However, when reading through stanza 4 lines 2–4, the poet used melopoeia “…Bowed head and lowered eyes? And simile “…shoulders falling down like teardrops.weakened by my soulful cries?” to express emotional feelings about terrible encounters she went through. It shows that the poet blamed the audience for lack of empathy despite the hardship and sufferings she went through. In stanza 4 line 1, the poet used euphemism “…see me broken…” broken is used instead of fractured to express the level at which the poet perceived her audience. The last two lines in stanza three lines 3 and 4 gave her strength, simile “…like hopes springing high, I will rise.”

Moreover, line 2 also affirmed hope of arising since tides also rise and fall, but they continue to exist. In the third stanza, line 1 Maya used simile “…like moon and like the sun…” to compare her stature. This line in stanza 2 expressed how the poet succeeded in fighting for rights of civil society. In stanza 2 lines 2, the poet intended to know why the audience got tormented with gloom, simile was used in line 3 when the poet expressed that she “….walk like…oil well…” which was within her living room. In stanza 2, the poet questioned if her liveliness upsets targeted audience (line 1). In fact, she used simile “…like dust…” and a pun “… I’ll rise…” in stanza 1 line 4 to express further on her desire to rise. The last line in stanza 1 indicates that the poet struggled with perseverance. Similarly, in stanza 1 line 2, the poet illustrated that “…your bitter, twisted lies…,” this expressed the behavior and perception of her audience. In the poem “Still I Rise”, the title itself is a reminiscence of what she encountered in the quest to accomplish her role in poetry.Īt the commencement of the poem, stanza 1 line 1, the poet used euphemism “…you may write me down…” to mean that she was ready to get into history books as a relentless civil rights activist. As Maya expresses herself, it is imperative to assert that she achieved her goal.

Maya angelou still i rise