Themes In Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise'

‘Still I Rise’ by the American, Maya Angelou presents the character of a black woman who is oppressed in the 1970s but refuses to accept this. ‘Disabled’ by Wilfred Owen, however, is concerned with a character who is ‘broken’ after the disabilities he suffers in the First World War at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The poem ‘Still I Rise’ is about a woman who discloses that she will overcome anything due to her self-confidence. The line ‘But still, like dust, I’ll rise’ is a metaphor that expresses that she will not be downtrodden by others. Instead, she will be the dust that rises from the dirt. Furthermore, the bold words ‘I rise’ exaggerates that she is resilient and will not be put down. Additionally, her relentless view is that …show more content…
This represents the defiant movement that will happen instead of her. She uses natural imagery to convey that she cannot be stopped, demonstrated by the lines ‘Just like moons and suns’/ ‘With the certainty of tides,’/ ‘Just like hopes springing high,’. The repetition of the two words ‘Just like’ is anaphora which enforces her point that she will rise. Also, she links nature with the moon, sun and tide all emerging like her. This accompanies the natural world in the personification of ‘hopes springing high’. This exposes the confidence she has, as a character, to change things, therefore, demonstrating her self-confident character. These three lines are defiantly cut short by the monosyllabic words ‘Still I’ll Rise.’ Angelou uses repetition on the defiant words “Still I Rise” to convey her relentless character who refuses to bow down to white pressure and stereotypes. Furthermore, she does not shy away from being arrogant. This is indicated by the rhetorical question ‘Does my sassiness upset you?’/ ‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells. ’ She does not feel sorry for herself illustrating her fearless character. This transforms the oppressed black woman to a person proud of their background.