The speaker in the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou is the author herself, but she also represents the whole Black community that has suffered from oppression throughout history. The poem does not seem to address anyone in particular, but the âyouâ in it refers to the people who have oppressed and continue to discriminate against the speaker and the community she represents. The speaker’s ancestors are the only other characters in the poem, mentioned once in the last stanza.
There are no specific indications of time or place in Angelouâs poem. However, the readers can see that she refers to herself as the descendant of slaves, rising above the oppression and struggles they endured. Thus, the only reference to the time the readers can sense is the fact that the speaker describes those horrible events as âhistoryâ, which must mean that the author has written her poem relatively recently. Therefore, the actions and proclamations described also happen at the present time.
There is no particular situation that happens in the poem. The speaker addresses a variety of injustices that had happened to the people of color by claiming that she, as one of the oppressed, rises above those injustices and struggles. The speakerâs statement progresses, as she poses different questions, mainly about why her success upsets her oppressors. As the poem develops, the focus shifts from one aspect of the authorâs success to another, and the readers can see her flourishing as a poet, an activist, and a woman. While the speakerâs audience seems discouraged by her triumphs, she declares that there is nothing that can prevent her from empowering herself and the people she represents.