maya Angelou poems

1. MAYA ANGELOU
POEMS

3. WHEN I THINK
ABOUT MYSELF

4. IMAGERY
The poem paints an image of a
stand still world. Though the slaves
toil they are still treated like they
are worthless. “ a dance that’s
walked” it creates the image of a
person working hard but never
able to truly display their potential.
The second stanza creates the
image of a proud yet broken
woman. Though older than a child
she is subject to one. The woman
thogh relying on the money cant
however complain but still she
stands tall.

5. FIGURES OF SPEECH
Irony/ oxymoron/ paradox
This poem mainly consist of ___
to show the ironocity of life
furthermore it reflects on slavery
and oppression. Her life is so
ironic and humorous but sad
simultaneously. Meaning her
situations are so dire, that the
only way she can cope is by
laughing. Reflecting on her life it’s
funny how slavery existed and
how she ended up in this position
but reflecting brings no answer
that all she could ever do is laugh
until she cries/die.
‘a song that spokes’ reflects on
freedom. Freedom is existing and
being built however it will never
experience its true potential

6. SYMBOLISM
Slavery and its effects and how the works of black people are disregarded.
Historically people of color are known for the start of various inventions but were never recognized.
They grow the fruit but eat the rind
This means that they work toil and labor but only receive the scraps in the end. however, there was
nothing much they could do about it because they needed the money to survive.

7. MOTIF

8. DICTION
• The poem is rhythmic reflecting the sense of humor and laughter she exhibits
due to her life being a joke. It also has irregular lineation highlighting the irony
of life.

9. RHYM AND RHYTHM
• Theres a rhym a b c d c c e in the first two stanzas but it changes in the last
stanza to a a b c a b e . We notice that in the first two stanzas the first 3 lines
complement the 2nd 3 lines and the last line is a reiteration .
• This gives the poem a song like effect and sonnet. However it doesn’t meet the
ideal requirements for a sonnet further highlighting how “humours” her life is.
(ask miss)

10. CRITIQUES

11. THE CALLING OF
NAMES

12. IMAGERY
Maya Angelou creates imagery of the progression of racial wars throughout
history and how it served as a unifying factor for the oppressed societal
groups. she also highlights unity through painting the image of different races
joining in unison in stanza two. In the las stanza she uses imagery of changing
seasons which represent the change in racial targets throughout history. These
two stanzas came together to paint the image of an uprising and reclamation
of power.

13. FIGURES OF SPEECH
Metonym/syndoche
“were o.k colors to call him” and “he
changed his seasons”
The he in this line is used to represent
all the oppressed groups, that one
man can represent a larger scale of
society. Even though they are all
human they are differentiated by race.
The he is used to unite them under
racial oppression as they were all
victims of it.

14. FIGURES OF SPEECH
Smilie and metaphor
“ he was a bouquet of roses he
changed his seasons like an
almanac”
Bouquet of roses contain
different roses plucked together
and gifted to someone., like
was the he spoken of isn’t just
one but many persons many
races gifted the gift of racial
oppression, mass murder and
slavery. This was also
represented by his changing
seasons because, even though
they started with African
americans the next significant
period in society was the war
with the Japanese followed by
the holocaust.

15. SYMBOLISM
Racial epithets
The racial epithets are symbolic of the transitions of racial wars throughout history.
The first greatest moment in history was the enslavement. Nigger was a derogatory used to address the African
slaves, however due to abolishment and revolutions , it transitioned to the word negro. This was different only by the
capitalization of the word. It symbolized though a huge disrespect the revolution of African American history.
The other biggest racial struggle was the holocaust. The word Yiddish mama is symbolic because it’s the Jewish word
for mother of love. She symbolized love for all regardless of race and discrimination. She sings because of the victory
and unison these races faced.

16. MOTIF

17. DICTION
This poem mainly focuses on This poem’s
use of diction served importance in
revealing the theme of race and racial
identity .
Angelou's use of language, explains the
progress of racial epiths throughout history.
Initially persons of color were referred to as
nigger however as time progressed, they
were refred to as “negro” in caps. She
sarcastically says hey baby watch my smoke
because, even though negro was still
derogatory, it was an upgrade from nigger.
They were named in the history books and
a mocking form of acknowledgement.

