"And Still I Rise" is a collection of poetry that was published in 1978 by Random House. This was Maya Angelou's third collection and tackles the struggles of being a black woman, oppression in society, and the surge of racism. Angelou heavily draws from the history of slavery in America as inspiration.
The collection has 32 poems in total and is divided into three sections: "Touch Me, Life, Not Softly"; "Traveling"; "And Still I Rise." There are many themes and characteristics in this collection, but the key one is confidence. Angelou took inspiration from the history of slavery and emphasizes her message by using repetition.
Background of Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was an American author, poet, memoirist, actress, screenwriter, dancer, and civil rights activist. She was also the first female inaugural poet in U.S. presidential history and read a poem in 1993 for President Bill Clinton's inauguration. She spent most of her childhood and youth mute, but found her voice in poetry.
The main themes that can be found in her writing include African American experiences, love, loss, music, discrimination, family, identity, racism, struggle, and slavery. The purpose of her work was to show the inequality between blacks and whites in America. Angelou wanted to enlighten blacks and uplift society with her work.
In the "And Still I Rise" volume, there are three sections, comprising a total of 32 poems, which cover different feelings and themes. The sections are as follows:
Part One: "Touch Me, Life, Not Softly"
This first part is considered joyful and talks about the strength of being a woman and a lover. It includes the following poems: "A Kind of Love, Some Say," "Country Lover," "Remembrance," "Where We Belong, A Duet," "Phenomenal Woman," "Men," "Refusal," and "Just For A Time."
Part Two: "Traveling"
In the second part, Angelou talks about drug addiction, child abuse, hardships, and conditions in the inner-city that she experienced herself growing up in the South. It includes the following poems: "Junkie Monkey Reel," "The Lesson," "California Prodigal," "My Arkansas," "Through the Inner City to the Suburbs," "Lady Luncheon Club," "Momma Welfare Roll," "The Singer Will Not Sing," "Willie," "To Beat the Child Was Bad Enough," "Woman Work," "One More Round," "The Traveler," "Kin," and "The Memory."
Part Three: "And Still I Rise"
The last part circles back to talk about what was covered in "Part One," but focuses on the strength Angelou found not only in herself but also in her community that she was a part of. It includes the following poems: "Still I Rise," "Ain't That Bad?," "Life Doesn't Frighten Me," "Bump d'Bump," "On Aging," "In Retrospect," "Just Like Job," "Call Letters: Mrs. V. B.," and "Thank You, Lord."
"Still I Rise" Poem
One of the most well-known poems from this collection is "Still I Rise," which the collection was named after. The title itself reveals that this poem is a proclamation against the society that tried to dominate Angelou. She also talks about being able to overcome anything through her self-esteem, self-respect, and confidence. Nothing can hold her back, not even her skin color.
The full text is included below:
"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 backyard.
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."
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