Angelou’s poem, Still, I rise, incorporates figurative language in stanza five. The speaker uses metaphor in the first and second lines of stanza five to express her view and emotions toward racists. “… shoot me with your words” Angelou (line 21) and “you may cut me with your eyes…” Angelou (line 22). The quotes depict the speaker’s annoyance with her haters, who judge and despise her based on skin color differences. The “eye” and “words” have been used metaphorically to show anger; in reality, the eye cannot cut somebody, while words cannot shoot an individual. However, the poet enables the poem’s audience to relate the effects of the eye and words to the impacts of racism. Like a gun, words can cause wounds to oppressed populations.
Symbolism
In addition, the poem included symbolism in the creation of its themes. The last line in stanza five reads, “…like air, I’ll rise” (Angelou line 24). The phrase views the problems of the poem’s persona as a temporary situation that will come to pass, just like the air. Angelou used “air” symbolically to describe her current position in the fight against racism. According to the poem, the speakers look forward to a changing environment where people view themselves as one family without racial considerations and division of communities. Furthermore, the poet used “air” to symbolize the vanishing effects of hate shown to Angelou by her enemies.
Allusion
Alternatively, the introduction of allusion in the fifth stanza enabled the poet to reference the powerful topic of racism and its impacts on society. Wallis and Cecille (7) echoed that having connected the pains of “words” and cutting edges of the “eyes” of racists, Angelou used allusion to portray the complex effects of racism and the campaigns towards its eradication like the air in the atmosphere. Comparable to air, all victims of racism will overcome the oppression of the wars of color.
Central Issues in the Poem
The main message in the poem involves the declaration of determination and power. Angelou narrates her past and how White people, especially men, depicted her ancestors unfairly. According to Wallis and Cecille (13), the poem empowers women not to focus on their past or how society views them; instead, they should be inspired by their current hardship situations. The primary purpose of the poem lies in the anger of the speakers, which later culminates into a confident thought as the poem reaches its climax. Angelou (line 31) depicted that the speaker’s haters did not want her to succeed in the history of her ancestors or people. Angelou questions her enemies about why her joy makes them upset and miserable. Her hater had mocked her past, but at the same time, they did not love her progress.
In conclusion, the poem reminded me of the horrible experiences of slavery in the 1500s. I constantly connected the speaker’s complaints to the restrictions issued to Black communities on White enslaver farms and homes. The poem got me emotional; it was so aching how the speaker described the troubles she experienced at the hands of racists. Although the poetry was saddening, I became optimistic about the achievability of an inclusive community based on its ending. The poem’s ending was eye-catching and hope-driven because the persona stressed rising even in her lowest moment in the poem’s setting.
Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. “Still, I Rise.” Poets.org, 2014. Web.
Wallis, Maria, and Cecille DePass. “Still, I Rise”: A Tribute to Maya Angelou. Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry, vol. 8, no. 2, 2016. Web.