Still I Rise P2

Question 1

Q1

Answer 1

“shoot me… cut me… kill me”
Connotations of action verbs allude to an escalating sense of danger. In tandem with the meter of the first three lines of the stanza, trochaic (stressed-unstressed) meter the tension behind the danger is able to be escalated. As a result the persona is able to delineate past feelings of oppression.

Question 2

T

Answer 2

“Still I Rise” is able to act as a cultural celebration of African American women’s bodies, which have been exploited in the past. Through the use of sensual imagery, the persona is able to reclaim the power of beauty on her terms.

Question 3

Q2

Answer 3

“diamonds at the meeting of my thighs” Sexual innuendo flips objectification around as a means to empower women as opposed to humiliate them, corresponding to the renewed identity of African-Americans