StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Like An Eagle In The Sky - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper presents the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, the poet celebrates her independence of spirit in the face of a harsh, judgmental world determined to keep her in a predetermined place. Angelou talks about the power in this poem. …
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.4% of users find it useful
Like An Eagle In The Sky
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Like An Eagle In The Sky"

Like an Eagle in the Sky” In the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, the poet celebrates her independence of spirit in the face of a harsh, judgmental world determined to keep her in a predetermined place. Instead of behaving as she’s supposed to - as society has decided she should - she behaves as she wishes and maintains pride in herself. There have been many times in my life that I have felt this same pride of self in the face of adversity, but never have I felt it more than my experience in attending military academy. While attending the academy, the whole program seemed designed to break me, but I found strength inside myself to keep going and ended up with a feeling of power like the power Angelou talks about in this poem. Like Angelou, I was brought to the bottom of society and expected to be happy with my place there, but I proved stronger than that and fostered my own identity to emerge with a very strong sense of who I was and pride in my own accomplishments. As I stood at the portals of the Academy full of hope, I also had deep feelings of trepidation. Coming from a humble background, “out of the huts of history’s shame” (29), I had already overcome several obstacles to make it this far. Failure was a possibility too terrible to contemplate. As I stepped inside and reported to the sergeant on duty, I wondered what the future held in store. Stripped down to my shorts, I stood in line with the other candidates as my head was shaved and all vestiges of my identity were swept away with my fallen hair. Like Angelou, I felt as if they were working to “trod me in the very dirt” (3). As the hours and days wore on, newer and newer indignities were heaped on me. As part of the training program, I was put through a gruelling schedule, meant to toughen me up physically and mentally. Mostly though, the schedule made no sense and seemed designed to break my will more than anything else. Strenuous physical exercises that stretched the limits of physical endurance, coupled with sleep deprivation, little or no food served at odd timings and a continuous tirade of abuses were my lot. During these times, I often felt as Angelou felt when she talks about the people tormenting her. “Did you want to see me broken? / Bowed head and lowered eyes? / Shoulders falling down like teardrops. / Weakened by my soulful cries” (13-16). Not a single word of praise ever escaped the pursed, unsmiling lips of my instructors as they harangued me day after day, narrowed eyes pouncing on the tiniest mistake I made. I found myself responding much like Angelou, “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, Ill rise.” (21-24). The resilience of youth and my innate belief in myself thanks to my previous experiences blossomed in this adversity, making me feel “like I’ve got gold mines / diggin’ in my own backyard” (19-20) and leaving me stronger after each ordeal. These indignities I suffered only served to strengthen my resolve. “Just like moons and like suns, / With the certainty of tides, / Just like hopes springing high, / Still Ill rise.” (9-12). I was determined to prove them all wrong no matter what it took, to “rise” just as Angelou mentions in her poem. They wanted me to fail, to “write me down in history / with … bitter, twisted lies” (1-2), but I knew I was meant to succeed. I had to justify the faith of not only my parents, but of the many others who had backed my ambitions. Like Angelou “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, / I am the dream and the hope of the slave.” (39-40), I was the dream and the hope of my family bringing everything they had to give in the form of character development, inner strength, dignity, pride and ability. I had to make it through, I had to “rise.” Finally, just when I had lost track of time, stumbling zombie-like from day to day and event to event, graduation day dawned. In my best ceremonial dress, “Leaving behind nights of terror and fear” (35), I walked forward to receive my lieutenants’ bars, the long sought-after goal. With me rode the hopes and aspirations of an entire community, “A black ocean, leaping and wide” (33), a boy from the back of beyond who had made it good and triumphed over all odds. As I saluted and turned to face the spectators, I saw before me my tormentors, but although I tried very hard to despise them; to remember the terrible retributions I had planned for them, I was overwhelmed by the moment, transported into “… a daybreak that’s wonderously clear” (37), free of rancour or pettiness. Like the eagle in the US flag, I felt myself soaring high on a thermal of emotions as it finally sank in that I had achieved my boyhood dreams. Like an eagle in the sky, I saw the world from a completely different perspective. I could “walk like Ive got oil wells / pumping in my living room.” (7-8). As I stepped down from the dais, my instructors came one by one to shake my hand. As I returned their salutes, I saw mirrored in them my own self and realized what a fine job they had done in transforming a raw youth into an officer. As I continued my path through the ranks of military hierarchy, understanding the determination required of myself and others to achieve these goals, I developed an understanding for the spiral, upward swing of Angelou’s final, parting words, “I rise, / I rise, / I rise” (41-43). Works Cited Angelou, Maya. “Still I Rise”. The Poetry of Maya Angelou. New York: Random House, 1993. 163-64 Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Like An Eagle In The Sky Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1535541-like-an-eagle-in-the-sky
(Like An Eagle In The Sky Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/literature/1535541-like-an-eagle-in-the-sky.
“Like An Eagle In The Sky Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1535541-like-an-eagle-in-the-sky.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Like An Eagle In The Sky