18. RHYM AND
RHYTHM
• The poem has a rhyming patter a b c b d .
The non rhyming segments reflect the
situation and change but the rhymes
signifying the persons targeted and the
extent of racial oppression and shock.

19. LINIATION AND
FORM
• The lines run in a slope symbolic
of oppression and uprising. The
first three stanzas slant
downwards showing the gradual
oppression and changes
throughout history. However, the
last stanza slants right to left
symbolizing a reclamation of
power “ niggauh I aint playin this
time”

20. CONTEXT
• This poem is from the historical
context of racial wars and oppression.
It speaks to the larger meaning of
racial enslavement. It represent that
once you are different or oppose
popular opinion you are labeled and
demanded lesser than. It speaks to
the scrutiny various races suffer but
guised as respect /microaggressions.

21. TITLE
OF
POEM
• The poem titles is reflective of the
context of the poem. It speaks on
the various slurs hurled at people
of color and different religions.

22. CRITIQUES

23. ALONE

24. IMAGERY
• Maya Angelou builds the image of a society searching for me and the
importance of companionship. Through images of water not thirsting and a
bread loaf isn’t a stone the readers can Invision the happiness of life if we
weren’t alone. This religious imagery references that man cant live on bread
alone and if he does he would die, likewise we cant survive alone. Tis leads
to the image of current day life, she also builds the image of persons
suffering because of loneliness “hear their moans and storm clouds rolling
in”

25. FIGURES OF SPEECH
Metaphors and Similes
“To cure their hearts of stone” (metaphor) – The wealthy people are so deeply isolated and disconnected from human emotion that they are
incapable of feeling anything. For this reason, doctors cannot cure them of their depression.
“And bread loaf is not stone” (metaphor) – The speaker lacks spiritual nourishment. The bread loaf is a Biblical allusion, suggesting that the
speaker is deprived of religious comfort as well.
Their wives run round like banshees” (simile) – In Irish folklore, banshees are female spirits who wail about impending death. The wives of
millionaires are presumably spending their fortune constantly and filling their days with useless activities until one day they die. The wives’
behaviors and feelings mirror the alarm and anxiety of a wailing spirit expecting death. Their souls are slowly dying, as their money cannot buy
them happiness

26. FIGURES OF SPEECH
Assonance and alliteration:
The use of assonance contributes to the tone;
the speaker uses long o’s throughout the
poem, though primarily in the first stanza: “my
soul a home,” “loaf is not stone,” and “alone.”
The long o’s create an increasingly bleak,
pessimistic tone as they make the readers slow
down and focus on the diction.
Nobody, but nobody” (alliteration) – While the
word “nobody” is technically repeated, the “n”
consonant sound is also an example of
alliteration. The “n” sound gives emphasis to
the negativity and emptiness of the word (as
the word “no” is contained within “nobody”).
“Now if you listen closely” (alliteration) – The
“s” consonant sound is repeated in “listen”
and “closely.” The “s” sound makes one think
of the word “secret,” as if the speaker is about
to tell a secret. It creates a mysterious tone.

27. SYMBOLISM
Religious Maya Angelou makes reference to biblical quotes and symbols in the first
stanza of the poem. “the soul” is significant as it represents the entire
human entity, without a soul we are lifeless and therefore we should take
extra care to care for it. The biblical quotes also serve to highlight
togetherness as they make reference to bonding with God. Those who
drinks God’s water will never thirst, meaning those who love serve and live
with God shall never feel alone.

28. MOTIF
• The title of the poem is the first
indication of the motif of
loneliness. Throughout the
poem, the speaker uses
repetition to emphasize her own
loneliness and the idea that
others are suffering just like her.

29. DICTION
• The poem shows descriptive
diction having all devices at
work. However, the tone is
somewhat agonizing and tragic.

