ipl-logo

Still I Rise

731 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: A brief biography of maya angelou

I chose to do my first project on the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou because this poem reminds me of some of the strongest women in history. Maya Angelou is a wonderful poet, and this poem in particular draws my interest because it speaks to anyone that feels like things, or people, in their life are trying to bring them down. What I believe she is saying in this poem is that she is determined to succeed in her life no matter what. I can imagine that during the time that she wrote this poem, she had lots of people trying to bring her down and tell her that she won’t succeed because of her race, gender, or things that happened in her past. In this poem, she is telling all these people that it doesn’t matter what has happened in her life, …show more content…

Her grandmother taught her love and respect while also showing her by example how to be strong and independent. Throughout her life, she faced many adversities which lead her to become the influential woman she is known so well for being. Along with growing up in an era where she would face discrimination because of her race and also her gender, she faced other things she had to overcome such as being sexually assaulted by one of her mother’s boyfriends at a young age and becoming a single mother shortly after graduating high school. All of these things coupled with her passion for music and poetry inspired her to write stories, poems, and screenplays that have won multiple awards. (Caged Bird Legacy, …show more content…

They had decided that they would no longer stay silent while being treated like second class citizens. The poem speaks to the way they were speaking out, and standing up for themselves and their rights. (Staff, 2010) This brought about some of the things we see today in women’s rights and equality for all people. Our country may not be where we would have hoped to be in terms of equality, but we have come a long way from where we were. People like Maya Angelou and their stories and poems gave a voice to those who were fighting to be seen as equal, and helped our country to become the nation it is

Show More
Related
165 Words | 1 Pages

In The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd includes an allusion to “Oh! Susanna” to portray May’s unordinary behavior. For example, after meeting May for the first time, Lily thinks: May was simple-minded. I don’t mean retarded … I mean she was naive … plus she was a touch crazy … if you kept things on a happy note, May did fine, but bring up an unpleasant subject--like Rosaleen’s head full of snitches or the tomatoes having rot-bottom--and May would start humming “Oh! Susanna.”

Read More
926 Words | 4 Pages

She was committed to her dream and eventually opened her own studio where people could purchase her intricately carved pieces. Being a woman, especially a woman of Native American descent, she was not accepted as an artist by many people. Nevertheless, she didn't give up her life’s work and grew to be an extraordinary artist whose work is recognized across the

Read More
984 Words | 4 Pages

She was talented in her singing, and dancing led to her to become an influential person. She also had music touching on women empowerment. There are

Read More
882 Words | 4 Pages

She showed all African American women and men that they can achieve the impossible and have an intelligent mind like everyone else. Even African American poets from today like Alice Walker found her as an inspiration. In one of her poems about being brought to america, she perfectly summarizes what the struggle was being a slave that is equal to everyone

Read More
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.

Read More
688 Words | 3 Pages

She stood up for lynching and the discrimination of Black Americans. She helped the world become a better place through her writing and speeches. She risked her life just to help other people because she stood up for what was right. I have always wanted to contribute something really good to the world and this determined me to start trying. After learning about her it makes me think that not everything is about me and that I need to be considerate of others too.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
324 Words | 2 Pages

The poem “Still I Rise” written by Maya Angelou and the story “The Scholarship Jacket” by Marta Saline, are two different kind of writing styles. One is a poem and the other is a story. Even though they might be two different kind of styles of writing, they still are somewhat similar. “Still I Rise” is a poem about conquering your goals in life and rising up to be the best you can possibly be. Mayas writing in this poem is very confident, in a way she almost sounds like she's bragging.

Read More
514 Words | 3 Pages

Maya Angelou was a strong African-American women who made an influential impact on the Civil Rights Movement, in bother her actions, and her literature. Her life experiences and courage helped others, and made her work influential. During Maya’s early life, she experienced many hardships that shaped her into the person many remember her as. Born on April 4, 1928, she only lived in St. Louis, MO for three years before her parents got divorced, and Maya, along with her mother and brother, moved in with her grandparents in Arkansas. At the age of eight, raped by her mother’s boyfriend, Maya learned the power that words possess.

Read More
398 Words | 2 Pages

She was an example of someone who, despite growing up in a disadvantaged situation, was able to use her tenacity and drive to create a successful career for herself due to her ability to take risks. Herring3 Works

Read More
974 Words | 4 Pages

She gave a sense or reality, sometimes things are taken advantage of, and what being stripped away from your own thoughts do to you. In her book The Anthem, she helps bring these thoughts to life. With a society that is not allowed to be themselves. They do

Read More
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.

Read More
486 Words | 2 Pages

In the first stanza, we can already see how this poem can relate to the world today and how we feel about certain things. We as humans don't like change. Sometimes, we want something to happen so bad, that we don't consider how our life might change if this wish, this hope of something, actually happened. We sometimes may want something so bad, but fear what the consequences might be if something goes

Read More
1118 Words | 5 Pages

1. author, title, year and topic "The Hound of the Baskerville" was first published in 1901 in England. The novel is a detective story, with the main protagonists Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. It was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a famous writer in the 20th Century. Doyle is commonly known for the characters he created.

Read More

More about Still I Rise

Related Topics

Open Document