39 pages 1 hour read

Maya Angelou

Still I Rise

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1977

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Literary Device Questions

1. How does the change in stanza structure between Stanzas 7 and 8 support meaning in the poem?

A) It emphasizes the shame readers should be feeling.

B) It challenges expectations as does the speaker.

C) It draws attention to the pain of the speaker.

D) It mimics the leaping wideness of the black ocean.

2. How does the speaker use repetition in the poem’s last three lines?

A) To mimic the action of rising

B) To contrast earlier mentions of falling

C) To suggest triumph over her oppressors

D) To show the rise and fall of ocean waters

3. How does the poem’s irregular rhyme scheme function?

A) It reinforces the speaker’s brokenness.

B) It emphasizes the speaker’s haughtiness.

C) It mimics the rhythm of spirituals.

D) It creates a shift in tone or attitude.

4. What is the effect of the speaker’s rhetorical questions?

A) Mockery toward her oppressors

B) Disrespect toward her readers

C) Respect toward her ancestors

D) Indifference toward her people

5.To what do diamonds, huts, and the black ocean allude?

A) Hatefulness

B) Colonialism

C) Environment

D) Resources

Related Titles

By Maya Angelou

SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Maya Angelou
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Maya Angelou
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Maya Angelou
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Maya Angelou
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Maya Angelou
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Maya Angelou
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Maya Angelou
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Maya Angelou
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Maya Angelou
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Maya Angelou
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Maya Angelou
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Maya Angelou
Guide cover image