30. RHYM AND RHYTHM
Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not
contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse
poem with no strict rhyme or meter. There are
examples of rhyme in each stanza, such as “stone” and
“alone” in stanza one, “use” and “blues” in stanza
three, and “know” and “blow” in stanza five. In
addition, the refrain follows an A-B-A meter. Every
other stanza is repeated.
A rhyme usually creates a partnership with two words
that sound similar. The fact that the poem rhymes in
rare and random times help to show the readers how
hard it is to find a companion, a partnership.

31. CONTEXT
• The poem centers on a depressed person who wants to eradicate
the shadows of loneliness from her life. It begins when the speaker
is alone in her bed, thinking about the ways to kill her boredom.
After taking a look at her surroundings, she concludes that nobody
in this world can survive alone. She echoes the same idea in the
second stanza to emphasize that humans are not made to live lonely
lives. As the poem continues, she talks about millionaires who can’t
use their wealth to please themselves. Instead, their family utilizes
their wealth to fulfill their desires. Resultantly, these millionaires are
commonly found at doctor’s clinics complaining about depression,
anxiety, and suffering. According to the speaker, even the expensive
doctors fail to cure their illnesses. To her, the modern world has
stolen the eternal joy from the world. People have started
neglecting their fellow human beings, and that is why generations
are suffering. To support her point, she propagates the same idea
that humans are not meant to live alone in this world.

32. TITLE OF POEM
• This poem is about realizing that
no matter who you are, or
where you come from, or how
much money you have, you
need other human beings to
survive in this world. In life you
need people who love you and
help you through hardships. It
highlights togetherness by
placing emphasis on being alone

33. CRITIQUES

34. CHICKEN-LICKEN

35. IMAGERY
The poem chicken licken paints a
psychological picture of the relations
between the house and the mind. After
experiencing intense trauma the mind
tends to shut in on itself, similar to the way
we lock our house to evade danger.
She also paints the picture of isolation and
the effects as it is similar to dying on the
inside.

36. FIGURES OF SPEECH
Metaphors
The entire poem is metaphorical is it compares the mind of the persona to a
house. A house is a symbol for the human mind and just as she locks her
door, she locks her mind to shield herself from the horrors of the world.

37. SYMBOLISM
Homes and building The entire poem is symbol for the effects of
trauma on a person. She locks her door and her
mind to shield herself from the fears of the
outside world
The “building’ they raised symbolized to walls of
the persona and as she now opens to the idea of
people parking in her mind they notice she suffers
the ability to open up and build connections with
others

38. DICTION
• The use of simple straight forward
language highlights how repelled
she is to life and people in general.
She’s explaining why she is the way
she is and it’s reflected in her
speech.

39. RHYM AND RHYTHM
• The poem is free verse with no rhyming scheme. This also reflects how shun
away she is, speaking with no emotion.

40. CONTEXT
• This poem is written from the perspective of someone who experienced
something detrimentally traumatizing. This caused them to close off
themselves from the world and be trapped in their minds as it was their only
safe haven.

41. TITLE OF POEM
Chicken-licken is a traditional fable of a chicken
that believes the sky is falling after an acorn fell.
Similarly, the persona believes that it’s the end
of the world due to the experiences had.
However, after some time she came to the
realization that the world isn’t so gloomy and
attempts to open herself to new experiences

42. STILL I RISE

43. IMAGERY
This poem is filled with vivid imagery. To begin with, there is visual
imagery in the very beginning. Through this line, “But still, like dust, I’ll
rise.” So, here the image of “dust” helps the speaker to make her point.
According to her, none can control the dust when the revolutionary wind
arrives. Likewise, she will rise like dust particles and blind those who trod
her before.
The following stanzas contain some more images. For example, readers
can find the image of oil wells pumping oil. The third stanza has images of
the moon, sun, and tides. In this stanza, she depicts the tides that are
springing high. It is compared to “hope”.
There is an image of a black individual who is in extreme distress. This
image represents how they were tortured and made silent by the
unlawful fist. Angelou uses the images of “gold mines” and “diamonds” to
heighten the irony of this piece. Lastly, the “black ocean” unfolds how
powerful the speaker and her people are. Their greatness is like that of
the immensity of the ocean.

