Short Question answers from 'And Still I Rise'
1. What is the theme of the poem "And Still I Rise'?
Ans. The African-American poet Maya Angelou's poem "And Still I Rise" resonates the poet's voice of resilience with an idea of empowerment and self confidence against the odds of both gender and racial subjugation faced by a woman of colour.
2. "You may write me down in history/With your bitter, twisted lies,"How does the poet challenges the written history?
Ans. Through these lines Angelou questions the meta-narratives of history, written from a biased viewpoints that often distorts facts with false accounts and silences the voice of the marginalized. The phrases like "bitter", "twisted" reinstate that how history has been manipulated and the process of "representation" has been tainted.
***3. "You may trod me in the very dirt/ But still, like dust, I'll rise." What do these lines signify ? What does the dust symbolize?
Ans. The word 'trod' literally means to step on something or someone forcefully, here signifying the oppressors' brutal subjugation of the marginalized people. And being a black woman she faced "double marginalization" in terms of her gender and race. But, she discarded the idea of being subjugated, instead she said that as dust can not be crushed altogether and rises even when stepped on, she will rise like dust, that symbolized her indomitable courage and resilience.
***4. "Does my sassiness upset you?/Why are you beset with gloom?" What does the word Sassiness signify? Why does it upset others ?
Ans. The word 'sassiness' literally means insolence that is to have the boldness that the poet possess not to conform to the societal norms created by the privileged White men. The White men wanted to see the women of colour broken and subdued but are "beset with gloom" to see the poet's defiance and her resilience not to subdue.
5. "Cause I walk like I've got oil wells/Pumping in my living room." What do the "oil wells" signify?
Ans. The oil wells pumping symbolizes the idea of prosperity and abundance. And to the poet, it does not come from a material prosperity, rather she naturally has the self assurance as wealth flowing from within her own space. For the poet, she possesses an abundant wealth of self confidence, inner strength and fortitude to resist.
***6. "Just like moons and like suns,/With the certainty of tides,/Just like hopes springing high,/Still I'll rise."
Why does the poet use the simile of sun, moon, tide and hopes ?
Ans. The poet uses the simile of sun, moon, tide and hopes to compare her resilience to the natural phenomena. Her self confidence and inner strength is as constant as the rise of both sun and moon; her unwavering ability to rise above the odds and challenges is similar to the unchanging motions of tide; like hope, she rises with optimism for a better future of justice, equity and equality for all.
7. "Did you want to see me broken?/Bowed head and lowered eyes?/Shoulders falling down like teardrops,/Weakened by my soulful cries?"
What do these lines suggest ?
Ans. Through these lines the poet directly questions the oppressor who wants to see her broken and subdued with signs of submission and surrender like "bowed head and lowered eyes" with lot of emotional pain and "soulful cries". But with her defiance and "sassiness" she endures and "talks back".
8. "Does my haughtiness offend you?/Don't you take it awful hard’/Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines/Diggin’ in my own backyard."
Who is offended and how? What does she mean by "gold mines/ Diggin’ in my own backyard."?
Ans. The oppressor wants to see the oppressed physically broken, emotionally shattered and mentally subdued. But, the poet confronts them with insolent pride and resilience which might offend them as she does not conform to what they want her to be. The idea of "gold mines" suggest immense riches that is so embedded into her as if she digs the gold in her backyard, i.e, her boldness and confidence that bothers the oppressor is stemming of her inner strength and no external validation.
9. "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."
How does the poet represent the methods of oppression? Why does she compare herself with air ?
Ans. The oppressor, being bothered with her defiance and boldness will execute new ideas like verbal abuse or invectives or casting hateful glances upon her to subdue her, but as air cannot be suppressed or possessed, her strength, and her will too is as free as that of air----strong, resilient and indomitable.
10. "Does my sexiness upset you?/Does it come as a surprise/That I dance like I've got diamonds/At the meeting of my thighs?"
Why does the poet say that her sexiness will come as surprise? What does "diamonds/At the meeting of my thighs" as suggest?
Ans. Patriarchy always conceives woman as 'body' which is a site of "shame" and therefore it needs to be covered. But the poet says that she will articulate her sensuality instead of being veiled. This upsets the patriarchal ideology of "shame" and they are surprised to see how she celebrates her body as a language of defiance. She does not consider her private part to be the site of masculine whims, rather celebrates her female body as a precious gem that enhances the richness of her being.
11. What does the poet mean by "Out of the huts of history’s shame"?
Ans. The huts symbolizes poverty---both social and moral. The black community faced the social poverty dur to the moral poverty of the white society who thrusts them at the periphery with their shameful encounter. But the shameful past of subjugation will no longer makes the poet bend down, instead she will rise in endurance and fortitude.
12. Why does the poet say "Up from a past that’s rooted in pain"?
Ans. The Black community's history of enslavement and inhuman oppression at the hand of the White is rooted in the immense pain they suffer. But this pain consolidates the foundation of the poet's defiance and courage to 'talk back' and rise.
***13. "I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,/Welling and swelling I bear in the tide."
Why does the poet compare herself with black ocean ? What does the phrase "Welling and swelling" signify?
Ans. The black ocean stands for the power, vastness and the depth that the poet possesses. The phrase "Welling and swelling" suggests both the calm and forceful emotion of the poet and the tide represents the strength and the collective power of her community that resist the external force of oppression.
14. What does "dark nights of terror and fear" symbolize? Why the daybreak is wondrously clear to the poet?
Ans. The "dark nights of terror and fear" represents the past memories of oppression both on body and mind. But she has the clarity that no longer the past will haunt her as she is indomitable and therefore, envisions a future of freedom and glory.
***15. "Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,/I am the dream and the hope of the slave." What gifts does the poet receive? Why does she consider herself as the hope of the slave?
Ans. From the ancestors who had suffered the hellfire of racial and gender subjugation , the poet receives the hope and the courage to build a better future.
The poet herself fulfils the unfulfilled hopes of her community---- the hope of freedom, dignity, equality and empowerment.
***16. What is the significance of the repeated use of the phrase " I rise"?
Ans. The phrase " I rise" resonates with the poet's journey of resistance and resilience against the double marginalization of racial and gender subjugation. This phrase strikes the keynote of the poem and sums up the trajectory of her journey from psychological enslavement to social empowerment.
***17. Whom does the poet refer to as 'You'? Why is that pronoun used ?
Ans. The poet addresses all the oppressive powers that creates such mechanism of dominance to subjugate the Black community in terms of gender and race.
The second person pronoun is used here to signify the defiant voice of the poet and her constant resilience against such agency of oppression.
