STILTS

STILTS stands for . . .

S - Subject
T - Theme
I - Imagery
L - Language
T - Tone
S - Structure
Subject

What is the poem literally about?

Where is it set?
Who is speaking?
Who are they speaking to?
Theme
Think bigger than the subject! These are the big ideas
within the poem.
How would you categorize the poem?
Love?
Conflict?
War?
Imagery
Does the poet use . . .
- Metaphors
- Similes
- Personification
- Symbolism

What effect does this have?

Language
What sort of language does the poet use?
What literary devices have been used? Why?
Does it help identify the theme?
E.g. romantic language indicating the theme of love
How does it affect the sound of a poem?
E.g. short, sharp words creating a quick paced poem.
Tone

Think about the voice of the poem.

Are they happy, angry, disappointed or sad?
What makes you think this?
Structure
How is the poem laid out?
Think about . . .
- Stanzas
- Line length
- Syllables
- Rhyme scheme
Africa
by Maya Angelou
Subject

- The poem is about the history of the continent, Africa

- It looks back into history, but it is a current narrative
- It talks about the struggles and hardships the people of
Africa have endured
- The speaker is unidentified and omniscient
- The audience is unidentified, however they are
addressed
Theme: Oppression
- The poem describes the oppression of the African
people through slavery.
- When Europeans arrived in Africa, Africans were
killed, enslaved, and forced to adopt new religious
beliefs and ways of life.
- Women were raped lost the right to govern their
own bodies. Men and women were forced into slave
labor and were turned into property, stripping them
of their humanity and cultural identity as many were
forced to leave their native land.
Theme: Resilience
- As in many of her other poems, Angelou
demonstrates and celebrates the human will to
survive.

- In “Africa,” the people resisting oppression are

specifically African men and women, fighting to
survive.
Theme: Female Power
- Angelou’s poems often feature a powerful female
figure. In this case, the continent of Africa is
personified as a woman.
- While Angelou describes the plight of all African
people, she chooses to describe the continent as a
woman. This is likely a reference to the idea of a
“motherland,” as a woman births a child, a land
births its people and traditions and nurtures them.
Imagery
- Metaphor
“sugercane sweet
deserts her hair
golden her feet
mountains her breasts
two Niles her tears”
Imagery
- Personification and symbolism: The presentation of
Africa as a woman.
“her screams loud and vain
remember her riches
her history slain
now she is striding
although she has lain”
Language
- Simple language
Not overly descriptive, to the point.
- Use of repetition
Anaphora in Lines 1, 7, 17 and 25. “Thus she has lain”
Syntactic structure in Lines 3, 4, 5, 6. “Golden her feet”
Anaphora in lines 19, 20, 22. “Remember . . .”
Language
- Use of alliteration and assonance
“Sugarcane sweet”
“Two niles hear tears”
“Sold her strong sons”

“Rime white and cold”

Language
- Words to identify themes
Oppression: Ungentled, took, sold, churched, bled, lain -
passive language
Resilience: rising, striding - strength and power
Female power: Use of female pronouns her/she
Language
- Short words
Rhythm is created - how is this linked to Africa?
- Tense
Past tense is used predominantly, showing things have
already happened but present continuous is used in
stanza 3 rising, striding
- Allusion
References are made to the River Nile, the longest in
Africa and to Christianity
Tone
Stanza 1: Peaceful, respectful

Stanza 2: Suffering, anguised

Stanza 3: Resilient, hopeful

Structure
Stanza 1: Regular. 8 lines, 4 syllables per line, ABCBDEAE
rhyme scheme. Simple, stable, timeless.
Stanza 2: Chaotic. 9 lines, variation of syllables per line,
off-beat rhythm. Uncomfortable, unsettled.
Stanza 3: Recovering, but still unsettled. 8 lines, variation
in syllables per line, ABCBDEAE rhyme scheme.