And Still I Rise: Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou (1928 -2014 ) was an American author, poet, dancer, singer, actress, civil rights activist, and more: 
Early life
Born Marguerite Ann Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, Angelou was raised in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. She was raped by her mother's boyfriend at age eight and stopped speaking for five years. 
Career
Angelou was a civil rights activist who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She was also a Hollywood director, the first Black woman to hold that position. Angelou is best known for her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which was the first nonfiction bestseller by an African American woman. She also wrote several poetry volumes, including Just Give me a Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. 
Other accomplishments
Angelou received over 50 honorary doctorate degrees. She was also a member of the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, UNICEF International, and Doctors Without Borders. 
Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
Charismatic and passionate, warm and wise, formidable without being forbidding, American author and poet Maya Angelou was a role model and an activist who recorded and celebrated the experience of being Black in the United States.
"Still I Rise" is the banner poem in Angelou's third collection of poetry, And Still I Rise (1978)
"And Still I Rise” is primarily about self-respect and confidence. In the poem, Angelou reveals how she will overcome anything through her self-esteem. She shows how nothing can get her down. She will rise to any occasion and nothing, not even her skin color, will hold her back.
Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise" is about self-love, self-acceptance, and the ability to overcome obstacles. The poem is a celebration of the human spirit and a powerful statement against anti-Black racism. Here are some of the poem's themes and main points: 
Self-empowerment
The poem is a message to find self-confidence from within, rather than looking to others for validation. The speaker rejects the idea that Black people are less worthy than others, and asserts her full humanity. 
Defiance against oppression
The speaker confronts an oppressive "you" with a series of declarations and rhetorical questions. The speaker remains defiant, refusing to be beaten down by the oppressor's "bitter, twisted lies" and "hatefulness". 
The power of Blackness
The poem is an ode to the power and beauty of Blackness. The speaker associates her body with symbols of value, such as "oil wells," "gold mines," and "diamonds". 
Resilience
The poem is an exploration of resilience and strength in the face of adversity. The speaker's defiant and unapologetic tone inspires readers to stand strong in the face of adversity.
Figurative language
The poem uses a variety of figurative language, including metaphor, personification, hyperbole, simile, and more. 
Stanza wise summary
Stanza 1. The poem is clearly addressed to the White oppressor by a black woman. The stanza describes the false historical lies written by the oppressor in the historical writings. The repeated use of the phrase ‘Still I Rise’ shows the firm self-belief of the speaker that nothing can hold her back. Speaker compares herself with dust and says like dust she will rise.
Stanza 2. The Speaker is asking questions about the sadness of the oppressor. She has the attitude as if she has got the oil wells that means she is happy and confident and her attitude now has become her powerful weapon.
Stanza 3. The speaker compares herself with the certainty of suns and moons, simply with the certainty of nature and with the hope that she will spring high.
Stanza 4. Speaker is asking questions about the unfulfilled expectations of the white oppressor who did want to see the speaker as weak, broken and crying with bowed head and lowered eyes.
Stanza 5. The speaker is saying that now her attitude is confident as though she has got gold mines digging in her own backyard.
Stanza 6. The speaker now permits the white oppressor to use abusive words, to kill with hateful looks, but it would be of no use because now like air she will rise.
Stanza 7. In this stanza, the speaker talks about the physical assault by the white oppressor and says that as a fight against it, now she does not have a helpless attitude.
Stanza 8. Stanza 8 and 9 are irregular where the spirit of freedom reaches up to the peak.
In stanza 8 she talks about the past which was rooted in pain, and out of the huts of history’s shame, she will rise.
Here, the poet uses a metaphor that she is a black ocean very wide welling and swelling.
Now she has left behind the nights of terror and fear and the bright future is on the way. The poet uses the bright image of a clear day. The speaker says she will rise to bring the ancestors gifts. She is the dream and hope of the slave.
The poem ends with the repetition of phrase ‘I rise’ which encapsulates the idea that now she has the firm belief over herself.