Still I Rise

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The Literary Analysis of “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
Poems can be short, long. Funny or serious. Poems can be fiction, or non-fiction. Poems can have intricate vocabulary, or simple words. Poems can even be about historical events, or things yet to come. Poems can leave you laughing with a stich in your side, or they can leave you thinking, pondering deeper meanings. The poem “Still I Rise” was written in 1978 by Maya Angelou, an African American poet, and civil rights activist. The poem “Still I Rise,” by Maya Angelou may have a humors surface, but if you dive underneath the exterior you will find a deeper, more somber meaning. The contributions to the more profound meaning of this poem are the poem’s context, subject, and figurative language. …show more content…

In Angelou’s case, context is highly significant. Because Angelou was an African American civil rights activist, she felt the need to talk about how black Americans are oppressed and discriminated. If you didn’t know these facts about the poet, the poem would seem light and humorous. “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,” “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.” These two excerpts from the poem can only be understood the way the author intended through context. Back when this poem was written, if you had oil, you were considered wealthy and higher class. Angelou wrote this, because she wanted the voice of the poem to be confident. To have riches, is to be self-assured. The second quote talks about being a slave who has been freed. The slave has left behind the pain they endured and entered a brilliantly new life. The meaning of these quote would be lost without knowing the context that this poem was

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