A Phoenix Rising From the Ashes
Discrimination has been intertwined with humans for as long as history has been recorded, in the poem “Still I Rise” Maya Angelou speaks out on these issues in a sarcastic and metaphorical manner.
Breaking The Silence
As poems come and go, while there are many written on the subject of discrimination it’s rare to find one in which the poet uses a second-person pronoun to grab the reader’s attention in an accusing way. However, this is exactly what was done in “Still I Rise”, it allows the readers to have a stronger and more personal connection towards the poem. This way when Angelou is using an accusatory tone with the word “you”, readers can reflect on their behaviours if they have been discriminating against others and they will be able to see the effect that it has left on those victims.
A Constant Battle
While the poem’s literal meaning is a sarcastic reaction towards the people who had previously looked down on Angelou, it metaphorically shows her strength in constant battles that she had against other’s criticism against her and her race. It delivers the message about how it is important to stand up for yourself, and it offers hope towards individuals who have been discriminated against yet have not had the words to express themselves. The last two lines in almost every stanza of the poem show that while the words and behaviours hurt her, she will still rise from the ashes like a phoenix.
“Still I Rise” stands as an inspiration for victims of discrimination, a poem full of power that brings gleams of hope towards those who are victims. A poem that cannot ever be replicated.
I agree with your analysis. You identified the second person perspective used in the poem, which really stood out to me because it connected me to the message conveyed and made a bigger impact on me. I like your subtitles as it captures the main themes of the poem and also tells readers what your comment is about. Good job! -Andrea
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog post, Like that you spaced out each paragraph. I would liked if you have bolded some important words, so if I were skimming through your blog I can quickly identify which words to pay attention to. If you had a question in to end that makes the readers think that would be good too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis. I like how you looked deeper into the poem rather than analyzing the straightforward,surface information. Metaphorical references are often left unseen but you clearly justified them in your analysis. "Still I Rise" is indeed an inspirational poem that is attention grabbing and fun to read. Overall, your analysis is well structured and clear. (Hannah)
ReplyDeleteI think your blog post in general is really good. Usually I like colour with everything (I think you know who I am), but since it is about discrimination especially racism, the lack of colour shows that, and it also makes it really serious. The subtitles are very creative and the analysis is just enough for a blog post. The title is very creative and fits the poem perfectly and the choice of image is also very effective in showing that she is willing to stand out and challenge people who oppress her. She has moved, but the opponent hasn't moved. Also in chess, normally white plays first, but the author (just like the black piece in the picture) is willing to stand out and take a step forward.
ReplyDeleteTo add to that, one thing you could have improved on is making the ending stronger, maybe using a rhetorical question.
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ReplyDeleteThe first glance at your title attracts my attention, which is good as it is one of the elements of blogging. The way you structured the poem was interesting and how the sub heading is named something that is not related like instead of ‘poetic techniques’ there is another name. But I thought you could have bold to emphasize the more important words and try to go in depth when writing the poem. Overall though a job well done ;) ~ Rachel