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Maya Angelou Still I Rise Summary

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Society attempts to strip away strength and self love. It judges people based on what is on the outside which weakens them so they are no longer able to fight back. This poem is an attempt to rally the citizens of the world and bring them strength back. In “Still I Rise” Maya Angelou portrays the idea of persevering and discovering self worth through battling the hardships of society’s views. The world is strict in what it believes, if someone chooses to go against its ideals then society will attempt to drag them through the dirt. In the beginning of the poem Angelou makes sure to include emphasis on the harshness that society brings, “Shoulders falling down like teardrops./ Weakened by my soulful cries” (Angelou 15-16). It can cause so much weight on someone's shoulders that it can end with the loss of willpower inside. One has to be strong enough to continue to hold their head up even when being dragged down. The author is showing that even though she faltered at times, things still got to her. She is attempting to portray that through everything she continued to rise from the ashes of society. Denying the hold society has on her, Angelou states, “You may shoot me with your words,/ You may cut me with your eyes” (Angelou 21-22). The world attempts to quiet anything that enters its long dark path. For centuries society has managed to cage ideas and outlaw change. The author, Maya Angelou, uses this as a way to warn the reader. Showing them …show more content…

Throughout the poem Maya Angelou shows her growth when facing the trials that are thrown at her. She becomes both stronger and more confident in herself. She does not rely on society to tell her who she is based on her looks. Instead she realizes that it is more important to focus on her appearance on the inside opposed to the outside. Society no longer defines her, she has found strength in herself instead of allowing the world to label

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279 Words | 2 Pages

If you were told that because of your skin color or your gender you weren’t good enough or you were not seen as privileged. Would you fall and stay on the floor or would you rise despite the hate you got? Maya Angelou does just that and she proves it in a so many ways. Maya Angelou poem, “Still I Rise” displays a variety of pathos a great purpose an amazing message about getting back up, challenged the wrongs, and had an audience that has seen or one day will see all the wrongs in our society.

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1292 Words | 6 Pages

Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 and passed away on May 28, 2014. Throughout her lifetime, Angelou faced obstacles as an African American woman. Her first obstacle occurred when Angelou was eight year old and was raped by her mother’s boyfriend Freeman. After this experience with her mother’s boyfriend, she later on told her brother who then told the family. Freeman faced 1 day in jail for his punishment.

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740 Words | 3 Pages

III. a. Maya Angelou was an avid writer, speaker, activist and teacher. As a result of the many hardships that she suffered while growing up as a poor black woman in the south she has used her own experiences as the subject matter of her written work. In doing this she effectively shows how she was able to overcome her personal obstacles. Her autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970) tells the story of her life and how she overcame and moved forward triumphantly in spite of her circumstances.

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665 Words | 3 Pages

Angelou uses achievement in the poem, saying people all have rock, rivers, and trees in their lives, and that affects people on how they make decisions and how they turn out. She says “Good morning” (Angelou 106). This idea means that people have a new day to do whatever they want, and they can achieve anything they desire. To put it another way, Cady Stanton was the complete opposite from Angelou; She was talking about rights women should have , also how men have affected that. A good quote to explain this is, “Man has made a women an irresponsible moral being” (Stanton 113).

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1310 Words | 6 Pages

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style" (Angelou 12). These quoted words came from a strong, wise minded, African American woman whose legacy still lives on. In this essay you will understand a lot about Maya Angelou's early life on how she became famous, her careers, how many awards she has received, and also how her legacy continues to have an impact on people. Maya was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928 (Angelou 8). During Maya's growth she spent most of her days at the library attending Toussaint L'ouverture Grammar school (Angelou 8).

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1235 Words | 5 Pages

Maya Angelou has been an influential woman throughout her life; she left her mark in history and literature, and she celebrated the experience of being black in the US. The most breathtaking of all her achievements is the construction of her own personality. As she stated once, “my mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style”. Remembering her, it is important to highlight her commitment with equality; it was a fight not only for her own life, for women and for Afro-American people, but also for peace and justice all over the world.

