The predominant theme in this inspiring poem is pride. The speaker is clearly proud of her identity and expresses this by conveying her positive self-esteem in various ways throughout the poem. For example, she states in stanza two
I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
This is an affirmative declaration in which the speaker asserts that she walks like someone with great wealth, which means she holds an upright posture and does not slouch out of embarrassment or shame. She walks with dignity, proud of her identity. She is confident and assertive. The allusion to someone with great wealth is confirmed in stanza five when the speaker says the following:
’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.
The wealth the speaker alludes to is not material but symbolic. She is a gold mine or an oil well—her wealth lies in her personhood. Her identity is what enriches her and makes her proud. She is proud of who she is, and those who cannot deal with the manner in which she carries or expresses herself have only themselves to blame. In stanza seven, the speaker further accentuates her positive attitude by asking her obviously prejudiced listener if it comes as a surprise that
...I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Further confirmation of the speaker's positive self-regard lies in the use of phrases such as "my sassiness" (line 5), "my haughtiness" (line 17), and "my sexiness" (line 25). Her direct address is deliberate and questions the listener's bigotry. The most forceful of the speaker's statements in this regard is her proclamation "I rise," which is repeated throughout the poem like a mantra.
This bold declaration introduces another theme: resilience. The speaker emphasizes how willful and determined she is to resist all prejudice against her. Irrespective of what her persecutors do, she has the power to resolutely withstand their discrimination and intolerance. She asserts in stanza one, for example, that even though they may demonize her history and tread on her, she will rise. In stanza six she proclaims that though those who hate her may criticize her, stare her down, or even kill her, she would, in spite of their evil, still rise.
In effect, the speaker is expressing great courage, which is another theme. Her outspoken and determined resistance against others' narrow-minded prejudice is an affirmative stance that she is determined to take. She will, in spite of their best efforts to break her, stand up and rise proudly. The speaker concludes by courageously expressing the fact that she will leave behind all terror and fear. Her purpose is to fulfill her destiny in a bright and certain future by giving hope to those who have been enslaved and to inspire them to realize their dreams.
Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise" explores many themes, primarily looking at the idea of oppression, specifically oppression based on her race. Angelou often tackles the theme of race in her writing and this can be seen throughout the stanza's in this poem. She uses the concept of oppression versus wealth.
For example in the fifth and seventh stanzas of the poem
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
At the time this was written things like oil and gold were of utmost importance, and by referencing the ownership of them she is expressing that she will rise past the oppression.
When mentioning the idea that she holds herself up as if she has the status of someone who is built and "made" from diamonds and she will not be made to follow directions or obey, she will dance!
Angelou also use of words like sexiness or haughtiness shows an abundance of confidence. Which can be construed as a blow at those who were oppressing them, the white males of time who were self righteous, or the reader may see it as Angelou's overconfidence to outweigh the oppression handed to slaves and African Americans.
Maya Angelou's defiant, triumphant poem "Still I Rise" primarily explores the theme of oppression based on race and gender. The speaker of the poem directly addresses her oppressor as "you" and responds to the attempts to oppress her and her people with the refrain "I'll rise." She refuses to be kept down or put in her place.
The first stanza ties the poem to history:
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
The reference to the writing of history seems to imply that the oppression the speaker is responding to is not just personal but societal, part of a long line of disenfranchisement based on skin color.
The theme of gender comes into the poem explicitly in the second and seventh stanzas, in which the speaker discusses her "sassiness" and "sexiness," both traits that women, and especially black women and other women of color, have historically been punished for.
No matter what happens or what is thrown at Maya Angelou, she will always rise. The theme of "Still I Rise" is really about self respect, and confidence. In the poem, she reveals how she will overcome anything with her self-esteem. She shows how nothing can get her down.
There are various themes present in this short poem, and the themes are all closely tied together and related to one another. There is a theme of oppression that allows the speaker of the poem to discuss the themes of strength, determination, and resilience in the face of that oppression.
The first stanza of the poem already alerts readers to the speaker's determination to not be put down by oppression. The first few lines illustrate the oppression that is present, and the final line of the stanza is the speaker fighting back.
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
The speaker does a great job of reminding readers of oppression and the fact that the speaker will not be discouraged.
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.
The speaker's unceasing drive to stand in the face of difficulties is best illustrated by the poem's repetition of "I rise" or "I'll rise."
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