Being confident and being bold- Kevin

Kevin comments on “Still I rise” by Maya Angelou

To persevere in spite of overwhelming obstacles

Maya Angelou appears to be a woman with strong desires to become greater in the poem "Still I rise". As displayed in Maya Angelou's piece, experiencing fear, unfairness and lost is inevitable in life.

Confidence and Boldness

Being confident and bold has been expressed brilliantly and was nominated as the two most dominant themes of the poem. The two dominant themes have been displayed through literary devices such as symbolism, repetition, imagery and rhetorical questions. The phrase “I rise” has been mentioned multiple times, which is clear evident for the usage of repetition, however, it also inherits symbolism. “I rise” is supposedly defined as to stand or to move up. But in the context of the poem, it isn’t a visualisation for the literal movement of rising and instead is depicted as hope and confidence despite the hardships the author has been through. There is also a precise and compelling usage of imagery from the line “I’ve got oil wells pumping in my living room” (7-8) . Due to the fact that oil wells were considered lavish at their time, it reflects back on how the poem is communicating you’re worth so much more. Rhetorical questions also has a decisive role. Rhetorical questions s such as “Does my sassiness upset you?”, “Why are you beset with gloom?” and “Did you want to see me broken?” share one common aspect, they all create an atmosphere by making “you” the target. These rhetorical questions guide the readers to ponder, but mainly to be bold and confident when being faced with uneasiness.

The poem “Still I rise” by Maya Angelou however, should be read because it defies these misconceptions of life and reminds everyone they’re worth so much more.