"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
First of all,
how cute is Maya Angelou in that reading?!
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| Younger Maya Angelou |
Summary: The speaker is talking to
her naysayers: the people who want her to be more quiet, more reserved. She
tells them that there is nothing they could do that could stop her or her
people from rising out of depression, segregation, and oppression.
Problems: I don't anticipate any
problems with this. Like I said before, I don't plan on working in Utah, so I
don't think the word "sexiness" or the allusions to a vagina would be
a problem anywhere else. If it is, I'll show them that this is a poem about
empowerment for women and blacks. The poem is definitely not explicit in a
manner.
Purpose and Educational Significance: This poem
I would reserve for the last work in the unit (the second poem mentioned in the
"Repetition" post). Not only can it be discussed in light of our
discussions of feminist and race theories, but it is also an inspiration poem.
I would love to encourage my students with this, especially since they will
soon be entering the next phase of their lives. I also think that Maya Angelou
is one of the most fabulous modern poets, and honestly one of the greatest
American poets of all time. I would be remiss if I didn’t expose my students to
her work.
First, in light of race theory, how is the speaker “the hope and
dreams of the slaves?” Do you think African-Americans in particular, but ethnic
minorities in general, have reached a point of social safety and security? What
could the speaker be referring to when she says “You may write me down in
history/with your bitter, twisted lies?”
In light of feminist theory, what do you think of the lines/stanza
that refer to sassiness and sexiness? Is it appropriate that society is
making judgments about the speaker based on these attributes? Do
you think the speaker allows these judgments to deter her?
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