Still I Rise 
Tuesday 10 September 
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Write a statement concerning the ideas expressed in the poem with a 

focus on each one of these areas (with quotation) 
Politics 
 
The politics concerning the poem is about the part “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.” This stanza significantly conveys political power because most politics is about 
arguing against governors and about controlling people with the law; therefore many 
people may use this to exploit others - spreading hate. This stanza reflects lots of what 
governments do to its people. The word ‘you’ also give strong correlation to addressing 
the government because it is like picking you from the crowd; exposing you, which many 
government officials may hide like snakes under many flowers. 

History 
 
Looking back at the history of the US, the 2 lines in the poem: “You may write me down in 
history With your bitter, twisted lies,” This explains a lot about how history is created 
through stories of the past that people pass on; however, can we truly believe in history 
itself? The US's history is mostly about independence and how it is their symbol and 
belief to be free. Despite that, they aren’t that really bringing liberty to everyone e.g. slave 
trade and Chinese labourers. These hypocritical acts in history, has mostly been covered 
up by pretty lies, for example how they call themselves the new world with many 
opportunities - in fact many African American may tell you that the ‘America’ they know is 
full of racism and not as ‘free’ as the US has declared itself to be. This correlates to the 
poem how America write a history about African Americans as devil borns, sinners etc; in 
reality, they are just another race of humans, the same as them.  

Trade 
 

 
 
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The part of in the poem “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave” linking to the black 
heritage of Maya, how most people will find it as a curse, branding them as slaves too. 
However, Maya change the meaning to a more empowering notation to her black 
ancestry, showing no shame to her race - proud to be black, it is like without her black 
heritage she wouldn’t have come to be a successful defiant poet. 

Oppression 
 
The part where “Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise” this signifies oppression 
because being oppressed is like the pain of chains holding you down. The word ‘root’ is 
another synonym for holding you down, therefore this line reflects the roots that bind 
her with pain, but also the roots of her family tree; this links with the racism about her 
heritage too. The society oppressing her and her race down like roots and reflect the 
roots of her ethnicity. 

Societal Issues 
 
In the poem, societal issues are discussed through the stanza in the poem “ Does my 
haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awfully hard ‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold 
mines Diggin in my own backyard.” This refers to the attitude and the discrimination that 
black people get to like her. In America, a lot of people (especially protestant whites) 
hates and jealous of black people because they are supported by the government and by 
racial advocates; additionally Maya is a successful poet, therefore racist people are more 
likely to be jealous of her - this stanza is showing confrontation to those people and is 
explaining how she got this success by her own hardship and sarcastically pitying them 
because she knows that she got what she deserves and she has more than what the 
haters have. 

Individual Rights 
 
Individual rights are shown is the stanza: “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?” This signifies 
how people criticize black bodies, black bodies are known to be stronger than white 
bodies (for example, men are supposed to have a bigger private and stronger physique, 
as for women their hips and butt is supposed to have a more flexible and attractive 
nature to it). These stereotypes make haters jealous. This stanza basically states how 
ridiculous their accusation is because these physiques are born with them, and black 
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people should have the individual rights to not get discriminated just about their 
physique and colour of their skin. 

Slavery 
 
The line in the poem: “Out of the huts of history’s shame” this refers to the huts of Africa 
and the huts where they came from (representing their race). However also the many 
huts of shame, which many black women have suffered from, during the period where 
black women have no rights and white men can rape them in their homes, whilst the 
black woman may be working for them and have no consent to prevent these lustful 
actions by these men. 

Peaceful Protest 
 
On the stanza “Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes 
springing high, Still, I'll rise.” This represents peaceful protest because protest are like 
tides that come and go and describing protest as they are sun and moon because protest 
never goes away in America; showing how America never really solve the problem of the 
protest - the certainty of the protest being successful is like tides, the problem occurs and 
‘solved’ and occurs again - showing how these problems never really solved. The protest 
is the hope of people and standing up against the system; however, the word choice is 
quite peaceful, the words chosen in this stanza is all tranquil aspects of nature - showing 
how their defiance is strong but are done through peaceful means.