Still I Rise

 

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
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.

 

Still I Rise is a response to the people who oppressed the African Americans. Angelou is addressing the people as well as standing up for herself and other African Americans. She speaks in second person, directing the message straight to the people who agreed with segregation and were racist. Angelou interrogates those who were harmful and defies their expectations. Angelou asks,”Does my haughtiness offend you? / Don’t you take it awful hard / ‘Cause I laugh like I got gold mines / Diggin’ in my own backyard” (Angelou 17-20). She has pride and will not let anyone take it away from her. She will not let anyone underestimate her, no matter what color or race. Her hope for a better future triumphs all, and motivates others so speak out.
Angelou is expressing her feelings of desire for a more peaceful future, as well as her anger towards the injustices of society. She questions the actions of the people who resort to violence by asking, “Did you want to see me broken? / Bowed head and lowered eyes? / Shoulders falling down like teardrops, / Weakened by my soulful cries” (13-16). Angelou could not fathom as to why people would do such harmful actions to others. She is infuriated, and chose to speak for what she feels is right. Although upset, Angelou found a way to respond to the hatred without becoming physically involved. She controlled her anger, and after every negative comment, she concludes the stanza with a simile of how she is overcoming her obstacles.
Although not written in the 50’s and 60’s, this poem clearly connects to the racism and discrimination during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout this time, hatred towards African Americans became more out of control. There were constant, violent riots and rallies, where African Americans could not defend themselves, for if they acted violently in retaliation, they would be sent to jail or even killed. Angelou describes, “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” (21-24). Along with peaceful protests, voice was one of the only ways for African Americans to be heard. Angelou’s voice and poetry was one of the ways for African Americans to gain hope and positivity.