Maya Angelou Metaphors

In the Declaration of Independence it is stated, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" (Declaration). With this being said, people have no right to ridicule and judge others for their gender or their race because everyone is equal. "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou is a powerful poem that beautifully puts together how prejudice people continue to put down others, but through it all they still continue to fight back. Maya Angelou uses similes, metaphors, rhetorical questions, and repetition to inspire women and African Americans.
Maya Angelou uses similes throughout the majority

One of the only metaphors in the poem is of her comparing herself to an ocean. In the eighth stanza she writes, "I 'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide"(Angelou, Lines 33, 34). The same author quoted above also has found why they believe Maya Angelou has made the poem itself into a metaphor for the narrators life. She has said that, "To the narrator, the poem metaphorically describes her strength to always survive the battle against people 's criticism of her and her ancestors" (Sangeetha). Jennifer Bouchard gives her opinion of why she believes Maya Angelou uses similes and metaphors in her poem. Her opinion is, "Angelou also incorporates anaphora, similes and metaphors throughout the poem to illustrate the resilience of the speaker regardless of what befalls her"

Although the repetition of the literary devices listed above are important to the poem, they are not as important as the phrase "I rise". The phrase "I rise" being repeated obviously has some importance considering it is in the title. In every stanza that "I rise" is used, Maya Angelou describes different ways that she will rise up. She describes that she will rise like dust, hopes springing high, and like air. In the last stanza of the poem "I rise" is repeated five times. The last three times are repeated consecutively to leave a greater impact just as Jennifer Bouchard agrees. Proof of her agreement is stated here, "The break from routine and the growing length of the stanzas achieves the effect of the speaker rising out of the poem and give her final words more weight and greater impact on the reader" (Bouchard). It is a beautiful way to end a strong and powerful poem that Angelou has created.
Maya Angelou has written many poems that have been impactful to not only women and African Americans, but to all people. Her poems and books are an inspiration to everyone. Sangeetha perfectly sums up this poem specifically by saying, "Maya Angelou has combined several poetic devices in the poem 'Still I Rise ' to paint a vivid picture of endurance, hope, and strength" (Sangeetha). Although Maya Angelou 's most famous poems were written years ago, they continue to be a reminder to be confident in all situations. Also the poems serve as a reminder of history and of the