Still I Rise, a poem by Maya Angelou

The poem, “Still I Rise”, by Maya Angelou is a poem about self-confidence and self esteem.  It is about overcoming adversity under any circumstances.  The poet is a black writer who is viewed differently because of her color but won’t let others views on her lower her spirits and break her.  You can tell by the way she writes in her poem that she has suffered through discrimination of others lines 17-20 “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.” shows her determination to overcome.

“Still I Rise”, what do these words mean? I feel that through this women’s words that each and every comment against her or the way she is treated or looked at makes her grow more and more stronger as a person, knowing that what these people do or say doesn’t make me or break me and that in the end I will feel how I want to feel. When she uses the words, “You may shoot me with your words, You May cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with you hatefulness”, she is comparing nonphysical violence with physical violence.  She thinks that there is really no difference.  No matter whether its words or actions it’s still discrimination and it hurts just as much.  She remembers the past and how hard it was on blacks.  Her phrase, “Out of the huts of history’s shame, Up from a past that’s rooted in pain”, means that she learns that the past is behind her but she will remember the struggles the people of her race had and will rise above her roots to survive.  I believe she is not only speaking for herself, but for her race in general and how much they have overcome.  This poem is inspirational not only for blacks but for anyone overcoming extreme adversity.  It lifts your spirits and lets you know that nothing is impossible and we can all rise above anything is we have the desire.