Short Questions and Answers of And Still I Rise

 

1.Mention Maya Angelou's life span.

Ans. Marguerite Annie Johnson, fondly known as Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, US and died on May 28, 2014 at the age of 86 in Winston Salem, North Carolina, US.

2.What is the subject of the poem?

The subject of the poem is writer's angry protest against racial discrimination. The speaker speaks out against the racial prejudice and intoleration that she sees around her before making an appeal for black pride and dignity.

3. What is the setting of the poem?

This poem is written against the backdrop of invasive racism, racial separation and prejudice in America during the 1950s and 1960s.

4.What is the message of the poem?

The message of the poem is that Black people should rise and defend all forms of discrimination based on race.

5. Where from is the poem 'Still I Rise' taken?

Ans. Maya Angelou's poem 'Still I Rise' is taken from her third volume of poetry, 'And Still I Rise' published by Random House in 1978. It was published during one of the most productive periods in Angelou's career.

6. How many poems are there in the volume "And Still I Rise"? What is the central focus of the volume?

Ans. The collection of poems 'And Still I Rise' is made up of 32 short poems divided into three parts. The theme of the poems in the collection focuses on a hopeful determination to rise above difficulty, oppression and discouragement.

7."You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies" -What does the line signify?

Ans. Here the speaker expresses her antagonistic view against her oppressor. The speaker, a black woman, accepts that her oppressor, specifically the white society, has the power to write lies about the speaker twisting them in a bitter way and present them as historical facts.

8. What is the theme of the poem 'Still I Rise'?

Ans. The poem 'Still I Rise' presents the bold defiance of the speaker in the face of oppression. The speaker, a black woman, responds to the ill treatment and humiliation of the society not only by surviving but also by thriving. She rises repeatedly over the oppressors' violent hatred and prejudice.

9. Why is the title begin with the word 'still'? Or, What is the significance of the word 'still' in the title of the poem?

Ans. The word 'still' serves as a challenge to the oppressor. In spite of the oppressors' repeated attempts to humiliate, 'shoot', 'cut' or 'kill' her, the speaker remains defiant by continuing to 'rise' in triumph. The word 'still' symbolises the speaker's boldness to resist any oppression.

7. "You may write me down in history"-Who is you here?

Ans. The poem demonstrates the rebellion of a black woman against the white masters, the oppressors. Hence, the 'you' here refers to the oppressive white colonialists, more specifically the white society who used to treat the Afro-Americans brutally and shamelessly.

8. What does the speaker mean by 'history' in the first line?

Ans. The speaker, a black woman, tries to say that historical narratives are typically shaped by the perspective of the powerful. She refers to that world which has tried to suppress her voice. The white colonialists have tried to write 'lies' about the black Afro-Americans.

9. "You trod me in the very dirt"-Explain what the speaker wants to suggest.

Ans. Here there is a direct reference to the oppression made by the white-skinned people to the Afro-American slaves. To tread another person into the dirt suggests to treat the person with enormous disrespect and almost shocking violence. The speaker wants to mean that the oppressors try to humiliate her by worst possible means. However she had the boldness to survive and strive against such humiliation.

10. What are the attitudes and feelings in the poem?

Emotions and feelings of the speaker reflected in the poem may be presented in the way that the speaker is angry and bold, courageous, daring and determined to win over everything.

11.Why does the speaker compare herself to 'dust'?

Ans. The 'dust' imagery serves a meaningful purpose in the poem. None can control the dust when the revolutionary wind arrives. The speaker here wants to assert that she will rise like the dust particles and blind those who trod her before.

12.Do you find any Biblical reference in the word 'dust'?

Ans. The word 'dust' obviously bears a Biblical allusion. In the Bible, humans are said to be created by God from 'dust' and to return to dust after death. By stating that she is like 'dust', the speaker asserts that, she too is a human being and a creation of God. She demands that her oppressors must recognise her full humanity.