Still I Rise -Answer key
Part I
1. Why are the lies bitter and twisted?
The white people/ oppressors spread lies about the blacks-The blacks are treated as
slaves/ downtrodden group-the white people consider the blacks as passive and
powerless
2. Who is addressed as ‘you’ in the poem?
White society/ oppressors
3. How does the poet describe her style of walking?
She walks like she has got oil wells pumping in her living room-“oil wealth” symbolizes
wealth-The poet/speaker tells that she is rich in her spirit-she walks in a confident
manner
4. What is meant by the expression “I am the dream and the hope of the slave”?
The speaker has the determination to rise above humiliation-She embodies the dreams
and hopes of the black people
5. How does the poet end the poem?
By asserting her determination to rise above difficulties and discouragement
Part II
1. What is the attitude of the narrator in the poem?
Confident/ bold- rich in spirit-determination to rise above humiliation/difficulties-full of
pride-“walk like I have oil wells pumping in my living room” –“I laugh like I’ve got gold
mines Diggin’ in my own backyard.” (the lines suggests that the speaker is confident-she
assigns value to her body)
2. How are the blacks treated in history according to the poet?
As downtrodden groups/as slaves-their past is rooted in pain- blacks are humiliated by
the white society
3. Write a short note on the title of the poem “Still I Rise”.
The blacks are treated as slaves/ downtrodden group-their past/ history is rooted in
pain-the speaker is a black woman-confident/ bold- rich in spirit-determination to rise
above humiliation/difficulties-full of pride-by living with joy, pride and dignity, the blacks
can gain victory over the oppressors
4. How does the poet assert the resurgence of Afro Americans in the poem?
The poem deals with the revival or awakening of the Afro Americans
(Same as Part II-answer 3)
Part III
1. Write an essay on the ironies used in the poem.
or
2. How does the poet establish her sense of resilience?
The blacks are treated as slaves/ downtrodden group-their past/ history is rooted in
pain-the speaker is a black woman-confident/ bold- rich in spirit-determination to rise
above humiliation/difficulties-full of pride-by living with joy, pride and dignity, the blacks
can gain victory over the oppressors-the speaker establishes her resilience/boldness-The
poem deals with the revival/resurgence of the blacks
( irony (meaning): the reality is opposite of what we expect.
Ironies used in the poem:
The speaker talks about the difference between the way in which society wants the
speaker to act & the way in which she actually acts-The white society wants the blacks
to remain silent without questioning the authority of the whites-But the speaker
questions the oppressors –The whites want the blacks to be passive, diffident –but the
speaker is confident, full of joy and pride-The society considers blacks as ugly/useless
slaves-But the speaker assigns value to her body-she is bold –she embodies the dreams
and hopes of the black people)
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