Rhetorical Questions In Still I Rise By Maya Angelou

The color black is known to be one associated with negativity and wrongdoing, while the color white is considered pure and superior. Unfortunately, the same can be said when comparing ethnicities. It is not appropriate to judge somebody solely on the color of his or her skin, as they did not make the decision to be black or white. In Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise”, she demonstrates how one woman can break stereotypes and rise above all hardships. Maya’s use of rhetorical questions keeps one pondering how she is able to overlook the negative remarks and believe in herself. Additionally, Maya’s use of wealthy symbols display that she is not afraid to dream of a time when skin color is of no importance to your quality of life. Lastly, the use of similes and metaphors creates an empowering tone, which allows the reader to commend her. Ultimately, Maya Angelou suggests that with self-confidence and a strong belief in equality, the human spirit can rise above and conquer any obstacle. Maya Angelou uses apostrophe to express her feelings towards her discriminators through the use of rhetorical questions. To begin, Angelou asks her readers if her …show more content…
The use of rhetorical questions reinforce that there is an imaginary listener to who the questions are directed at. The wealthy symbols signify that Maya believes that she is a valuable person worthy of wealth. Furthermore, Angelou uses powerful similes and metaphors to justify her emotions towards her oppressors. Maya simply wants to be accepted as a black woman in her community, and takes a stand in order to do so. She is yearning for a world where equal rights are a basic necessity for everyone. Maya creates this truly inspiring poem to outlive generations so that African Americans will always be treated just as fairly as everyone