| 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. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? 'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I'll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops. Weakened by my soulful cries. 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 back yard. 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. 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? Out of the huts of history's shame I rise Up from a past that's rooted in pain I rise I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise. I like this poem because it emphasizes the importance of strength within one's self. We all have our moment when everything seems like it's going wrong and that there's nothing we can do to get past the hardship, but within each one of us is the strength to persevere and make it through. We can all rise through the darkness. |
Literary Devices:
1. simile- comparisons using "like" or "as":
"like dust, I'll rise"
2. apostrophe - addressing a "you" in the poem:
"does my sassiness upset you?"
3. motif- repetition of a phrase, image, etc:
"I'll rise" and "I rise..."
Comment on this please!
ReplyDeleteI love the message of this poem. I especially like the line "You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I'll rise". I wonder if the speaker is adressing this poem to a specific person who has hurt her or if she is speaking to everyone in her life who has been unkind to her. The language in this poem is not fancy and the poem as a whole is relatively simple, but I think these elements make the poem's message more powerful.
ReplyDeleteI actually really enjoyed reading this poem. I thought the connotation was great and the structure was set up well. As I read the line, "'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells / Pumping in my living room", I instantaneously changed my mind about the poem and thought those words were too harsh for the lightness of the poem. However, as I kept on reading, I realized I actually did like those moments where the words become harsh and unwelcoming because that is what the poem is all about: being able to rise about the negativity. I also liked the end of the poem, how the poet decided to repeat the phrase: "I rise". I thought that put more emphasis and meaning on her purpose of the poem. It almost seemed as though she was trying to convince herself (or others maybe?) that she can rise and that she will rise about all the negativity.
ReplyDeleteMaya Angelou does a great job describing her feelings of pride. "I laugh like I got gold mines/ Digging in my own back yard" is a great line and a very interesting way to depict her confidence. Also, a lot of her language is very descriptive- "bitter, twisted lies" and "shoulders falling like teardrops" make the poem even more powerful.
ReplyDeleteAt first, I thought the poem was more about her struggle against racism, but it seems more like she is rising above all things negative- racism and all other struggles.
I love how the words of this poem are simple, direct, and confident. Maya does not need over-complicated language to powerfully express her strength and pride in herself, as well as her past. Additionally, Maya uses imagery to convey what words cannot – “I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide”. She is able to take familiar aspects of an ocean, such as its unrestrained might and timelessness, and depict a moving image of Maya’s ability to grow past suffering.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to the other individuals commenting I really enjoyed this poem. The use of emphasis through repetition, cemented how important it is to “rise” above all the issues compressing the lives of humans. I found it interesting that in each stanza, there seemed to be a positive outcome, her feeling of how she can overcome obstacles, except for stanza 4. In this stanza she speaks of the those who “want to see [her] broken” who are then “weakened by [her] soulful cries”, she does fails to say how she surpassed this. I think this is a great poem about how to stay strong through discrimination, whether its based on skin color, gender or other issues.
ReplyDelete