Still I Rise

497 Words2 Pages
Rising Up “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou is directed towards blacks on how to be proud of their ancestry, themselves, and their overall appearance. The poem is a special and motivating poem that African-Americans (and other races for that matter) should read and take to heart. According to African-Americans, Maya Angelou states that no matter what white Americans (slave owners) say or do to African-Americans (slaves) they can still rise up to make a better life for themselves and their race as a whole. One reason blacks should rise above their oppression is so they can better themselves and in turn make a better life for their next generation, just as their ancestors tried to do. “Bring the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave” says Angelou is taking the lessons learned from their ancestors and dreaming and hoping to rise above slavery. They felt that if they rose above slavery, their children and grandchildren would not have to partake in torture and pain. White Americans had and still have a different perception of the previous quote and they feel that what their ancestors had given them will help them to fulfill their dreams and in doing so slaves would be needed to keep their dream alive. Self love and assurance are also a major component to rising above others as Maya Angelou explains in her poem. She expresses herself by saying sassiness, which means to talk to someone disrespectfully, can help a person achieve personal satisfaction that may help them take on tough situations. Many slave felt intimidated by their masters and they felt that what their masters said about them was true and without their masters they would be in a worse situation. The appearance, shape, and style of an African-American is another way that whites try to downgrade the African-American race. Many blacks in the past and
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