What Is The Theme Of Still I Rise By Maya Angelou Essay

The true gift of a writer is their ability to transform sparks into fires: their ability to transform intangible feelings into words on a tangible piece of paper. As Maya Angelou once remarked, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” As a writer, Maya Angelou spent her life sharing her gift with the world; she spent her life telling stories. Angelou spent years transforming her own emotions into words so powerful that people from all walks of life were able to empathize with the feelings each written word evoked when read. A true Renaissance Woman, Maya Angelou was not only a talented author but also an accomplished actress, screenwriter, dancer, and poet. The beautiful talents that Angelou possessed, however,

Angelou employs repetition in order to highlight the overarching theme: that people - black individuals specifically - may thrive despite the hate that surrounds them. Throughout the short poem, the phrases “I’ll rise” and “I rise” are repeated ten times, “Just like moons and like suns, / With the certainty of tides, / Just like hopes springing high, / Still I’ll rise.” The repetition of the phrase “I rise” highlights the idea that no matter what happens in life, overcoming adversity is always possible. Angelou continues to repeat this phrase throughout the entirety of her poem, using it increasingly more as the poem progresses. Ultimately, Angelou chooses to not only close her poem with this line, but to include the phrase three times, “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, / I am the dream and the hope of the slave. / I rise / I rise / I rise.” The phrase “I rise” are the last words readers are left with. While it may be difficult to remember all the negative scenarios included in the poem, it is easy for readers to recall the phrase “I rise.” Thus, in using repetition, Angelou highlights the good rather than the bad in order to prove that despite all the hate in the world, overcoming adversity is always