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927 Words | 4 Pages

In this poem, Maya Angelou’s poem speaks about how no matter what other’s say about you, you must rise above their petty thoughts and build your own strength to always be yourself, or in others words build empowerment to never change who you are. This is represented in the poem when Angelou says “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.” Angelou as well

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842 Words | 4 Pages

When thinking of a historical figure, many imagine a president, king, or general that lead a country to greatness, but never realized some could be the ones who influence the minds of society. Although not thought of as anything, writers and poets hold the key to shaping the society’s mindset without even knowing it. Being a civil rights activist, social activist, and role model for women makes Maya Angelou a historical figure who has made a huge impact in American society and in American history. Born poor and black, she was a childhood victim of rape, shamed into silence. She was a young single mother who had to work at strip clubs for a living.

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628 Words | 3 Pages

The author uses personification which expresses the theme because it shows people saying mean things about the speaker, but they keep moving on. In the poem Angelou states, “You may shoot me with your words, / You may cut me with your eyes, / You may kill me with your hatefulness” (21-23). This literary device is used to show that the speaker will keep moving on no matter what people say about them and how it is relatable because sometimes you get that look from someone. Another device Maya Angelou uses is a simile because she shows that even though people are saying all this mean stuff the speaker is still happy and joyful. Maya Angelou states, “Like dust, I’ll rise” (4).

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715 Words | 3 Pages

Context/Purpose/Audience Still I Rise, written in 1978 by African American poet and civil-rights activist Maya Angelou, is a resoundingly courageous and unearthing poem with an inspiring invited reading directly related to the time period it was written in: during the declaration for Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The poem discusses an African American woman’s struggles against racism and hatred from the society. It consists of nine-stanzas, offering words of inspiration to those who have been oppressed. It sends a message of hope that even in the midst of adversity it is possible to overcome obstacles and find the inner strength and confidence to rise above them. This poem is very straightforward making the message more meaningful and affective.

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242 Words | 1 Pages

Maya Angelou in the poem “Still I Rise” is talking about how the people say bitter,twisted lies (line 2) about her but she will still rise (line 4). The people want to see her broken (line 13) and shoulders falling down like teardrops (line 15). But instead of being scared and timid, she is optimistic and laughs at them (line 19). She overcomes what people say about her and she is the dream and hope for slaves.

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912 Words | 4 Pages

In Maya Angelou’s “Graduation” she spoke about a fictional character named Marguerite Johnson and her eighth-grade graduation. Marguerite was always kinda of lost and selfish at times, and never look at how others seen things. But as the story goes on Marguerite starts to find herself and understand others. “Graduation” isn’t just about how Marguerite pass on to the next grade but how she has grown from a lost girl to a young intelligence woman. In this story the reader is going to follower her on this surprising journey.

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425 Words | 2 Pages

The rhyme scheme emphasizes certain words that make Angelou’s message more clear; the comparisons in the figurative language give more specific details to the message; the syntax helps perpetuate the theme throughout the poem; and the diction develops the first half of the message. Each device Angelou used in this poem was for a particular purpose, which is one thing that makes it truly artistic. Moreover, Angelou’s exceptional use of literary devices to convey the theme exemplify her talent, style, and creativity in her writing. Her ability to write a poem on self-confidence and acceptance, even after the conflicts she faced in the past, goes on to show her strength as a human being in general. With the creativity and strength in spirit she possesses, Maya Angelou was certainly able to successfully convey her message to her audience: that each individual should find their self-worth, rise above their pasts and distaste others show toward them, look to a better future, and not let anyone or anything bring them

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1945 Words | 8 Pages

" She is accepting her psychical appearance and is putting it in a positive standpoint. This bold poem of Maya Angelou show great struggle

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988 Words | 4 Pages

“A Caged Bird” is a poem by Maya Angelou, that describes the struggle of a bird ascending from the restrictions with adverse surroundings. The poem renders the oppression that has affected African Americans over the years. As Angelou explains, the bird fights its imprisonment even with fear, but rises above with the stance of freedom. “Phenomenal Women” by Maya Angelou discusses beauty being in the eye of the beholder. You don’t have to have a perfect physique or focus entirely on outer beauty.

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