44. FIGURES OF SPEECH
METEPHORS
Metaphor occurs in the latter half of "Still I Rise." In
lines 21-23, for instance, the speaker uses
metaphorical language when listing off various
things her oppressor may do to harm her:
You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
The speaker is uses metaphors to emphasize just
how painful it is to be surrounded by racism in
society—how much it hurts to be barraged with
hateful language, stares, and a general feeling of
being despised.
Later, in line 29, the speaker describes "the huts of
history's shame." is really an allusion to slavery. The
institution of slavery is a scar on American history, a
deeply shameful memory out of which the speaker
declares she will "rise."
However, the speaker switches from simile to
metaphor in the last two stanzas. These final stanzas
are also notably a departure from the quatrain form
of the first seven stanzas. Thus, they can be
considered the conclusion of the poem. In the first
example of metaphor, the speaker states that she is
"a black ocean" (line 33). She is no longer simply
"like moons" or "like suns." By the end of the poem,
she is a force of nature—"a black ocean"—in and of
herself.
Similarly, in the second example of metaphor, the
speaker states that she is "the dream and the hope
of the slave" (line 40). She is not just "like" "the
dream and the hope"; she is it. These more definite
assertions are an escalation of the previous similes
and contribute to a satisfying conclusion to the
poem. The speaker's confidence in herself and her
ability to overcome hatred and prejudice are clear.

45. Figurative Language
• Repetition
• in “Still I Rise,” Angelou’s speaker repeats the refrain, “Still I rise” and, “I rise” to convey the power of Black resilience and set a
The repetition of “Still I rise” and “I rise” set up a stark contrast between the hateful actions of the poem’s “you” and the resilient response
the poem’s “you” attempts to keep the speaker down. The “you” addressed by the speaker may “trod [them] in the very dirt,” “shoot [them]
eyes.” These actions are all designed to break the spirit of the speaker. But in response to each of these attempts to oppress them, the
• So whereas the hatred portrayed in the poem is dirty and low, the speaker’s resistance rises high above these kinds of
walks, laughs, and dances, rejecting the lies of those who would oppress them.
The repetition of the phrase, “I rise” is also symbolic: it conveys the ongoing resilience of the spirit of Black people in response to ongoing
“I rise,” the reader gets a sense of just how strong and resilient the speaker is. This repetition emphasizes the speaker’s message that
successful. As the poem’s eighth stanza says, the resilience of Black people is like the ocean:
• 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.
In other words, “rising up” is not something that the speaker and, by extension, Black people, do only once. Because racial
up again and again.

46. Figurative Language
Rhetorical questions
In “Still I Rise,” rhetorical questions appear at the beginning of four of the stanzas. Each rhetorical question in this poem is addressed to the poem’s “you.” Each
question asks about the ways in which the speaker offends the addressee. This technique allows Angelou to investigate why the addressee hates the speaker...which
also allows her to shine a light on the flimsy reasons behind racism as well.
The repetition of these rhetorical questions sets a tone that feels more like an interrogation than a conversation—and this is intentional. Each rhetorical question
directed toward the hateful “you” in the poem serves to condemn their hatefulness, especially when Angelou’s speaker begins answering the questions herself.
Additionally, the speaker answers the rhetorical questions for the reader in order to help readers see the insubstantial motivations behind their hatred of Black
people. Take the question and answer sequence in the poem’s fifth stanza for example:
Ultimately, Angelou uses rhetorical questions to ask the collective “you” addressed in the poem to reflect on their own hatefulness and intolerance. By answering these
questions with declarative statements throughout the poem, Angelou is signaling to the poem’s “you” that Black people aren’t confused about where this hatred
comes from. They understand that Black people’s refusal to give up in the face of ongoing lies and cut downs only makes those who are filled with hate even angrier.
In fact, these rhetorical questions, piled up one after the other in the poem, convey an attitude of defiance. They prompt the poem’s “you” to essentially ask
themselves, “Did you really think your hatred could keep us down?” Nevertheless, by stating the violence against Black people with each rhetorical question and
communicating a resilient response to each cut down in her answers, Angelou emphasizes just how strong Black people are.

