Describe how techniques have been used in the text. Explain how these techniques have been used to create a particular effect.

The poem “Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou has many techniques used to create a particular effect. Angelou has used the techniques of poetic comparison, violent verbs and similes to create the effect of self respect and optimism. Angelou is teaching us that no amount of cruelty or judgement can keep her from living her life and achieving goals. Maya is showing us that colour and belief doesn’t matter but personality does. In stanza four it says

`bowed head and lowered eyes, 

shoulders falling down, 

weakened by my soulful cries”. 

It is showing us what people expect of black people to behave and react like to the world. Angelou is trying to tell us that we don’t need to hide and stand back but rise and step forward. Angelou repeatedly talks about rising regardless of the consequences and problems she is facing. In stanza eight it says “out of the huts of history’s slaves” referring to her ancestors who were poor and criticised leaving their heads down and stepping back. Angelou has then stepped forward out of those hard times becoming something that they could only dream of. 

The technique of poetic comparisons are used in `Still I Rise` to create the effect of self-respect and optimism. She has used self respect to show us how she can overcome anything through her respect to self. Angelou will rise to any difficulties she goes through in life and nothing can stop her. Not even the colour of her skin. She uses optimis to show us that she is confident in herself and with both her confidence and self respect she can rise. 

“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”. 

You can’t actually shoot with words but they are a strong and powerful weapon, and you can’t cut with eyes but eyes can tell a story and feelings. And you can’t kill with hatefulness but you can make people feel worthless and even though Angelou experienced this she rose every time.

 “I’m a black ocean

 leaping and wide, 

welling and swelling,

 I bear in the tide.

This stanza shows how Angelou has power. You can’t change the ocean so Maya is referring herself to it. Saying how she ”bears in the tide,” meaning that she has all the power and no one will mess with her. Nobody can stop Angelou from doing what she is doing. You can’t change the fact that Angelou is black but she can enhance it and be proud of who she is.The techniques used in these two stanzas are both metaphors. Angelou is saying that she is something else. Angelou also uses the techniques of similes to create a particular effect. Angelou says “still, like air, i’ll rise”, saying that even in the hardest times and after all the troubles that people keep throwing her face she will rise. Even though she was sexualy abused she will rise. Every day she will rise.

Angelou uses the technique of violent verbs in `Still I Rise’ to create the effect of the terrors that she went through in her childhood, and to show us how even though she was sexually abused she can still rise, making an example for us that even when we are going through tough times in life we can rise like Maya Angelou. Angelou says “you may trod me in the very dirt” giving us a violent verb. The word “trod” not only sounds harsh but is talking about all the times that she has been trodden on by us. All the times that we were racist towards her and all the times that she was abused. Violent words give a brutal and harsh view of things. Angelou is addressing us saying “you”, “hate”, “cut”, “shoot” and “kill”, using harsh and angry but also meaningful words that makes us as a reader realise just how bad society is. It is sad that the only way you can get the idea of both white and black people as equals is to show violent verbs and use harsh filled words to get people to listen to what you are saying. Even though Angelou uses these strong and passionate words throughout the poem, she yet continues to say how she will “rise”.

Angelou has used the technique of similes in `Still I Rise’ to create the effect of her being like something she is not, but something that she relates to. Line 1 of stanza 5 says ‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got goldmines digging in my own backyard”. Angelou is showing off how much money she has and is letting us know that she is proud in what she has accomplished. She wasn’t born wealthy but has worked hard to get there and no one can tell her otherwise. So “Like dust”, “moons,” “suns,” “hopes,” and “air”, Maya Angelou will rise. Like the “dust” that Angelou got thrown in and raised, she will rise. Like the sun that goes down then back up again she will rise. Angelou compares herself to the sun that goes down at night, but in the morning comes back up all bright and cheerful like the times when Angelou was abused but still got back up. Just like the “sun” she will get back up.

In conclusion the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou has many techniques used to create a particular effect. The effect of Poetic comparisons have been used to show us that she is like something else, but still herself. The effect of violent words has been used for the purpose of trying to get us to understand that we are different in our own ways but we are all equals. The effect of similes has been used for the purpose of helping to describe what she is by comparing it to something that is familiar to the reader.