Still I Rise, Narrative Point of View

Narrative Point of View
Still I Rise
Maya Angelou
The speaker in Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’ is Angelou herself- she is a proud and strong African
American woman who knows who she is. Angelou has been through a lot; the divorce of her parents
when she was only three, she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend when she moved back in with
them after she had lived with her grandmother for four years, due to this she refused to speak for
five years because she felt so guilty for reporting his crime as he was killed once people found out
what he did. Also, Angelou endured racism and oppression, this is expressed in ‘Still I Rise’ as she
challenges those who ‘shoot’ her with their words and ‘kill’ her with their ‘hatefulness’, this evidence
suggests that she was the recipient of abuse; she wasn’t just a bystander who witnessed it. In ‘Still I
Rise’ Angelou confronts those who write ‘bitter, twisted lies’ about her, those who are upset by her
‘sassiness’, ‘haughtiness’ and ‘sexiness’, in short; those who oppress her and are against her actions.
Angelou defends herself against these people and assures them that she will, in fact, ‘rise’, despite
what they say and do to stop her. Self-confidence shines in through the poem, telling us that this is
a quality that Angelou has herself, given she’s the speaker. We can also tell that she’s very proud of
what she, and indeed her culture, has achieved, and will achieve in the future, as they ‘rise into
daybreak’, ‘leaving behind nights of terror and fear’, with the ‘gifts that (her) ancestors gave’.
This African American speaker (Maya Angelou) is assertive and confident with who she is. Maya uses
a metaphor “you may shoot me with your words. But still like air I’ll rise”. This quote shows her
assertiveness in which she expresses her thoughts and feelings in her poetry, about the racism she
and other African Americans Have faced. In a way, she is challenging white people who oppressed
her and influencing Negro people who have been through the same thing. She has addressed white
readers by saying “did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and narrowed eyes?” Here she is
challenging the white view of black inferiority and is influencing African American people, to rise
above these tough times of oppression and racism like she is. It shows the speakers assertiveness
and confidence. She is challenging the white’s view of black inferiority and inspiring African
Americans that they are equal and can rise above this oppression.
The attitude of strength and determination crafted by the speaker is described in the poem.
She won’t give up.

“But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”
“But” shows there is
still more to come.
“Still” shows us that
even though she’s
been disrespected
she will keep moving
forward. This links to Full stop indicates that there is no
the idea of question about her statement
determination. and it will happen.
Dust is always there and never

goes away which shows that the
Black community is not giving up.
Simile gives Indicates that she is standing

readers up for herself.
something to
relate to.
Personal pronoun lets us

understand that this
problem has affected her
and it’s personal to her
even though she is standing
up for the black community
at the same time. Because
it has happened to her it
means that she is able to
speak on behalf of the black
community.
This shows that the speaker
(Angelou) has been through a
lot in the past which relates
to Angelou’s actual life which
“Leaving behind nights of terror and fear” means that she is expressing
what she feels to let everyone
know what she has been
through.
Shows us that bad
things have happened
but they will be
changing.
This conjunction links to

the idea of strength as it
shows that there is more
This represents than one bad thing that has
that the speaker is happened to the speaker,
determined that but she is strong enough to
she will not live overcome them.
with this pain and
disrespect any
longer.

Still I Rise, Narrative Point of View

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Narrative Point of View

She won’t give up.

Dust is always there and never

Simile gives Indicates that she is standing

Personal pronoun lets us

This conjunction links to

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