resilience and strength that black communities are continuously showing through discrimination.

Starring off in the first stanza, Maya states “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”. Readers can tell that the speaker is angry. She feels that her family and community are provoked in history and that in ger generation is being associated with the things and events that occurred in the past, there seems to be no effort to grow from what

happened in history. Angelou is challenging people who are mistreating the black community and no matter what they do, she will continue to rise. The symbolism of “like dust, I’ll rise” correlates to how the dust will always continue to go up into the air due to gravity and its weight nothing can push it down. Maya uses this reference to compare to how words will not push her down and she will continue to stand up for herself and her community.

Moving onto the next stanza, Angelou continues with, “Does my sassiness upset you?/Why are you beset with gloom?/’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells/Pumping in my living room”. The simply asked question, “Does my sassiness upset you?”, conveys that her bold attitude makes the so what called “bullies” upset because she is standing up for herself and is not letting them speak over her. She is asking questions and is confused by the oppressor’s mood. However, the tone she is using is somewhat more sarcastic than naive. She is almost mocking them by portraying how her empowerment and positive movement are embarrassing for the people mistreating the black community.
She then continues with “Just like moons and like suns,/ With the certainty of tides,/ Just like hopes springing high,/ Still I’ll rise”. In this stanza, she compared how the sun and moon are affected by tides in the ocean. This allows readers to see how Maya has no choice but to rise. In the case of the sun and moon, they continue to rise every day and night, so this references how she can’t be pushed down. As much as a society might try to push her down, she continues to stand against people, just as it is the nature of the tides to react to the moon. The speaker can not be stopped.

In stanza 4, she says, “Did you want to see me broken?/ Bowed head and lowered eyes?/ Shoulders falling down like teardrops,/Weakened by my soulful cries?” Here, the poet asks what people wish they could see happen. Readers can hear the disappointed tone she has because is asking if people want to see her in pain and that their words are breaking her down. This stanza illustrated the devastating reality that our society goes through with weakened bodies and cries from deep down where it hurts. You can see that society wants Maya to feel weak and broken just through her tone and the disappointment she has.

Continuing on, in stanza 5, Maya claims, “Does my haughtiness offend you?/Don’t you take it awful hard/’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines/Diggin’ in my own backyard”. Readers can see that the poet’s tone starts to pick up as the speaker becomes more confident and has a proud attitude. Then the speaker using “you” and pointing fingers at the enemies in a sarcastic tone, describes the dissatisfaction of people seeing her and the black community and how she still continues to stand up for herself. She then makes a reference to money, but to the way she is happy and she has “gold mines” in her backyard.

Further on, in stanza six, she states, “You may shoot me with your words,/You may cut me with your eyes,/ You may kill me with your hatefulness,/ But still, like air, I’ll rise.” She uses references about how it does get to her and their words do hurt, but she still continues to rise up from it and not get it to define her. The metaphors are very vivid and suggest a lot of violence without actually saying what is happening. The poet expresses a variety of actions that the oppressor makes and she continues to stand up and resist. Words like “shoot”, “cuts” “killing” drag on the negative connotation that these words have on her, but she will still win at the end. Maya is so determined and has so much power that the deadly feeling inside her from all the hateful comments can not harm her. They may affect her emotionally or maybe even physically, but they won’t kill her spirit and compassion.

The speaker continues by questioning, “Does my sexiness upset you?/ Does it come as a surprise/That I dance like I’ve got diamonds/At the meeting of my thighs?” This does not appear to address race whatsoever. It actually focuses more on the speaker as a sensual person. In the first like she asks if her “sexiness” upsets the enemies. This implies that the speaker one is a woman, and is taunting. She taunts him with a dance which suggests how dancing is a form of feeling free and having a carefree spirit, as well as her beauty and sexuality having a perk. The poet is very much aware and knows that she has these qualities and how it makes the oppressor uncomfortable. Again there is another form of wealth when she says “diamonds at the meeting of her thighs”. These “diamonds represent the value and wealth that she has in her spirit.

In the second to last stanza, she reads, “Out of the huts of history’s shame/I rise/ Up from a past that’s rooted in pain/ I rise/ I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,/ Welling and swelling I bear in the tide”. This portrays lots of imagry with the idea of “out of the huts of history’s shame” referencing huts as in where slaves used to live. She is conveying the sad place but along with how huts are a way of highlighting one being enclosed in a small space. But figuratively speaking, these huts claim a house of history, suggesting slavery. She then continues with a transition from slavery to segregation. She uses herself as a symbol of the “black ocean” referencing her race and nature. The “leaping and wide” goes back to the dance reference in the stanza before, and conveys the free and careless feeling. Then she brings uprising about her struggles and “bearing” in the tide. She will not let herself get knocked down by the people that discriminate against her.

Finally, ending with “Leaving behind nights of terror and fear/ I rise/ Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear/ I rise/ Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,/ I am the dream and the hope of the slave./ I rise/ I rise/I rise. The speaker is explaining how she is moving on from the past and leaving the “nights of terror and fear” behind. This image reflects many events such as from slaves living in fear and being tortured pretty much their whole life, to slaves who tried to escape. When “daybreak” comes, the poet says she finds it “wondrously clear” highlighting an image of clarity in life. She has hope for the future after all of the pain and terrifying experiences. Then the “gifts that her ancestors gave” conveys strength and determination. She does not want to drag on the pain of her ancestors and inherit the emotions they lived with. She wants to inherit the power that will be carried onto others. Saying she is the “dream and the hope slave” correlates to how people in the past wanted and dreamed to have the type of freedom that she has. Finally, the phrase “I rise” that continues to repeat has such a powerful meaning to it. The repetition fits into the poem very well. The repeated words are an affirmation of what the poet’s intentions are.