Maya Angelou Essay - not completed.
Jason Baldwin
Mrs. Naccarato
English 10 - Pd 6
9/19/14
The poem I choose to write about is “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. The reason why I choose this poem over the others is because it really puts on display her courage, and strength even throughout her very grim life. Maya instills the mood of the poem by using many literary devices. The mood of the poem is empowerment, and strength even through anything you may possible be going through. A simile she used in the poem was in the third stanza, where she says “ Just like moons and like suns, With certainty of tides. Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise.” What I interpreted her saying was, no matter how low she may be, or even be at rock bottom she still will come back to the top. I liked how she used the moon and the sun as an example, just for the sole reason everyone knows how the suns rises and sets everyday. I personally like this stanza the best just because of her optimism. It really shows how she has courage in herself. I’m sure everyone can connect to this stanza. Maya uses repetition with the word “Rise” to show that she has gotten over and risen above racism. In the stanza where she says, “you may trod me in the very dirt but still, like dust ill rise” it stresses to the reader one of the main points in the poem, that no matter how unfair people will treat her because of her skin, she will let them bring her down and will stand up against them. The main point in that line is the rising dust. For dust to rise, it must be messed with from the ground for it to leave and rise, which represents Maya’s overcoming of racism. Her enemies, on the floor and because they have “unsettled” her by treating her wrong, she choose to stay strong which is her rising above them all, going against racism. The way she uses repetition is also used Maya, repeats the words “I rise” more than 4 times in the last part. This stresses the theme of the poem, letting us know what she was trying to say in the
Mrs. Naccarato
English 10 - Pd 6
9/19/14
The poem I choose to write about is “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. The reason why I choose this poem over the others is because it really puts on display her courage, and strength even throughout her very grim life. Maya instills the mood of the poem by using many literary devices. The mood of the poem is empowerment, and strength even through anything you may possible be going through. A simile she used in the poem was in the third stanza, where she says “ Just like moons and like suns, With certainty of tides. Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise.” What I interpreted her saying was, no matter how low she may be, or even be at rock bottom she still will come back to the top. I liked how she used the moon and the sun as an example, just for the sole reason everyone knows how the suns rises and sets everyday. I personally like this stanza the best just because of her optimism. It really shows how she has courage in herself. I’m sure everyone can connect to this stanza. Maya uses repetition with the word “Rise” to show that she has gotten over and risen above racism. In the stanza where she says, “you may trod me in the very dirt but still, like dust ill rise” it stresses to the reader one of the main points in the poem, that no matter how unfair people will treat her because of her skin, she will let them bring her down and will stand up against them. The main point in that line is the rising dust. For dust to rise, it must be messed with from the ground for it to leave and rise, which represents Maya’s overcoming of racism. Her enemies, on the floor and because they have “unsettled” her by treating her wrong, she choose to stay strong which is her rising above them all, going against racism. The way she uses repetition is also used Maya, repeats the words “I rise” more than 4 times in the last part. This stresses the theme of the poem, letting us know what she was trying to say in the