Introduction
The poem “Still I Rise” is an inspiring composition that celebrates self-acceptance and self-love. Maya Angelou, a renowned American poet, wrote this poem in 1978 (Nkopuruk and Odusina 3). Inequality and oppression characterizing Angelou’s life inspired her to write the poem. Although the American society abolished slavery several decades ago, African Americans and other minority groups continued to face misfortunes in different spheres of life. In this regard, Angelou positions herself as the victim of oppression. She symbolizes the people of color and the tribulations they experience daily.
Notwithstanding, in the last stanzas, Angelou offers hope to the oppressed people and urges them to remain resilient to overcome the anguishes they experience (Angelou 46). She chose the title “Still I Rise” to motivate the isolated and discriminated individuals that they can change their present situations with persistence and determination. Essentially, the poet utilized various literary devices, including symbolism, imagery, repetition, and simile, to explore the primary theme of oppression and resilience, which is inspired by the racial discrimination.
Analysis
The primary theme highlighted throughout the poem relates to oppression and resilience. Angelou speaks and reflects on the oppression legacy, referring to the tribulations experienced by the black individuals since the historic period. She rebukes the oppressors, especially the white people, with significant fierceness (Nkopuruk and Odusina 3).
In strengthening the primary theme, the author uses words such as slave, trod, lies, and tides to create a logical appeal to the implication of racism and discrimination. For instance, the word “trod” represents a diction that has an interesting connotation, implying the existing detachment between the whites and black people due to racial stereotypes and biases (Angelou 46). Apart from the struggles emanating from the oppression, the poet also talks about overcoming them. She calls for a resilient and defiant spirit rather than giving up.
In stanza eight and line 7, Angelou says that she is leaving behind nights of fear and terror (Nkopuruk and Odusina 3). This figurative language encourages the oppressed people that their anguishes will ultimately end and enjoy their rights and freedom, irrespective of their racial affiliations.
The poet also relies on symbolism to reinforce her theme of oppression and resilience. Firstly, Angelou uses oil wells as a symbol of prosperity or wealth. She talks about walking as a person who owns oil wells in his or her living room (Angelou 46). In using this symbol, the poet suggests she is powerful and rich in spirit rather than in the monetary sense. Her wealth of determination, self-esteem, and courage empowers and gives her life control the same way an oil well owner presumably has sufficient funds to live as she or he wishes. The poet makes the second reference to the symbol of prosperity in the fifth stanza.
She describes her pride and elegance, which might be perceived as arrogance. Angelou is full of confidence and superiority, such that she laughs about her possession of gold mines in her backyard. Consistent with oil wells, gold mines imply perpetual wealth and not ordinary riches. She demonstrates that the oppressed people should have limitless courage and determination to pursue their dreams in life despite the racial discrimination they encounter.
Additionally, Angelou refers to the third reference of wealth symbol in the seventh stanza when she talks about diamonds. In a provocative way, she describes her powerful and liberated spirit. The narrator says that an individual might think she has diamonds on her thighs when she dances (Nkopuruk and Odusina 3). In this context, the diamonds signify power and wealth as well as sexuality and beauty. Women often wear diamonds because they act as a symbol of royalty. Nevertheless, instead of wearing diamonds as crowns or necklaces, they are amusingly fitted between the narrator’s legs. The language choice implies a sexual connotation, suggesting she is also beautiful and a sensual female.
The author chose this symbolism to inspire women who are the primary victims of discrimination due to their gender. She urges them to take pride in their beauty and enhance their self-belief and courage to succeed in life. Indeed, diamonds demonstrate the speaker’s sexual prowess, which translates to women’s undisputable ability to fulfill various obligations in different spheres of life.
The author also uses irony and second-person narration to strengthen the major theme of oppression and resilience. Maya Angelou is the speaker in the poem and narrates her experiences and tribulations as a black woman (Angelou 46). She wants the readers to visualize the problem and develop the desire to fight it. Further, the poet taunts and interrogates unspecified “you” throughout the poem, thus holding this individual or people responsible for her misfortunes.