47. FIGURITIVE LANGUAGE
Parallelism
Closely related to the speaker’s use of repetition is her use of parallelism. Parallelism is a rhetorical technique that coordinates separate ideas through the
repetition of similar wording or phrasing. The mere repetition of words and phrases can produce any number of effects. By contrast, parallelism
specifically helps to bring a sense of order and balance to the arrangement of ideas. Such a sense of order and balance helps demonstrate the relations
between ideas, which in turn can have a persuasive effect. For one example, consider the poem’s third stanza (lines 9–12):
Just like moon and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
This passage creates a parallel structure through the repetition of the phrase “Just like.” This phrase opens two sequential dependent clauses, establishing
a two-part simile that the speaker resolves with the independent clause in the final line: “Still I rise.” The use of parallel structure in this stanza sets up a
pleasing effect of tension and resolution that helps persuade the reader of the confidence the speaker has in her own resilience.

48. SYMBOLISM
Valuable objects
"[O]il wells," "gold mines," and "diamonds" are all either sources of valuable material or precious objects themselves. All three are highly desired by
human society and/or considered beautiful. In "Still I Rise," these objects and sources of value are symbolically associated with the oppressed and
marginalized speaker, indicating the inherent beauty and value of her body.
In the first instance of this symbol, the speaker compares her "walk" to the walk of someone who owns "oil wells." In the second instance, the speaker
"laugh[s]" as though she owns "gold mines." In the third and final instance of the symbol, the speaker "dance[s]" as though she has "diamonds" on her
body. There is a clear escalation of value as the poem progresses from "oil" to "gold" to "diamonds." As the intimacy of the comparisons increases, from
"walk" and "laugh" to "the meeting of my thighs," the value of the symbols increases. Thus, this escalation of objects and sources of value emphasizes the
value of the speaker's actions and, most of all, her body itself. Therefore, however society may humiliate and look down upon the actions and bodies of
oppressed people, they are just as beautiful and worthy as anyone else.

49. Lines
Where this symbol appears in the poem:Lines 7-8: “I
walk like I've got oil wells / Pumping in my living room”
Lines 19-20: “I laugh like I've got gold mines / Diggin’ in
my own backyard”
Lines 27-28: “I dance like I've got diamonds / At the
meeting of my thighs”

50. SYMBOLISM
The Ocean The ocean is a powerful force
of nature, with regular and
inevitable tides. It contains a
turbulence of waves without
breaking apart. Furthermore,
the waves may fall, but will
always rise again. In "Still I
Rise," the ocean symbolizes the
speaker's power, which is a
force of its own that cannot be
inhibited by human efforts.
The speaker's rise above
oppression and prejudice is as
"certain[]" as the "tides." The
tides, just like the speaker, may
fall or, in the speaker's case, be
crushed by the oppressor.
However, this fall is only
temporary. It is "certain" that
the tides, and thus the speaker,
will rise again.
Near the end of the poem, the
speaker, presumed to be a
black woman, declares she is a
"black ocean" and highlights its
scale and properties. This
ocean rises to great heights
("leaping") and covers vast
distances ("wide"). Moreover,
it is not any ocean. Rather, this
ocean, a metaphor for the
speaker's power, is "black."
Thus, the speaker's blackness is
not a detriment to her power,
but a part of it.
The ocean also becomes more
immense and powerful
("welling and swelling") as it
brings in the tide upon the
shore. When the tide is
brought in upon the shore, it is
a rising tide. Thus, the speaker,
like the ocean, only grows
more powerful as she rises. The
poem uses the ocean to
represent the speaker's power
inherent in her blackness and
the inevitability of her rise
above oppression.

