E-LESSON-5 ENGLISH LITERATURE-1

IDOL Institute of Distance and Online Learning ENHANCE YOUR QUALIFICATION, ADVANCE YOUR CAREER.

B.A. 2ENGLISH LITERATURE - I All right are reserved with CU-IDOL ENGLISH LITERATURE - I Course Code: BAQ105 Semester: First SLM Unit : 5 E-Lesson 5 www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105)

TOPICS TO BE COVERED 3 • Theme https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-Of-Still-I-Rise-By-Maya-Angelou • Eventful Early Life • Analysis Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL • Still I Rise • Summary www.cuidol.in

ENGLISH LITERATURE - I OBJECTIVES INTRODUCTION 43 After studying this unit, you will be able to: Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Angelou is known primarily for her autobiographies Johnson: April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil Her poetry is quite often considered representative of rights activist. the social landscape from which she emerges. Angelou’s poems have important messages to Angelou’s poems may be under- convey, and they do so with striking force and appreciated, but they are certainly not clarity. without their merits,and they can be powerful tools for change in a world of Angelou was most famously an activist for the rights injustice. of those suffering oppression, which she herself did in many forms during her lifetime, being an African-American woman who had been routinely sexually abused. www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAAQQ10150)5) INASlTl ITriUgThEt OarFeDrIeSsTeArNvCeEd AwNitDh OCNUL-IIDNOE LLEARNING

ABOUT THE POET 5 • Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson:April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist. • She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. • She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. • The first, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (1969),tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_Still_I_Rise All right are reserved with CU-IDOL recognition and acclaim. Unit-5 (BAQ105) www.cuidol.in

EARLY LIFE 6  Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri.  After her parents’ marriage ended, she and her brother, Bailey (who gave her the name \"Maya\"), were sent to rural Stamps, Arkansas, to live with their grandmother, who owned a general store.  Although her grandmother helped her develop pride and self-confidence, Angelou was devastated when she was raped at the age of eight by her mother’s boyfriend while on a visit to St. Louis. https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/anchor-podcasts/still-i-rise-2 www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

7  After she testified against the man, several of her https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5160.The_Heart_of_a_Woman uncles beat him to death.  Believing that she had caused the man’s death by speaking his name, Angelou refused to speak for approximately five years.  She attended public schools in Arkansas and later California. While still in high school she became the first ever African American female streetcar conductor in San Francisco, California.  She gave birth to a son at age sixteen. In 1950 she married Tosh Angelos, a Greek sailor, but the marriage lasted only a few years. www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

SUCCESS AS AN AUTHOR 8 “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (1970), the first in a series of Angelou’s autobiographical (telling the story of her own life) works, was a huge success. It describes Angelou’s life up to age of 17, providing a child’s point of view about the confusing world of adults. The book concludes with Angelou having regained her self-esteem and caring for her new born son. In addition to being a sharp account of an African American girl’s coming of age, this work offers insights into the social and political climate of the 1930s. Her next autobiographical work, “Gather Together in My Name” (1974), covers the period immediately after the birth of her son Guy and describes her struggle to care for him as a single parent. “Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas” (1976) describes Angelou’s experiences on the stage and concludes with her return from the international tour of Porgy and Bess. “The Heart of A Woman” (1981) shows the mature Angelou becoming more comfortable with her creativity and her success. “All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes” (1986) recalls her four-year stay in Ghana. Angelou wrote about other subjects as well, including a children’s book entitled “Kofi and His Magic” (1996). www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