Definition paper on Patriotism

Anyone can get misty-eyed at the sight of a bald eagle soaring through an azure sky superimposed over the image of the flag waving in the breeze.... Another common image is that of the national bird, the Bald eagle.... The eagle is strong, ferocious and majestic.... It is important for the citizens of the United States to know what due process looks like in the real world so they can know if their rights have been taken away....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Speciesism in Humans

This essay "Speciesism in Humans" talks about in terms of instrumental value and in nature, everything has its own intrinsic value regardless of what value we perceive of them from our utility point of view, and all those things that have intrinsic value need to be protected.... nbsp;… With the last man departing from this planet, it is true that the instrumental value of redwood turns to nil from the human viewpoint but not from the viewpoint of other species as they will continue to live on this earth....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Designing a Heraldic Shield

The picture of the eagle in heraldic shield demonstrates exceptional leadership, power, authority and vision in a group organization or country (Connell et al, 156).... This observation is ttained by the size of their territories; an eagle can have a home ranging in thousands of acres this shows that the eagles are not afraid of conquering new territories in the bid of enjoying their freedom (Bohl & Rynn 85).... The eagle can be used as a symbol of representing power authority and the sun....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Flight( I choose the Bald eagle)

In short, this research work attempts to provide overall information on one among the most important predators in the sky, i.... hellip; This research work primarily deals with Bald Eagles, the birds that dominate the North American sky.... Bald eagle: general information, habitat, food habit, and challenges Abstract The scenario of bird kingdom consists of birds that depend upon meat, plants, and insects.... Bald eagle.... Still, the attempt to retrieve of Bald eagle (mainland of North America) population is noteworthy because the same is an important epoch within the effort to maintain bird population and to save birds from extinction....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

John Donne's Treatment of Male-Female Relationship in Love

First he compares the lovers to the eagle and dove, according to the Renaissance idea, eagle flies in the sky above earth while dove transcends the skies to reach heaven.... The treatment of love and the male and female relations in poems like ‘The Canonization' and ‘The Flea' is poles apart.... The lovers here burn like candles that will burn out of their own....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Whether or not NRAs Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program is the right way to teach safety to young children

One such measure is through NRA's Eddie eagle Gun Safety Program which teaches young children safe handling of gun which derives the basic principles of all firearms operations.... What exactly NRA's Eddie eagle Gun Safety Program is?... Before we start talking about the pros and cons of NRA's Eddie eagle Gun Safety Program, it is crucial to understand what exactly it is all about and what skills it offers young children.... Tell an Adult," is the slogan that National Rifle Association's Eddie eagle gun-safety program came up with, in order to impart children with knowledge and skills to curb the dangerous consequence one may have to bear with firearms accidents....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Old Turtle Critique

In the tale, animals and natural entities like breeze and rocks have voices so to speak of their presence and significance.... Simultaneously, Native American life style was closely associated to nature (popular perceptions like mother Earth) thus, hunting and belief in spirits were considered religious trait and due to tribal life style differences in religious norms appeared as none of the tribes...
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

A Modern Faustus: The Mistress of Games

nbsp;… The demon saved her from the eagle and chased it away.... rdquo;  Stella dug with her finger, further beneath the root where the earth was soft and wet, like the moist lips of her mother.... No; the future of the whole universe… like her heroes had once been, but she'd make sure she didn't become boring repetitions like them....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us