Maya Angelou tells how she is above lies and oppression, and 'like dust, I'll rise.' Not only does this seem to spit defiance at the speakers of the lies, but shows a clear understanding of the liars themselves: bitter because, presumably, they resent the idea of a black female becoming so successful. . I created this resource to help guide my GCSE class through the poem 'Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou. Still I Rise In stanza one, Maya Angelou hints at her relationship with history and the body's relationship with the earth. In these last three stanzas she also uses questions to draw the reader in and require them to examine their own lives. The tone becomes that of a rally or a church service. Note the personal pronouns "him", "his", "he" - as opposed to "the corpse". ...read more. It functions as a sort of secular hymn to the oppressed and abused. Angelou is discussing discrimination and the idea of being suppressed. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Q3: What 3 other images in the poem contribute to the poem’s tone? You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. Not the one? She also correlates how the body can be put and driven into the ground, but eventually it decomposes and humans turn into earth, like soil and dust. This website and its content is subject to our Terms and To force the reader to re-evaluate their pre-conceived perceptions of her as a black woman. ( Log Out /  Tes Global Ltd is From the Tudors to Tom Hardy's Tess, or from the Wars of the Roses to Wuthering Heights, feel free to browse through my musings to pick up extra ideas and points for discussion! She makes it feel as though she's saying you thought I couldn't do it, but look at me now! 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. It is worth remembering that miscegeny (mixed-race sexual relations) was a deep-seated fear of many of the Southern States of the USA. We contrast the ugly "corpse, stanched and bandaged", which becomes a sleeping child with "no gaudy scars" - dead, but, ironically, not disfigured. Her language is strengthened by the use of alliteration of B and T sounds in ‘bitter, twisted lies’. In response to Year 10 who are studying this for EDEXCEL IGCSE. She also says that she must preserve her ancestor's dreams (who were slaves) for success in a free world. Her attitude as a confident, sassy, African American woman is out of the norm for society. registered in England (Company No 02017289) with its registered office at 26 Red Lion Q6: Who is the audience (the reader) for this poem? Broadly speaking, the poem is an assertion of the dignity and resilience of marginalized people in the face of oppression. Combined with the positive imagery of a new dawn and the ‘dream and hope of the slave’, the message is clear. Night: Alice Munro, thoughts on family - not a model answer. This idea is reinforced in the structure of the poem in the second section: Here the repetition becomes swifter and more ecstatic. I created this resource to help guide my GCSE class through the poem 'Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou. Thoughts and ideas about words, stories and what works best in the classroom and beyond, ' . A site to share my resources for secondary English teaching. It was intended to be a short question and response activity – not a long essay…. The child appears as if sleeping (a simile). ', There's more to life than books, you know. Tough GCSE topics broken down and explained by out team of expert teachers, Learn the art of brilliant essay writing with help from our teachers, Get your head around tough topics at A-level with our teacher written guides, Start writing remarkable essays with guidance from our expert teacher team, Understand the tough topics in IB with our teacher written Study Guides, Learn the art of brilliant essay writing from our experienced teachers, Struggling with an assignment? Learn more, of their son, they might wonder what will happen next, what will their next wish be and what will be the cost of it? An introduction to English Literature: initial thoughts. The cries of ‘I rise’ suggest that the event is actually taking place until the final 3 lines present an unstoppable momentum to the poem. Q1: Describe the speaker in lines 1-4 of the poem? GCSE resources with teacher and student feedback, AS and A Level resources with teacher and student feedback, International Baccalaureate resources with teacher and student feedback, University resources with teacher and student feedback. Preparing young people for the future with lessons from the past. 'P' calls men like this "sick hearts that honour could not move" indicating that they are fundamentally wrong. Created by teachers, our study guides highlight the really important stuff you need to know. . The poem takes the reader through a series of statements the speaker makes about herself. to make the best that has been thought and known in the world current everywhere . Post was not sent - check your email addresses! She also mentions how she carries herself, portraying it to the world as though she is rich, which for Maya Angelou she wasn't rich growing up. Q7: Briefly explain the connection between the language and syntax of the title and the theme and style of the poem “Still I Rise.”