Still I Rise, By Maya Angelou

Throughout the history of the human race, there have been plenty of instances that have proven that it is a resilient race. And humans have been shown to prevail in any situation thrown their way. They literally alter the world around them to accommodate their needs. However, one ethnic group has proven to be stronger than the rest. African Americans have perhaps endured the most hardship out of any other ethnic group to date. And they did not falter underneath the eight of such overwhelming sorrow and hardship. They rose above it all. In Maya Angelou’s poem, Still I Rise, she encapsulated the determination and the drive that the African American has shown in that time period. Slavery is a giant part of America’s past. It was a main contributing factor leading to the Civil War. It was one of the main issues that lead to the
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I rise.” (Angelou 17 - 24)
Angelou asks the reader, who is presumably white, if they are offended by her pride in herself and her heritage. She says that even though the reader might despise her, look down at her, and even hate her because of the color of her skin, she will always love herself and where she came from. And she will always rise and prevail. African Americans often ended up with the short end of the stick, Angelou captured this concept well in her poem. African Americans have always endured so much suffering. And although they still might be, things are so much better now than they have been years ago. This is because humans have always known how to adapt. They know how to push out old obsolete ideas that no longer fit the needs of society. Humans are the most resilient species there is. And all of us, as a race, will continue to rise above it all because that is what we do