By Maya Angelou
Describe how techniques have been used in the text
Explain how these techniques have been used to create a particular effect
In the poem ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou, there are many techniques used to help us understand what she went through and to also help us to overcome oppression just like she did. Poetic comparisons were used to create the effect of incredible achievement in the face of terrible misfortune. Rhetorical questions and direct address were applied to convict the reader and include them in the poem. Finally, violent verbs and historical references were used to create the feeling of a harsh and challenging history, and the effect reminds us of the resilience Maya Angelou had in the face of adversity.
Maya Angelou teases society by telling us that she is sassy, confident, and wealthy through similes and metaphors.
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells,
Pumping in my living room’
This attitude is unusual, as this is the opposite of how African-American women are told to act. This simile tells us that Angelou walks like she’s rich, and she is ignoring and rising above the conflict and hate she so often receives. Oil wells would also provide the owner with wealth, and power. ‘Shoulders falling down like teardrops.’ This simile is a moment of weakness for Maya Angelou. Her shoulders are falling the way tears fall down her face. She takes a moment to embrace the feeling of neglect and sadness. She may feel this but tries not to show it because she doesn’t want to seem weak. She also wants people to know that their words and actions can hurt, maybe not her but everyone is different, and that needs to be understood and respected.
To make us more engaged in the poem Maya Angelou includes rhetorical questions and direct addresses. “Do you want to see me broken?” is both a rhetorical question and direct address. The question is addressing us as the reader, so we reflect on our actions. Maya Angelou puts in rhetorical questions to pick at the conscience of the oppressor by reminding them what they have done. Rhetorical questions, especially in this poem, confront the oppressor and remind us that Maya Angelou is proud of who she is, how far she has come, and how close-minded the oppressor is. The question is also asking us if we expected her to have a broken spirit because of all the hate she received; she is asking this because that is not how she feels.
The direct address tells us that we are the oppressors. She is not saying we might be, but that we are. We are the ones that mentally tried to destroy her, but in fact, it had the opposite effect. “Does my sassiness upset you?” This rhetorical question and direct address are again referring to the attitude we thought we wouldn’t see from Maya Angelou. Again she is reminding us that she has overcome worse things than the obnoxious words from our mouths and saying awful things is not going to torment her. She is again teasing society by telling us that she is confident in her body and proud to be an African-American.
Violent verbs and historical references as a vital part of the poem ‘Still I Rise.’ Maya Angelou used very violent verbs to emphasize the aggression she and many others received.
‘You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hate fullness.’
This technique has been used to tell us that her oppressors may use hurtful language and give dirty looks, but still, she will rise above that, ‘like air’ become the bigger person and she won’t give up because listening to those people and their disgusting words is not going to help her in any shape or form. Violent verbs make it clear how direct and aggressive the oppression was that she received. These violent verbs are used to create the feeling of a harsh reality Maya Angelou had to go through.
Historical references were also used to generate the feeling of a challenging history.
‘Out of the huts of history’s shame,
up from a past that is rooted in pain.’
She talks about a past that was rooted in pain. This is referring to the many years when people with black skin were incorrectly treated when they were used for prostitutes, slaves, and many other tortuous jobs and how they went through a very harsh and challenging time. She is referring this time to ‘history’s shame.’ ‘Out of the huts’ in this context stands for the slave’s huts on the plantations in the south before the American Civil War. Although Angelou was not a slave, some people still mistreated her a lot as they believed she should have been a slave.
In conclusion, Maya Angelou used many techniques in her poem ‘Still I Rise’ to help us understand the terrible way she was treated and how we can overcome oppression as she did. Poetic comparisons were used to create the effect of achievement in the face of terrible odds. Rhetorical questions and direct address were implemented to accuse the reader and include them in the poem. Lastly, violent verbs and historical references were used to create the feeling of a harsh and challenging history.
Recent Comments