In using the second-person narration, the author intended to prompt readers to reflect on their actions and evaluate whether they are the promoters of discrimination. In this way, they can be inspired to change their behaviors by visualizing the suffering inflicted to the victims. The poet also uses irony to create a definite picture in readers’ minds about how actions intended to weaken them can help them overcome their problems. For instance, in stanza one, the intention of treading the narrator in the dirt was to stop her from pursuing her ambitions. However, the action acted as her inspiration for overcoming her fears.
Furthermore, the poet adopts repetition to strengthen her primary message to the audience. For example, she utilizes assonance, which involves the repetition of vowel sounds within the same line. In the poem’s second line, “With your bitter, twisted lies,” the /i/ sound is notable (Nkopuruk and Odusina 3). Assonance helps to create rhythm and emphasize the main concepts. In this context, the /i/ sound assists the readers to envision the mistreatments the narrator endures.
Equally, the author embraces consonance by repeating consonant sounds in the different lines of the poem. For instance, the sound of /l/ in the words “Welling” and “Swelling” creates a rhythm to the narration and attracts readers’ attention to gain the intended insights regarding the aspects of oppression and resilience. Significantly, the narrator repeats severally the phrase “I rise” in the last stanza (Angelou 47). It emphasizes the dire need to overcome the discrimination problem to respect and empower all people, irrespective of their gender and cultural backgrounds.
Simile and imagery also help develop the poem’s theme of oppression and resilience. For instance, the poet used simile in the line “But still, like dust, I’ll rise” to demonstrate the confidence and courage of the narrator in overcoming the present tribulations (Nkopuruk and Odusina 3). Comparing the object “dust” with the action “rising” helps readers understand the actual meanings. On its part, imagery assisted in making the audience perceive things comprising the five senses.
The speaker explains how the oppressors shoot her with their words (Angelou 46). As a result, she gives “words” the human ability to shoot. The use of this personification intends to create mental pictures of the impact of discrimination on the victims. Therefore, imagery and simile help make comparisons and stimulate human minds to create illustrations that help synthesize the message conveyed throughout the poem.
Finally, the author uses a triumphant and angry tone to deliver the primary theme. At the start of the poem, the narrator is angry due to the pain caused to her by the oppressors. Nevertheless, she takes pride in her identity at the end of the poem, thus portraying herself as a powerful black woman ready to fight anyone who denies her a chance to succeed in life.
According to Nkopuruk and Odusina, the poet relies on pathos to stimulate readers’ emotions (4). Pathos represents one of the vital modes of persuasion that depends on evoking feelings to pass the intended message. For example, the anger tone inspires readers to develop sympathetic feelings for the narrator and other victims of discrimination, thus envisioning how such behaviors are unethical. On its part, a triumphant tone creates positive emotions that encourage the oppressed people to change their situations by building resilience, remaining optimistic, and overcoming their anxieties.
Conclusion
“Still I Rise” is an inspirational poem that relies on various literary devices to convey the primary theme of oppression and resilience. Despite the abolition of slavery, discrimination is still evident in different spheres of life. For instance, African Americans and minority groups experience suffering from racial stereotyping and biases, which deny them the opportunities to succeed in life. Angelou uses figurative language that helps the readers envision the victims’ tribulations. She also utilizes repetition to create mental illustrations of the anguishes caused by discrimination.
Significantly, repetition through the phrase “I rise” inspires hope among the oppressed that they can overcome their fears and pains by remaining focused and taking pride in their sexuality and color. Undeniably, the poet succeeded in using literary devices to strengthen his major theme of oppression and resilience in the age of increased diversity. The poem remains relevant and continues to shape the behaviors of the new generations.
Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. And Still I Rise. Hachette UK, 2013.
Nkopuruk, Imikan, and Kehinde Saheed Odusina. “Objectifying Intuitive Response in Stylistic Analysis: A Study of Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise”.” Asian Journal of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, vol. 2, no. 2, 2019, pp. 1-6.