39 pages • 1 hour read
Maya AngelouStill I Rise
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1977A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou (1983)
A part of her collection Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing?, this poem shares similar themes with “Still I Rise.” The poem describes a yearning for freedom and the resilience of the speaker. Angelou returns to the imagery of caged and free birds, recalling the title of her first autobiography.
“Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou (1978)
Another poem from the And Still I Rise collection, this poem focuses on a frequent theme of Angelou’s: praise of Black femininity and beauty. This poem exemplifies Angelou’s style and rhetoric, and she often chose to read it out loud at public readings.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (1969)
Angelou’s most well-known work, her first autobiography details her childhood and early adult life. Many critics consider the young Angelou’s experiences to not only be those of a specific person, but as a representation of every Black girl growing up in America. Scholars also argue that her autobiography challenged the genre in its attempts to critique, change, and expand the form. The book focuses on some common themes in Angelou’s work and in Black writing following the Civil Rights movement including a celebration of Black womanhood, criticism of racism, the quest for independence, resilience, and survival.
“Primer for Blacks” by Gwendolyn Brooks (1980)
Another influential Black American poet of the late 20th century, Brooks wrote extensively about being a Black woman in America. In this poem, Brooks advocates for other Black women to be self-aware about the racial legacy embodied in their skin. She ends the poem with a reminder that all dark skin is met with the same racism.
Further Literary Resources
This documentary explores Angelou’s life and career. It includes interviews with Angelou, her friends, and her admirers.
“Black Power in Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’, ‘Phenomenal Woman’, and ‘Weekend Glory’” by Silvania Krisna and Liliek Soelistyo (2013)
This article explores the nuances of Angelou’s understanding of Black power and identity. It looks closely at the social and historical context and the figurative language used in the selected poems.
“Singing the Black Mother: Maya Angelou and Autobiographical Continuity” by Mary Jane Lupton (1990)
While this essay focuses on Angelou’s autobiographies, it illuminates how Angelou uses her first person perspective to comment on wider social issues, which is a common theme in her poetry as well.
“Figurative Language on Maya Angelou’s Selected Poetries” by Risma Hayani (2016)
This essay examines the figurative language Angelou uses across select poems. It focuses on literary devices such as symbolism, metaphor, and personification.
“Writing as an Act of Self-Embodiment: Hurston, Moody, and Angelou Combat Systemic Racial and Sexual Oppression” by Tara Hembrough (2016)
This essay places Angelou in a feminist literary context when considering her work alongside other Black women writers. By focusing on the positive influence of mothers and other women on these writers, Hembrough considers how the writers pursue the American Dream on their own terms while reinventing themselves in the face of racism and misogyny.
Listen to Poem
This performance of the poem by Angelou is an excerpt from her poetry reading called Maya Angelou - Live and Unplugged at Lewisham Theater in South London.
Rapper Nicki Minaj recited the poem at the televised concert called Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America.
Related Titles
By Maya Angelou