51. Lines
• Line 10: “the certainty of tides”
• Lines 33-34: “I'm a black ocean, leaping and
wide, / Welling and swelling I bear in the
tide.”

52. Motif
The phrase “I rise” appears many
times in the poem, repeatedly
communicating the speaker’s
strength and resilience. It also
references her capacity to transcend
historical trauma and societal
oppression. Although the refrain “I
rise” repeats throughout the whole
poem, its presence grows especially
pronounced near the end. In the
final two stanzas, the refrain takes on
a life of its own, disrupting the
quatrain form of the previous stanzas
by inserting itself between the
longer lines. Consider the poem’s
eighth stanza, where the disruption
begins (lines 29–34):
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.
The insertion of the repeating phrase
“I rise” breaks up the standard
quatrain form of the poem’s other
stanzas. These insertions create the
suggestion that the speaker herself is
breaking through the limiting
expectations society has placed on
her. The disruption to the quatrain
form becomes even more radical in
the ninth and final stanza. There, the
speaker inserts “I rise” after the first
and second lines of the quatrain. She
also adds three additional iterations
of the phrase after the final line of
the quatrain: “I rise / I rise / I rise”
(lines 41–43). This repetition
functions as a kind of mantra for the
speaker, powerfully affirming her
strength and resilience.

53. MOTIF
Natural Resources
At several points in the poem, the speaker references valuable natural resources as a way of proclaiming her own sense of self-worth. In particular, the speaker
mentions oil, gold, and diamonds, and she does so in moments of especially potent defiance. In the second stanza (lines 6–8), for instance, the speaker begins by
confronting “you” with her “sassiness,” then she asks:
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
The speaker describes how she struts with a sense of pride and power that could be associated with the kind of wealth generated by oil. If she has “oil wells / Pumping
in [her] living room,” that means she has her own source of wealth and doesn’t need to rely on her oppressive society to develop a sense of self-worth. It is because
she insists on her intrinsic value that the “you” she addresses is distraught. The speaker makes a similar point when, in the fifth stanza, she claims that she’s “got gold
mines / Diggin’ in [her] own backyard” (lines 19–20), and when, in the seventh stanza, she says she’s “got diamonds / At the meeting of [her] thighs” (lines 27–28). In
each case, she rejects external sources of value and celebrates her own self-worth.

54. DICTION
Angelou constructs "Still I
Rise" utilizing informal
diction as a means of
linking to the history of her
ancestors and showing the
innate power through the
connection. Near the end
of the poem, the speaker
of this poem (presumably
Angelou speaking as
herself) powerfully states
that she has risen "out of
the huts of history's
shame." She is referringto
the enslavement of her
ancestors in America; as
such, she connects to the
ways her ancestors were
oppressed. Slaves were
almost always kept
intentionally illiteratewith
most slave owners fearful
of the power of slave
literacy. In order to
connect with this idea of
oppression, Angelou crafts
diction that relies on
informal, casual wording
and phrasing such as 'cause
and diggin'. Her powerful
metaphors utilize common
comparisons that would
have been understandable
to any slave: dust, air, and
backyard.
The diction in the following
stanza also connects to the
common fears and horrors
of her ancestors:
You may shoot me with
your words,
You may cut me with your
eyes,
You may kill me with your
hatefulness,
The phrasing here
intentionally reflects the
experience of her
ancestors. Yet she shows
that they survived so that
she could survive. Because
of their strength, she has
been gifted with equal
strength.
The speaker is notably
strong, yet she also
conveys the attitude of a
powerfully confident
woman in this stanza:
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?
The diction of the poem
continually points the
reader to the history
behind the speaker, one
that provides ongoing
strength to overcome any
obstacle, just as her
ancestors have done
before her. As such, the
speaker is confidently "the
dream and the hope of the
slave" and will continue to
"rise" over all adversity.

