Reading Response - Essay Example

Reading Response The poem, written by Maya Angelou and en d “Still I Rise”, is such an inspirational piece of literary work that makes the readers metamorphize to exemplify the message relayed. The theme manifested the narrator’s commendable determination to rise beyond challenges, discrimination, or prejudice. The readers’ emotions and faculties are actually spurred into prying for the rationale of the narrator’s contentions. Only at the climax was it revealed that the narrator came from the ancestral line of slaves of previous generations; then, the more the readers empathize with the narrators’ tenacity.

One can feel the core of bitterness disclosed by the narrator through the language and figurative words used in the poem. Mentioning analogies such as “You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, Ill rise” (Angelou par. 1); “But still, like air, I’ll rise” (Angelou par. 6) – compared the narrator to dust and air, both inanimate in utterly diverse forms. The effectiveness of relaying the message of rising above all odds has been effective through the simplicity and clarity of the language used.

The vivid illustration of lows and highs was laudable with the appropriate choice of images and comparisons such as: hopes springing high; shoulders falling down like teardrops; I laugh like I’ve got goldmines.The stanza that completely expressed the rage and extent of pain supposedly inflicted on the narrator was revealed, to wit: “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” (Angelou par. 6).This figurative language gives credence to the rollercoaster of emotions that the narrator imparts to the readers.

Despite the repeated injustice received, the ability to rise, like air, was praiseworthy. The other phrase that gives way to the personality profile of the narrator was: “Im a black ocean, leaping and wide”(Angelou par. 8). The representation of a woman’s body was relayed through words such as: “Does my sexiness upset you.That I dance like Ive got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs?”(Angelou par. 7). One, therefore, can confirm that these lines are more than just a simple poem created by an individual, this literary work could manifest the universal pain and prejudice felt by African Americans for being enslaved by the White race.

These images were therefore intently chosen to reveal the indignation felt from racial discrimination and their determination to fight this oppression and regain their dignity and rights.One is completely inspired by the manner in which the author structured the words and phrases in rhythmic pattern and used analogies and metaphors to symbolize oppression and discrimination. More admirable was the extent of perseverance in rising beyond depths of repeated injustice and unfair treatment. The realization of the author’s dreams to be treated with equality and justice was expressed through: “Leaving behind nights of terror and fear…Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear” (Angelou par. 9). At this point, one is truly relieved that the goal of rising beyond depths of discrimination was ultimately achieved.

Works CitedAngelou, Maya. Still I Rise. Random House, 1978. Print.