Line 25 the persona told about paradise in his perception Paradise as the symbol of their hopes.
Line 27- 28 described the paradise which they mean was the place, where the families loyal and the stranger were nice. The paradise was the place where
the people did not look down others, no segregation, violence, abuse, discrimination, equal treatment, and fair competition.
f. Line 32
Line 32, the word of “or nothing at all” this line reflects the trauma that he faced in his childhood and adolescence.
2. Still I Rise
a. Line 1- 3 Stanza 1 you may write me down in history
With your bitter twisted lies The idea of race discrimination was reflected by the first persona, the word
of I and me indicates these reflections, In the first line the poet used the word “write me” for describing the discrimination in verbal abuse to African American
by the Whites American, in this line we find how the African American was betrayed by his country, white historians wrote the African American down as
inferior, twisted the truth by their lies and hiding the fact from the national history The African American segregated in many form. Such as through the
history of America, the white historians deliberately wrote the African American down in history for their purposes to create them always inferior, the truth was
twisted by their lies, they wrote the lies in their history. The white manipulated the fact, through the science, history, anthropology and religion.
b. Line 4-5 Stanza 1 You may trod me in the very dirt
But Still, like dust, Ill rise
The poet uses of figurative imagery described the white segregations. Speaker said even the African American trod him in the dirt, he will rise like the
dust, can be defined as even the African American segregated and discriminated he will resist and fight the whites’ segregation.
c. Line 5-8 Stanza 2 In the line 5-4 or second stanza the persona said that the whites was set in
gloom and upset because of jealousy to African American. In the nineteenth century, after the abolition of slavery the African American life changed
gradually, some of them become the rich man, and success person. Economic mobility and job competition became the source of jealousy between the whites
and African Americans and the segregation became crueler than before. These words reflected the gradual changed life:
Does my haughtiness offend you... ... Did you want see me broken
... Does my sassiness upset you.
d. line 10-17 Stanza 3 and 4 The figurative imagery described the spirit of rebellions metaphoric by the
words: like moons, like suns and like hopes will always springing high.
Like moon and like the suns With certainty of tides
Just like hopes springing highs
In the line 10-17 the persona discussed about the spirit rebellions and resistance, when the acts of discrimination crueler and harder.
Their struggles were not in smooth way and had been many pressures done to them. The race discrimination became harder and done vividly in front of
their eyes to them and the whole member of family, such the: child, woman, and old man, they were segregated in public area, restaurants, Public Park, and in the
school. In the fifth stanza is same as the second stanza, the content of this stanza is
the question of African American to the whites. Are they upset and be set in gloom because their haughtiness now? This describes the jealousy and arrogance
of white. e. Line 22 -25 Stanza 6
You may shoot me with your words You may cut me with your eyes.
You may kill me with your hatefulness
Line 22-25 discussed about forms of discrimination to African American, the word of shoot, cut, kill were the terror words. These visual imagery were
choosed by the poet to describe the African American segregations, the African American abused in their American history, much of whites were written in
American history book as hero at the war, but the African American which follow the war were not written. Many monuments were built to memorize the white
heroes at the war but the African American were not. The inferior did not always accept their destiny, they wanted the freedom,
and then looked like the dust they would rise up to get their right. The right as human
f. Line 30 Stanza 8 Out of huts of historys shame
I rise Up from a past that rooted in pain.
In line 30 the word of huts as figurative imagery described the slavery era which was rooted in pain.
g. Line 36 Stanza 9 Leaving behind night of terror and fear
Line 35-50 discussed about the life of slavery era which was in pain, this pain described in their live which was living behind night of fear and terror.
In the first, third, fifth and seventh stanza told about the resistance and rebellion, the inferior the persona in this poem resisted their fate, destiny and
unfair treatment toward them. They were bored by the system, and they resisted the system through their struggle and rebellions. But still like dust I rise , and to
they woke up and got up standing for their right, to make their ancestor dreams came true. The freedom as human was the dream and hopes their ancestor.
3. Equality
