Introduction to “Still I Rise”
This poem is one of the most memorable and strong-impact works of Maya Angelou. Anglo-American poet Maya Angelou was fond of open declarations of black woman’s equality and resistance. The poem ‘Still I Rise’ penned down in the year 1978 and entitled in her collection ‘And Still I Rise’. These qualities make Angelou’s writing the kind of literature that oppressed individuals or groups turn to in their fight for their rights.
The poem has the chorus “Still I rise” and this becomes a symbol of fighting and hope. It is worthy to note that Angelou has applied different kinds of literary devices in the entire poem in order to support its message and even the emotion that goes with it.
Literary Devices in “Still I Rise” Poem
1- Metaphor
Metaphor means that one thing is directly compared to another different thing and that they are assumed to be similar in some way.
The writer uses metaphors throughout the poem to pass the message of resilience and empowerment. One powerful metaphor in the poem compares the speaker’s resilience to the natural buoyancy of air and the strength of oil:
“Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise”
Angelou compares her ability of the tribulations with natural occurrences that are unstoppable forces of nature, such as the cycle of moons and Suns, and the natural flow of tides. This metaphor puts accent on inevitability of her strength and the fact that she indeed is invincible.
Another important metaphor has been used in the following lines:
“You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise”
Angelou uses dust and the impossibility of totally eliminating the dust in a room as a metaphor for herself. This message communicates that even if a woman is crushed by a man she will always get back on her feet.
In this case the use of this imagery aptly captured the essence of the warriors as a people, the spirit of one who fights on regardless of the odds stacked against them.
2- Simile
Simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things by using the words “like” or “as.” The writer uses similes to portray vivid images and emphasize her strength and determination.
“You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise”
In the stanza of the poem, the speaker uses the simile “like air” to compare her ability to rise with the spirit like air. No matter how much the people try to hurt her with their words, she will only rise like the air.
This simile shows the unwavering spirit of the lady and actually the lady’s strength to fight against all the odds; iconizes the fact that her ability to overcome the challenges is as natural as like air rises. This also reflects that her strength as well as determination to get out and free herself cannot be restrained.
3- Imagery
“I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.”
The use of imagery “oil wells pumping in my living room” portrays a clear picture of a lot of wealth in the speaker’s home. The image of oil wells implies the steady and generous income which means that the speaker can freely provide and travel as a proud and extremely wealthy woman.
This use of imagery shows the speaker’s worth and the esteem she has for herself regardless of the economic situation. It represents her inner glory and, therefore, her strong self-esteem; this fits to the poem’s key themes of strength and individualism.
4- Hyperbole
“I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.”
Here, the literary term Hyperbole has been employed with the overstated image of “gold mines diggin’ in my own backyard.” This hyperbolic statement reflects the great joy and confidence of the speaker.
She compares her laughter to the unlimited wealth in her backyard, which shows a strong sense of self-worth. The exaggeration indicates her inner strength and evinces that her value and happiness come from within and not from the material wealth. The use of hyperbole supports the themes of the poem i.e. self-empowerment and the intrinsic value of the individual.
5- Rhetorical Questions
“Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?”
As much as this stanza employs declarative statements, the rhetorical questions given are provocative to the oppressors or tends to make them to think. The set roles of passive victim and dominative aggressor are depicted by the speaker when she poses: ‘Did you want to see me broken?
With her head down, her eyes on the ground, and her spirit drained by her tears?’ These questions focus her as a character who does not abide by those standards and who will not give in and be submissive. The rhetorical questions are overtones of her rebellion and the spirit she gets from choosing not to be crushed.
6- Tone
The overall tone of the poem is intransigent, confident and triumphant. This is evident in the lines as under:
“You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”
The tone of the work complements the theme of the work, which deals with the struggle against oppression. All these literary features create a powerful and rhythmic poem that expresses the themes of strength, empowerment, and the triumph of oppression.
7- Anaphora
“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.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.”
Anaphora can be defined as the process of repeating the same word or phrase at the beginning of all the clauses in a sentence or even in all the verses in a poem.
In the first stanza, at the beginning of the first line, Angelou uses “You may” then proceeds to use it at the start of the third line in the same stanza to create the repetition. In the third stanza, Angelou uses “Just like”. This repetition has a musical quality and contributes to the poem’s speaker’s resistance against oppression.
8- Allusion
“I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.”
The last stanzas of the poem continue to allude the experience of the slavery and the African American people references. The ‘black ocean’ literally refers to the Atlantic ocean and the Middle Passage, the ‘dream and the hope of the slave’ alludes to the dreams of enslaved people and the desire for freedom and equality.
This association links the speaker’s self-sufficiency to the larger narrative of systemized oppression of black people, adding deep and collective importance to the poem.
See also: What is jester archetype?