ANALYSIS 9 ‘Still I Rise’ is a typical Maya Angelou poem in terms of its subject matter, but what really sets it apart is the kind of visual stimulation it provides to readers. We shall find evidence of this time and time again in our analysis of the poem. The first seven stanzas of the poem show a simple ABCB rhyme scheme. However, the final, longer stanza has a slightly different rhyme scheme. We can divide it into three units. The first unit, consisting of lines one to six of the last stanza, have an ABABCC pattern. The second unit, consisting of lines seven to twelve, have a similar pattern, that is, DBDBEE. The third unit, consisting of lines thirteen to fifteen of the last stanza, consist of BBB. B, in all three units, is “I rise.” It is best to analyse “Still I Rise” in terms of clusters of images. The images of rising, for example, occur in the first, third, and sixth stanzas. Angelou says that hope is what motivates women like her to rise, and she alternately compares her kind of rising with that of dust, air, and the tides. In any of these three cases, the upward movement signals an upheaval in the environment. Similarly, says Angelou, if women stand up for themselves, they shall be able to bring about social upheaval, and thereby effect a positive change in the economic and political situation of black women in the American society of their times. www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

THEMES 10 Angelou explores many of the same themes throughout all her writings, in both her autobiographies and poetry. These themes include love, painful loss, music, discrimination and racism, and struggle. Her poetry cannot easily be placed in categories of themes or techniques. It has been compared with music and musical forms, especially the blues, and like the blues singer, Angelou uses laughter or ridicule instead of tears to cope with minor irritations, sadness, and great suffering. Many of her poems are about love, relationships, or overcoming hardships. The metaphors in her poetry serve as “coding”, or litotes, for meanings understood by other Blacks, but her themes and topics apply universally to all races. Angelou uses everyday language, the Black vernacular, Black music and forms, and rhetorical techniques such as shocking language, the occasional use of profanity, and traditionally unacceptable subjects. As she does throughout her autobiographies, Angelou speaks not only for herself, but for her entire gender and race. Her poems continue the themes of mild protest and survival also found in her autobiographies, and inject hope through humor. Tied with Angelou’s theme of racism is her treatment of the struggle and hardships experienced by her race. Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL www.cuidol.in

STANZA 1 In this stanza, Maya Angelou gives her 11 heart and soul to declare that nothing and no one could oppress her or keep her down. She doesn’t care what the history books saw, for she knows they are full of “twisted lies”. She will not let it bother her that others “trod” her “in the very dirt”. She proclaims that if she is trodden in the dirt, that she will rise like dust. STANZA 2 In the second stanza, she asks a question. https://www.amazon.com/Meet-Maya-Angelou- Landmark-Books/dp/0375824650 This is an interesting question, as she refers to her own tone as “sassiness” and asks the hearer if her sassy tone is upsetting. She notices that the people around her in her society are “beset with gloom” when she succeeds. She questions this. She knows that she is succeeded in life, in her writing, and as a woman. The “oil wells pumping in [her] living room” symbolize her success. www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

12 STANZA 3 In this stanza, she compares herself to the moons and the suns as they are affected by the tides. This gives the reader the understanding that the speaker has no other choice but to rise up out of her affliction. Try as society might to keep her oppressed, it is in her nature to rise up and stand against oppression just as it is the nature of the tides to respond to the moon. STANZA 4 The speaker’s questions in this stanza are direct, pertinent, and appropriately accusing. She knows that her own success is received with bitterness by the racist people in her society. So she directs these questions at the society that has long tried to keep her oppressed. She asks them if they want to see her broken, oppressed, depressed and bitter. She asks these questions knowing that this indeed is what many in society wanted. They did not want to see a black woman rise up out of the oppression of her society and succeed. The speaker knows this and she draws attention to it with this revealing, yet cutting questions. www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

STANZA 5 She continues with the questions directed at a racist society when she asks whether her 13 “haughtiness” is offensive. She knows that society resents seeing a black woman full of pride. This question has an air of sarcasm which serves to point out the hypocrisy of society as it is embittered by the success of one that it has tried to oppress. The speaker continues in a sarcastic tone as she pretends to comfort the hearer. She says, “don’t you take it awful hard”. This is her sarcastic way of pretending to care for those who resent her success. She continues, however, in a sense, to “flaunt” her success before the society that has always oppressed her. She claims that she has “gold mines” and that she laughs at the success she has found. STANZA 6 In this stanza, she lets society know that no matter what it does to oppress her, it will not succeed. She lets society know that it cannot prevail against her with words or looks. She proclaims that society cannot prevail against her even if it managed to have her killed because of its hatefulness. She claims that she will still, “like air,” rise. www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

