Poetry Presentation, fall 2004
LITR 5731:
Seminar in American Minority Literature
Poetry Presentation, fall 2004
Danny Corrigan
December 2, 2004
“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
About the author
Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. She is an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. She was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1971 for her first volume of verses, entitled JUST GIVE ME A COOL DRINK OF WATER 'FORE I DIE. Some of her books include “All Gods Children Need Traveling Shoes”, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” and “A Song Flung Up To Heaven”. Ms. Angelou has been presented with over 50 honorary degrees at different institutions. In 1981, she accepted a special lifetime appointment as a professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and the West African language of Fanti.
Things to consider while reading or listening to the poem
How does the poem use the dominant culture’s words against them? How does it serve as a conscience to the dominant culture, which may otherwise forget the past? (Both Objective 1b).
Can the narrator be considered a “double minority”? (Objective 2a).
How does this poem relate to “The Dream”? (Objective 3a).
The last time this poem was discussed (Fall 2001), the differences between the narrative voice in this poem and the narrative voices in the slave narratives were mentioned. Please keep the narrative voice of this poem in mind as you read it.
Interpretation.
As with all great works of art, this poem lends itself to interpretation on many different levels. On the surface level, this poem can be read as the narrator’s attempt to escape from an oppressive entity, whether it be a person or society, in search for individual identity, voice, and self-expression. (Stanza 5, lines 21-24) From a racial context, it can obviously be read as an African-American individual’s struggle to find their own identity, not only in relation to this country’s shameful history or slavery, but also as a citizen of modern American society, with all the contemporary racial conflicts that still exist. (Stanza 1, line 1-2; stanza 4, lines 13-15; stanza 8, lines 38-39). Finally, this poem can also be read as an African-American woman’s search for racial identity, gender identity and personal empowerment, within the context and confines of a predominately patriarchal society (Stanza 2, line 1; stanza 5, line 17; stanza 6; line 25).
Discussion Questions
1.In your opinion, who do you think is the “You” the narrator addresses in the poem? Is it society, a specific individual, or possibly both?
2.Are the themes presented exclusive to the African-American, female experience, or can they also appeal to a wider universal audience? Can this poem be read as a “battle cry” for all oppressed, disenfranchised minorities?
3. How does the narrative voice in this poem differ from other African-American narrative voices we’ve read? What are some of the similarities?