Poem: Still I Rise
By: Maya Angelou
“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.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise."
~~~~~~~~~
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise."
~~~~~~~~~
The poem I chose is, Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou. This poem is about a person who gets bullied. The people (bullies) who try to bring her down expect her to be sad and ashamed, when in reality she doesn't let them bring her down. Even after she gets bullied, she still manages to hold her head up high and never gives in to the taunting. She doesn't let them get to her head, and believes that bullies will not succeed because she will always rise.
I think the author wrote this story to encourage people who are teased or harassed to not let the bullies dampen your mood or have you endure pain. I am convinced that her message is to not let the bullies succeed into bringing you down, or feeling less of yourself. They may insult you, but at the end of the day it's you who keeps yourself together and doesn't let people ruin you.
This poem's connection reminds me of Text to Self. This poem reminds me of Text to Self because it encourages the reader to not let bullies get their way, and to make yourself stronger. The message is the main key to the whole poem, and it's there to inspire people to believe in themselves. It is text to self because the poem has encouraged me to not care what people think of, and has reminded me of when I used to get insulted, but didn't let the bullies get their way.
I think the author wrote this story to encourage people who are teased or harassed to not let the bullies dampen your mood or have you endure pain. I am convinced that her message is to not let the bullies succeed into bringing you down, or feeling less of yourself. They may insult you, but at the end of the day it's you who keeps yourself together and doesn't let people ruin you.
This poem's connection reminds me of Text to Self. This poem reminds me of Text to Self because it encourages the reader to not let bullies get their way, and to make yourself stronger. The message is the main key to the whole poem, and it's there to inspire people to believe in themselves. It is text to self because the poem has encouraged me to not care what people think of, and has reminded me of when I used to get insulted, but didn't let the bullies get their way.
I created a picture with multiple silhouettes to show what I visualized while reading this poem. In my picture (below), there are two bullies. These bullies are teasing the girl, and are expecting their words to hurt her and make her sad. Instead of feeling down, the girl raises her head up and thinks of herself as someone better. In the poem, it states "I rise." multiple times. To display this I made the girl look like she was on the clouds because she was feels very highly of herself, and she 'rose' up and will continue to 'rise' up from the bullying.