STANZA 7 The speaker continues her questioning of society. By this time in the poem, it becomes 14 apparent that the speaker has placed society on trial and is now in the process of cross-examination. She knows the answers to these questions, but to ask them is to incriminate the offender. While she asks incriminating questions, she simultaneously reveals incredible self-confidence despite the oppression of society. STANZA 8 In this stanza, the speaker finally refers to the past – the reason that she is oppressed and resented to this day. She calls slavery “history’s shame” and she proclaims that she will not be held down by the past, even if it is “rooted in pain”. STANZA 9 In the final stanza, the speaker reveals that she intends to leave behind all the effects of slavery and the history of oppression with intent to rise above it. She claims that she will leave behind the “terror and fear” and that she will rise above the pain and the oppression “into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear”. The speaker does not intend to allow the hatefulness of society or the pain of the past to stop her from becoming all that she has ever dreamed of being. For this reason, she repeats three times, “I rise”. www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS 1. Who is the protagonist of the poem? 15 (a) A Black Woman (b) A White Woman (c) A Black Man (d) A White Man 2. Which of the following is not used as a symbol of wealth in the poem? (a) Diamonds (b) Pearls (c) Oil wells (d) Gold Mines 3. What does the speaker mean by the ‘gifts’ that her ancestors gave? (a) Her children (b) Money (c) Her determination and strength (d) Artifacts 4. Which of the following does the speaker not compare herself to when rising? (a) Temperature (b) Hopes (c) Air (d) Dust Answers 1. (a), 2. (b), 3. (c), 4. (a), www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

SUMMARY 16 It is best to analyse “Still I Rise” in terms of clusters of images. The images of rising, for example, occur in the first, third, and sixth s tanzas. Angelou says that hope is what motivates women like her to rise, and she alternately compares her kind of rising with that of dust, air, and the tides. In the final stanza, the speaker reveals that she intends to leave behind all the effects of slavery and the history of oppression with intent to rise above it. She claims that she will leave behind the “terror and fear” and that she will rise above the pain and the oppression “into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear”. https://www.igcsecentre.com/how-to-write-a-summary/ www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

Frequently Asked Questions 17 1. Write the Themes of the poem ‘Still I Rise’? Ans: Angelou explores many of the same themes throughout all her writings, in both her autobiographies and poetry. These themes include love, painful loss, music, discrimination and racism, and struggle. (For more information see SLM). 2. Give the central idea of the poem ‘Still I Rise’. Ans. ‘Still I Rise’ is a typical Maya Angelou poem in terms of its subject matter, but what really sets it apart is the kind of visual stimulation it provides to readers. We shall find evidence of this time and time again in our analysis of the poem.(For more information see SLM) 3. Write the summary of the poem ‘Still I Rise’? Ans: It is best to analyse “Still I Rise” in terms of clusters of images. The images of rising, for example, occur in the first, third, and sixth stanzas. Angelou says that hope is what motivates women like her to rise, and she alternately compares her kind of rising with that of dust, air, and the tides.In the final stanza, the speaker reveals that she intends to leave behind all the effects of slavery and the history of oppression with intent to rise above it. She claims that she will leave behind the “terror and fear” and that she will rise above the pain and the oppression “into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear”.(For more information see SLM) www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

References 18 1 Angelou wrote about Vivian Baxter’s life and their relationship in Mom & Me & Mom(2013), her final installment in her series of seven autobiographies. 2. According to Angelou, Annie Henderson built her business with food stalls catering to black workers, which eventually developed into a store. 3. The correct Greek spelling of Angelou’s husband name is probably “Anastasios Angelopoulos”. www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

19 THANK YOU For queries Email: [email protected] www.cuidol.in Unit-5 (BAQ105) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL