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Still I Rise by Maya Angelou: Questions and Answers | Major English Class 11
Still I Rise by Maya Angelou: Questions and Answers
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Still I Rise Questions and Answers
1. Who is the speaker of the poem?
Answer:
The speaker of the poem is the poet herself.
2. Who is the speaker addressing to in the poem?
Answer:
The speaker is addressing all the white oppressors of America who dominate black people in the matter of racism.
3. What does 'I dance like I've got diamonds' mean in the poem?
Answer:
In the poem, 'I dance like I've got diamonds' means the frank and sophisticated dance of the speaker with whom the oppressors feel upset. The oppressors don't like her acts, and they feel jealous of her. This particular dance of the speaker is a matter of surprise for all her haters in society.
4. What do you think about the speaker's attitude in the poem?
Answer:
I think the speaker's attitude in the poem is so bold and daring. She uses her tone in a direct way to confront her oppressors, who try to dominate her in the matter of racism.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
Still I Rise Questions and Answers
1. Explain the following lines.
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Answer:
Here in these lines in the sixth stanza, the speaker talks about different harsh conditions where she wants to rise. She refers to herself as a black ocean that is jumping and wide. According to her, bearing all kinds of oppressions, like welling and swelling in the tide of racism, she wants to rise. She intends to rise at any cost.
2. What is the refrain of the poem? What does it convey?
Answer:
The refrain of the poem is 'Still I Rise. The refrain is repeated in the poem. The phrase "Still, I’ll rise” is repeated in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th stanzas with the same words. Therefore, it has become a refrain. It conveys the idea that the speaker wants to rise against all her oppressors who try to dominate her in every step of her life.
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Still I Rise Questions and Answers
1. Which literary devices (simile, metaphor, hyperbole, etc.) are used in the poem? Explain by citing examples from the poem.
Answer:
A simile is a figure of speech in which one thing is explicitly compared to another, using, e.g., like or as. Here in this poem, the speaker has compared herself with a variety of things using the word "like.". Here, we find all these comparisons of similes such as "like dust," "I walk like I've got oil wells," "like moons," "like suns," "like hope springing high," "shoulders falling down like teardrops," "I laugh like I've got gold mines," "like air," and "I dance like I've got diamonds.".
Metaphor is the use of a word or phrase to refer to something other than its literal meaning, invoking an implicit similarity between the thing described and what is denoted by the word or phrase. Here in this poem, we find metaphorical comparison when the speaker says, “I’m a black ocean” (33). The speaker comparing herself with "a black ocean" is a metaphor, meaning that the narrator has a rough life like a black ocean. She compares again with the dream and hope of the slave.
Hyperbole is a literary device that refers to a deliberate or unintentional overstatement or exaggeration by the speaker. Here in the poem, we find the hyperbole of the speaker in lines 21–24 when she says, "You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise."
2. What is the rhyming scheme of the poem?
Answer:
In this poem, 'Still I Rise', we find different nine stanzas that have been separated into uneven sets of lines. Here, the first seven stanzas contain four lines, which are known as quatrains. The eighth stanza has six lines, and the ninth has nine. The first seven stanzas have a rhyme scheme of ABCB, the eighth stanza has ABABCC, and the ninth stanza has ABABCCBBB.
3. What is the theme of the poem?
Answer:
We find various themes here in this poem, such as oppression, resilience, race/racism, and sexism.
The speaker speaks of a legacy of oppression, referring to the suffering of black people throughout history. She condemns the oppressors—apparently, white people—with great ferocity. She will make her proud by rising above the suffering of her "slave" ancestors and defying the oppressors.
"Still I Rise" is primarily about self-esteem and confidence. In the poem, Angelou reveals how she will overcome anything through her self-esteem. She shows how nothing can bring her down. She will rise to any occasion, and nothing, not even the colour of her skin, will hold her back.
Although slavery had long been abolished, Angelou saw its impact on society and the African American people. This poem is her declaration that she, for one, will not allow society's hatred to determine her success.
This poem is not only a proclamation of his own determination to rise above society but also a call to others to be above the society in which he has been brought up. It is still one of the most widely read poems in America.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
Still I Rise Questions and Answers
1. Do you have any kind of discrimination and injustice in your society? If yes, explain what can be done to end it.
Answer:
Yes, we have discrimination and injustice in our society. In our society, people dominate people in matters of class and caste. It's not only the problem of our society but the problem of the entire country. We still find people treating other people badly in the name of class and caste. This discrimination is traditionally based on culture, which is prevalent in the present time too.
