A Study Guide (New Edition) for Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise"

By Gale and Cengage

A Study Guide (New Edition) for Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise", excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Poetry for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Poetry for Students for all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: Jun 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781535867962

Book preview

17

Still I Rise

Maya Angelou

1978

Introduction

Maya Angelou's Still I Rise, first published in her 1978 collection And Still I Rise, is a defiant shout of endurance and independence against a system designed to crush the free spirit of a woman of color. Always inspiring, Angelou reaches into the core of her being to draw out the molten, red-hot truth of who she is—the eternal flame of her inner strength that will not bow to any wind. To read the poem is to feel a swell of raw confidence, transferred from Angelou's proud speaker to the reader through a traditional call-and-response format.

Others have tried to keep this woman down and failed. She stands tall. She invites admiration and mocks disapproval. She does not need the approval of others, because she approves of herself. Angelou herself embodied this spirit as a cherished American writer, poet, and performer. Among her many honors, she was invited to read a poem at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993. Her remarkable 1969 autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a beloved staple of American classrooms, and her poetry continues to encourage readers to realize the power of self-confidence and pride.

Author Biography

Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1931, along with her brother, Bailey, Angelou moved to Stamps, Arkansas, to live with her grandmother after her parents divorced. Angelou was raped at the age of seven by her mother's boyfriend. She spoke out against him, resulting in the man's murder by Angelou's uncles. Traumatized by this series of events, Angelou stopped speaking for five years. She developed a deep love of reading and writing while mute. A well-educated woman,