55. RHYM AND RHYTHM
• The rhyme scheme of "Still I Rise" works a lot like the poem's form; shifts in the rhyme scheme indicate shifts in tone
and content.
The rhyme scheme within the first seven quatrains establishes an initial pattern. The first and third lines are unrhymed,
while the second- and fourth-lines rhyme. The overall rhyme scheme of the quatrains is thus:
ABCB
The most common rhyme (the B rhyme) is based on the long /i/ sound. This rhyme includes, significantly, the word "rise."
As the idea of rising above oppression is the overarching message of the poem, each B rhyme is an evocation of this
central idea and is carried throughout the poem.
• The final two stanzas, however, subvert previously established patterns of both form and rhyme scheme. This shift in
pattern indicates shifts in content and tone.
In these last two stanzas, the speaker no longer directly addresses or engages in dialogue with her oppressor. Instead,
these last two stanzas are stand-alone assertions of the speaker's power and transformative rise. Furthermore, this
subversion of the established rhyme scheme, in defiance of readers' expectations, is an interesting echo of
the speaker's subversion of her oppressor's expectations.

56. LINIATION AND FORM
• "Still I Rise" is composed of three different types of stanzas:
1. 7 rhymed quatrains
2. 1 sestet
3. 1 nine-line stanza
• The poem begins with seven rhymed quatrains (four-line stanzas) that introduce the antagonistic relationship between the speaker and
the "you" figure. These quatrains make it clear that the "you" hopes to oppress the speaker. The speaker, however, remains defiant by living
with joy and rising above hatred and prejudice.
As the poem progresses, the form shifts from quatrains to a sestet, or six-line stanza. Thus, just as the speaker subverts her oppressor's
expectations by rising despite his oppression and hatred, so too does the poem subverts readers' expectations of the form. The shift in form
also indicates a tonal shift. The speaker no longer addresses her oppressor in a tongue-in-cheek dialogue. Instead, the sestet is comprised of
assertions of her own power that stand alone. These assertions are filled with solemnity and confidence.
• The last stanza shifts again from a sestet to a nine-line stanza. The first six lines of this last stanza are a structural echo of the previous
stanza in form and rhyme scheme. However, this last stanza has an additional three lines, all of which consist solely of the phrase "I rise."
The use of repetition and epizeuxis in these last three lines highlight the importance of the phrase and affirm it as the poem's refrain.
There is a resounding triumph in the speaker's declaration of her rise.
The clear progression of shifts in form and tone provide contributes to readers' satisfaction in their experience of the poem. The ending tone
of triumph, toward which the form of the poem builds, is a message of hope for oppressed and marginalized people.

57. CONTEXT
• Historical Context
Angelou wrote "Still I Rise" in the decade following the American Civil Rights movement.
This movement was focused on achieving equality for black people and other people of
color in the United States. During this time, activists were able to successfully achieve
landmark legislation and judicial rulings, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• Angelou herself was a passionate Civil Rights activist and in fact worked for Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The assassination of Dr.
King, one of the most prominent and inspirational leaders of the movement, in 1968 was
a terrible loss to the black community and the movement as a whole. Of course, the fight
for equality did not end there.
Angelou wrote this poem in the late 1970s, during the Post-Civil Rights Movement Era—
though, of course, racism continued to persist long past the movement's end. The black
feminist movement had also found strength by this time, fueled by disappointment within
the broader Civil Rights and feminist movements.

58. TITLE OF POEM
This poem is not only a proclamation of her own determination to fight oppression and rise
above society, but also a call to others that they should do the same. She saw the effects
slavery had on society and the African American people and used her strength, through
words and actions, to fight back.
Still I Rise” is primarily about self-respect and confidence. In the poem, Angelou reveals
how she will overcome anything through her self-esteem. She shows how nothing can get
her down. She will rise to any occasion and nothing, not even her skin color, will hold her
back.
Resilience. This poem is about racial legacy, struggle, and overcoming obstacles. Angelou
talks about being born in oppression and how she never gave up and stood resilient against
her oppressors. The frequent use of the words "I'll rise" show her determination and
resilience.

59. CRITIQUES
• Objectifying Intuitive Response in Stylistic Analysis:
A Study of Maya Angelou's “Still I Rise”