Discrimination is harmful and always supports inequality. We all have the right to be treated equally, regardless of our race, ethnicity, nationality, class, race, religion, belief, gender, sex, language, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender characteristics, age, health, or other status. I think the following things can be done to end it:.
We should try to value the concept of humanity first.
People from low classes and castes should be treated equally.
We should protest all the concepts of discrimination prevalent in our society.
We should stop doing violence against people who are from minor classes and castes.
We should launch awareness-raising programmes for equality in our society.
We should be united to root out the concepts of injustice and discrimination in our society.
2. One's identity is one's own culture. Justify.
Answer:
This statement is absolutely right. By identity, we understand the qualities, beliefs, personality traits, appearance, and/or expressions that characterise a person or group. The identity of a person is defined in various ways.
Identity develops many relationships for a person, such as his or her identity as a child, friend, partner, and parent. This includes external characteristics over which a person has little or no control, such as height, race, or socioeconomic class. Identity also includes political opinions, moral attitudes, and religious beliefs, all of which guide the choices we make on a daily basis.
Culture is a defining characteristic of an individual's identity, which contributes to how they view themselves and the groups with which they identify. An individual's understanding of one's own identity and that of others is developed from birth and is shaped by the values and attitudes prevailing in the home and the surrounding community.
Culture plays a large role in people's behaviour, thoughts, and feelings, as a culture often defines what is 'acceptable'. So sociologists are interested in how culture affects our behaviour collectively and individually. To understand what a culture considers 'acceptable', we can look at its 'norms' and 'values'.
Talking about a person's identity, first of all, a person comes to understand a culture through being immersed in the values, beliefs, and practices of his or her family.
Second, the person then identifies as a member of that culture, depending on their rank within that community. Third, he or she develops ties to immediate family, close friends, co-workers, and neighbours.
3. Write a critical appreciation of the poem.
Answer:
The poem "Still I Rise" is an empowering poem related to the struggle to overcome prejudice and injustice. It is regarded as one of Maya Angelou's most famous and popular poems. This poem is a kind of anthem, a beacon of hope for the oppressed and downtrodden black people.
This poem is a direct complaint against those so-called white people who are in power and government, the judiciary, the military, and the police force. This poem has directly sent a message of hope to all the victims of racism.
This tremendous poem is packed with figurative language. It seems to be a kind of secular hymn for those who are victims of oppression and abuse. The speaker of the poem has presented a loud and clear message for all victims of racism. Her main concern is to root out the prevalent social inequality, injustice, and discrimination in society.
The poem seems to be limited to the issues of black slavery and civil rights, but it is quite universal in its appeal. Anyone, such as an innocent individual, any minority, or any nation subject to oppression or abuse, can easily get the underlying theme and get the idea behind all these wrongdoers and their acts in society.
The poem has a total of 43 lines. It is made up of seven quatrains and two end stanzas, which help reinforce the theme of individual hope, with the phrase "I rise" repeated many times.
This poem aims at the oppressor. The rhyme scheme ABCB tightly knits the stanza together. The poem moves with the full rhymes, such as eyes/cries, hard/backyard, and surprise/thighs, repeating until the last two stanzas. When the rhyme scheme changes from ABCB to ABCC and AABB, it provides an absolute solid ending to the piece.
This poem has perfect use of imagery. The natural imagery is far-reaching, and the voice is so clear and loud. In this poem, we find moons and suns, tides and black oceans. There is a clear daybreak and ancestral gifts, all joining together in a climax of hope.
Literary devices like similes and metaphors are excessively used. Each stanza has at least one, from the first ("But still, like dust, I'll rise") to the last ("I am the dream and the hope of the slave."
The word "sassiness" reveals the speaker's self-confidence, backed up by the use of "haughtiness" and "sexiness." The poet's use of hyperbole has added a kind of absurd beauty when she says,
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise?
I dance like I've got diamonds.
At the meeting of my thighs?
Stanza 6 has brought the oppressive issue to a climax. Three lines start with "you," the speaker, choosing particularly active verbs—"shoot," "cut," and "kill"—to emphasise the anger. But this particular aggression comes to no avail, for the oppressed will still rise, this time like air, an element that you cannot shoot, cut, or kill.
Thus, this is an inspirational poem that has powerful repetitive energy, a universal message, and a clear, positive pulse throughout.
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