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What Does I Rise By Maya Angelou

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Marguerite Annie Johnson Angelou (April 4, 1928- May 28, 2014), commonly known as Maya Angelou, was an American author, poet, historian, singer, civil rights activist, and much, much more. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to Stamps, Arkansas because of her parents divorcing. At an early age, she was faced with racial discrimination in Arkansas. Angelou was raped by her mother’s boyfriend at a young age, which devastated her and led to stop talking at an early age. Therefore, the boyfriend was killed by Maya Angelou’s uncles because of this horrific act. When she became a young adult, she moved to San Francisco, where she studied and acted at the California Labor School. She made history by becoming the first African- American …show more content…

She appeals to figurative language throughout her poem by showing that she and many other black individuals aren’t ready to give up. Repetition is one of the ways the author approaches her message throughout the poem efficiently with the use of “I rise.” The poet constantly uses this line to represent her confidence and faith despite of all the hardships that she and other people have faced throughout their lives. The rhyme scheme of the passage is mainly ‘ABCB’, but starting in the 8th stanza, the rhyme scheme switches to ‘ABABCC.’ She uses comparison with using devices such as simile and metaphor. One quote is “You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise” (3-4). This means that the author will rise from the dirtiness from the people that will talk down about her. The Another example is “just like moons and like suns, with the certainty of tides, just like hopes springing high, still I rise” (9-12). Angelou compares herself to the moons and suns because she will rise no matter what happens just like the sun and moon every day. Lastly, in line 15, she narrates, “shoulders falling down like teardrops, weakened by the soulful cries?” (15-16). These lines compare one’s shoulders to teardrops because shoulders drop when one loses confidence and one’s teardrops fall because of one being upset or being hurt. These …show more content…

Rhetorical questions are mainly used when the author or poet is trying to persuade someone. In Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise”, rhetorical questions are frequently used throughout the passage because of her trying to make a point in various ways possible. In the second stanza of the poem, the poet writes, “Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom?” (6-7). The reason these lines imply a rhetorical questions here because she is saying this quote in a way where she wants the “you” to feel as if the “you” is jealous of Maya Angelou because of her “sassiness.” Therefore, this line catches the reader’s attention by realizing how the poet has felt her whole life because of the adversity she has went through all her career. Further lines in the poem that represent rhetorical questions are lines 13, 14, and 16, which exclaim, “Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? ...Weakened by my soulful cries? (13-14, 16). Angelou acts as if the person that she is referring to wants to see her be harmed and weakened by all of the pains that she might have to face because of this “you” she talks about throughout the poem. Then, Angelou describes, “Does my haughtiness offend you?” (17). In this line, she dialogs about the “you” again, which shows more emotions and effect on the reader. She feels as if her

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