Saturday, April 12, 2014

What are all the poetic devices in "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou?

Maya Angelou has combined several poetic devices in the
Poem 'Still I Rise' to paint a vivid picture of endurance, hope and strength. The
devices include:


Simile - In verse three, the use of the
word like in comparing her rising to that of the sun and
moon


Metaphor-in verse nine, she says that she is the black
ocean


Repetition- The use of the phrase, "Still I'll rise"
throughout the poem to emphasize that no matter the intensity of the adversities faced,
her hope and strength will keep her alive.


Rhyme- Similar
sounding words like tides and rise, gloom and room, hard and
yard.


Rhetorical question-Maya uses a number of rhetoric
questions to make her point that her oppressor's efforts to demean her are all futile.
She asks, "Why are you beset with gloom?" "Did you want to see me broken?" "Does my
haughtiness offend you?"


Imagery- The sentence "I've got
oil wells pumping in my living room" paints a picture of the unending confidence and
hope the persona has.


Hyperbole- This device has been used
to emphasize the brutality inflicted upon the persona. In verse seven, the poet writes,
" You cut me with your eyes" and "You kill me with your
hatefulness".

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