Still I Rise Angelou

The Color Divide
In Still I Rise by Maya Angelou, race reveals the harsh treatment towards African Americans through power struggles in which black people are pushed out of authority positions and attempts to bring down a person’s spirit, indicating a global society of hatred due to fear of one’s skin color.

In the poem, the idea of a colored person with power is seen as a threat by certain people, indicating the discrimination towards black people with authority. Angelou questions the attitude of others around her, stating, “Does my haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awful hard”. This “haughtiness” that Angelou refers to is an issue for many people that she is dealing with. People have haughtiness when they believe they are worthy and have
In her poem, she asks, “Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes?”. The past tense of the verb “did” indicates that in the past someone attempted to cause her breakdown and failure. She has been subject of one or more attacks against her strength and stamina, caused by other who wanted to see her fail. This indicates a society in which one never feels safe due to people constantly trying to bring others down. However, she moves past this horrible event and carries on. She has the strength to ignore these harsh attacks, but not everyone in society has this ability of persevere nice. Many people, due to the color of their skin, are victimized and abused whether mentally or physically in an atmosphere in which some are determined to bring another down. In society, race causes some people to move beyond rational thought and aim to harm others due to only the sole hatred of what they represent. In conclusion, race reveals the problem of emotional/physical abuse in an unsafe society in which one doesn’t feel comfortable due to the color of their