Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
The poem, Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou is about rising over oppression and “leaving behind nights of terror and fear”. This poem is about both an African Americans journey and rising above oppression. It is about the past and the present. Still I rise is about how African Americans were horribly brutalized, “the huts of history’s shame” but also how Maya Angelou rose above that.
The Metaphor “out of the huts of history’s shame, I’ll rise” describes the huts that slaves were made to live in. It also shows that Maya Angelou is overcoming her past by rising above it. This quote shows that Maya Angelou still remembers her past but is not letting it drag her down. The significance of this quote is it’s relevance, many slaves lived in these huts, they were terrible places, but the memory of them should not hold people back, they need to rise above “history’s shame”. When the audience reads this quote it relates directly back to those who have been held back by “history’s shame” and inspires them to rise up.
The metaphor “bringing the gifts my ancestors gave” shows that no one should forget their past. The gifts that her ancestors gave are not material gifts but cultural ones. They are the strength that Maya Angelou’s ancestors needed in order to survive. The significance of this quote is what it says about Maya Angelou and what Maya Angelou is trying to say to the audience. This metaphor show that Maya Angelou has taken the learning, wisdom and strengths from her ancestors and used them to help her “rise”. This quote is also important because she is trying to tell the audience to rise as well. To move forward but not forget past learning.
The Simile “but still, like air, I’ll rise” describes the ease with which Angelou can rise. It is saying that no matter how many times she “is trod in the very dirt” she can rise as easily as air with no effort at all. This is significant to the poem because it shows a massive part of Angelou: her resilience. This simile complements the repetition of “still I rise” because it shows that she isn’t just rising but rising up above others, floating above her oppressors like air in the atmosphere. This simile relates to the audience because of it’s message, it is trying to tell people to always overcome their challenges.
I really like this poem because of the reasons why Angelou wrote it. Maya Angelou wrote Still I Rise to depict her life, show her feelings and to show other peoples attitude towards her, ‘does my haughtiness offend you, don’t you take it awful hard”. I think that Angelou also wrote Still I Rise to inspire others who are similar to her. There are so many layers to Still I Rise, I find this really interesting. There is an outer layer that is about Angelou being rich and seemingly arrogant, and then there is a deeper layer that is about Angelou but also her ancestors. Angelou is not the only person rising in this poem, I think that the significance of repeating “I rise” 7 times after talking about her ancestors, “bringing the gifts my ancestors gave” and “I am the dream and the hope of the slaves” means that the slaves are literally her enslaved ancestors but also other people in the present who are enslaved by their own fear of not rising up, this is because the quote “I am the hope and the dream of the slaves” is present tense not past tense and slavery was abolished in America 155 years ago.
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