Analysis of the poem "Still I Rise"
Kathleen Frederick
ENG4U-05
Ms. Kumpf
Tuesday, July 15th, 2014
An Analysis of the poem "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
African Americans have been oppressed for centuries. Despite this discrimination, people of this race have fought hard for their freedom and respect. This pursuit of equality is evident inMaya Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise”. Angelou integrates numerous literary ideas such as various sounds, poetry forms, and key concepts.The poetic devices incorporated in Maya Angelou’s work, “Still I Rise”,heightens the overall effectiveness of the poem.
Maya Angelou uses several sound techniques throughout her poem. The first one that is especially evident is rhyming. The rhyming scheme for the first seven stanzas are A, B, C, and B. On the last stanza it’s A,B,A,B,B,B,C,B,C,B,D,D,B,B,B. Direct quotes where she incorporated this device are, in the second line of the fifth stanza, “Don’t you take it awful hard”, and the fourth line, “Diggin’ in my own back yard.”Angelou wrote the poem in this manner because it helps to enhance the lyrical element created by the rhyming. This ultimately allows the reader to better interpret the thoughts and feelings of the poet. Repetition is another literary device apparent throughout the poem. The most prominent phrase that is repeated numerous times is, “I rise” (41). This is hugely significant to the poem as it reflects the main idea, that Angelou will be superior to any prior racial generalizations. Stating it frequently addresses its importance and communicates to the reader what Angelou aspires to be. On two occasions, Angelou uses alliterations. The examples include, "I dance like I 've got diamonds"(27) and "…huts of history 's shame"(29). The use of this device contributes toward the overall fluidity of the poem. Lastly, the use of assonances, such as, "Welling and swelling" adds to the musical element of the poem through the corresponding vowels in the first and last
ENG4U-05
Ms. Kumpf
Tuesday, July 15th, 2014
An Analysis of the poem "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
African Americans have been oppressed for centuries. Despite this discrimination, people of this race have fought hard for their freedom and respect. This pursuit of equality is evident inMaya Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise”. Angelou integrates numerous literary ideas such as various sounds, poetry forms, and key concepts.The poetic devices incorporated in Maya Angelou’s work, “Still I Rise”,heightens the overall effectiveness of the poem.
Maya Angelou uses several sound techniques throughout her poem. The first one that is especially evident is rhyming. The rhyming scheme for the first seven stanzas are A, B, C, and B. On the last stanza it’s A,B,A,B,B,B,C,B,C,B,D,D,B,B,B. Direct quotes where she incorporated this device are, in the second line of the fifth stanza, “Don’t you take it awful hard”, and the fourth line, “Diggin’ in my own back yard.”Angelou wrote the poem in this manner because it helps to enhance the lyrical element created by the rhyming. This ultimately allows the reader to better interpret the thoughts and feelings of the poet. Repetition is another literary device apparent throughout the poem. The most prominent phrase that is repeated numerous times is, “I rise” (41). This is hugely significant to the poem as it reflects the main idea, that Angelou will be superior to any prior racial generalizations. Stating it frequently addresses its importance and communicates to the reader what Angelou aspires to be. On two occasions, Angelou uses alliterations. The examples include, "I dance like I 've got diamonds"(27) and "…huts of history 's shame"(29). The use of this device contributes toward the overall fluidity of the poem. Lastly, the use of assonances, such as, "Welling and swelling" adds to the musical element of the poem through the corresponding vowels in the first and last
Cited: "Definition of rise in English:." rise: definition of rise in Oxford dictionary (British & World English). N.p., n.d. Web. 14 July 2014. . "." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 14 July 2014. .