. or Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. One of Angelou's most acclaimed works, the poem was published in Angelou’s third poetry collection And Still I Rise in 1978. Its flight makes you jealous but noone can stop it from flying. The simile suggests not just the current position of blacks at the bottom of society but also links to the Biblical image of Adam and Eve being created from the very dust of the Earth. There is a reference to roots and the slavery era, and she uses her ancestors experience as a resource for her ownstrength. The Bright Lights of Sarajevo: Edexcel IGCSE. Square “Still I Rise” is a poem by the American civil rights activist and writer Maya Angelou. She praises her strength, her body, and her ability to rise up and away from her personal and historical past. The moons and suns in this simile are not just visual representations of wonder – both life giving in that the moon is an ancient fertility symbol in many cultures, but also suggests a never ending cyclical process – as she rises, a blazing sun, the moon – a cold and white symbol- must inevitably sink. Learn the basics with our essay writing guide. . ...read more. It seems as though she is suggesting that it is instinct to desire freedom and it is human nature to recover from feeling low and suppressed__ (Explanation)__. Follow English Teaching Resources on WordPress.com, Thoughts on Significant Cigarettes: Rose Tremain. Like the students I teach, I am always learning. She asks the reader if that upsets them, which at the time, probably did. This simile manages to link the physical appearance of the downtrodden slave, wearing a metaphorical yoke to weight down the shoulders with the physical distress caused by slavery, likening the slope of the shoulders to the constant dropping of tears. ‘Still’ carries two layers of meaning – one level is the basic sense of an event which continues through time, another is the sense of an event happening despite all attempts to prevent it. It was intended to be a short question and response activity – not a long essay… Still I rise: Maya Angelou. Both texts are from Part 2: Paper 2 Section A Poetry and Prose Texts of the Edexcel International GCSE anthology. . Sign up to view the whole essay and download the PDF for anytime access on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Q2: Why does the poet use the image of dust in line 4? The stanza concludes with the first statement of fact – she will ‘rise’ like the dust. ...read more. This is happening and nights of fear (lynch mobs and other threats being real fears) are being consigned to the past. Why are you beset with gloom? More than this, the use of ‘diamonds’ both shows the degree to which she values her sexuality and also the extreme attractiveness of her as a potential sexual partner. London WC1R 4HQ. She then asks if her pridefulness is offensive, and then proceeds to say she doesn't care if it is or not. Conditions. Contains a list of questions and some key words and phrases for students to analyse. How does the speaker portray this audience? Both texts are from Part 2: Paper 2 Section A Poetry and Prose Texts of the Edexcel International GCSE anthology. Q5: What is the effect of the repetition in the poem? Considering Huckleberry Finn: OCR A level introduction. Other words are used to describe the men left behind, "half-men" implying that they are cowardly and "dirty" and "dreary" portraying them as not pure. Heaney likens the bruise to the poppy, a flower linked with death and soothing of pain (opiates come from poppies). She is declaring her determination to succeed in a world that puts her down. (New 9-1 specification.). Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’ is like a bird’s liberty song that loves a free life. © 2003 - 2015 Marked by Teachers. Get Full Access Now Angelou challenges her readers in highly sensitive societal areas – wealth and sexuality. Both an audience of similar women to herself – her repetition of the ‘still I rise’ message linked to the figurative images of wealth and sexuality are designed to give others the confidence to express their feelings in this way – and a potentially hostile (white) readership who rest their short-sighted attitudes on the single story of the black woman of loose morals who is a threat to their well ordered society. In the opening stanza the poet is clearly angry and defiant. This stirring poem is packed full of figurative language. As the repetition becomes more intense, almost as though there is a congregational joining of the affirmation of the message, the inevitability becomes unstoppable. Already have an account? Search for your essay title... How Far do Owen(TM)s Poems Break with the Jingoistic Literary Tradition Established by Various ... Join over 1.2 million students every month, Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month. With an African American background, she knows the importance and cruel irony of history. ( Log Out /  Still I Rise by Maya Angelou: Summary and Analysis. The calm mood is beautifully shown in the transferred epithet ("Snowdrops/And candles soothed the bedside" - literally they soothed the young Heaney).