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Year 8

Exploring Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’

I can explore Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise'.

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New
New
Year 8

Exploring Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’

I can explore Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise'.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. 'Still I Rise' was first published in 1978 in a collection of Angelou's poems entitled 'And Still I Rise'.
  2. The collection 'And Still I Rise' explores ideas about overcoming adversity, particularly racism and sexism.
  3. The poems celebrate the tenacity of the Black community, especially women ('Phenomenal Woman' is also in the collection)
  4. Considering your personal preference to a poem is an important aspect of being a student of English.

Common misconception

Personal opinions about texts are not valid. Only analysis is valid.

Being a student of English can often feel like this. But expressing your opinions about your feelings towards a text - those you read in and outside the classroom - is very important and just as much a part of the subject of English as analysis.

Keywords

  • Resilient - being able to cope, withstand and recover from difficult physical or mental challenges

  • Adversity - difficulty, hardship

  • Tenacious - to never give up

  • Oppress - to treat someone, or a group of people, unfairly

  • Figurative language - non-literal words and phrases which develop a writer's meaning

Consider how you will read 'Still I Rise' in Learning Cycle 1. Who will read, when and why? Would watching Angelou perform the poem aid enjoyment? Are there words you need to define, or further questions you wish to ask?
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of 'Still I Rise' and 'Phenomenal Woman' by Maya Angelou, both published by Penguin Random House in 1978.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sexual content

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
One of Maya Angelou's poems is called 'Phenomenal ' ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer: Woman
Q2.
Match each of these terms to their definitions ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer:figurative language ,non-literal words and phrases which help a writer develop meaning

non-literal words and phrases which help a writer develop meaning

Correct Answer:simile,a method of comparison using 'like' or 'as'

a method of comparison using 'like' or 'as'

Correct Answer:rhetorical question ,a question asked for dramatic effect rather than requiring an answer

a question asked for dramatic effect rather than requiring an answer

Correct Answer:refrain,a repeated line or set of lines in a poem or song

a repeated line or set of lines in a poem or song

Q3.
Match these words to their definitions ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer:resilient,being able to cope, withstand and recover from difficulty

being able to cope, withstand and recover from difficulty

Correct Answer:adversity,difficulty, hardship

difficulty, hardship

Correct Answer:tenacious,never giving up

never giving up

Correct Answer:oppress,to treat someone, or a group of people, unfairly

to treat someone, or a group of people, unfairly

Q4.
Which of these sentences are similes? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Life is a journey.
She looked like her mother.
Correct answer: Her heart was as delicate as a rosebud.
I am phenomenal.
Correct answer: I tried to blend into the background, chameleon-like.
Q5.
What is the opposite of figurative language? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
metaphorical language
Correct answer: factual language
Correct answer: literal language
personification
poetic language
Q6.
'Phenomenal Woman' was first published in a collection of 32 poems (all by Angelou) called …? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
'Equality'
'Caged Bird'
Correct answer: 'And Still I Rise'
'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
One of Maya Angelou's poems is called ' I Rise' ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer: Still
Q2.
What is the refrain of Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise'? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
its similes
its speaker
its stanzas
Correct answer: its title
its rhetorical questions
Q3.
How was 'Still I Rise' first published? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
in 1978, it was Angelou's first poem
in 1978, by itself
in 1978, in a collection entitled 'Phenomenal Woman'
Correct answer: in 1978, in a collection entitled 'And Still I Rise'
in 1978, in a collection entitled 'Equality'
Q4.
In 'Still I Rise', what are some of the things the speaker compares herself through use of similes? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Correct answer: dust
fire
Correct answer: the sun
Correct answer: hope
Correct answer: a dream
Q5.
Starting with the first, put what the speaker says in 'Still I Rise' in chronological order? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
1 - The speaker will rise, just as dust rises, even when oppressed.
2 - The speaker asks if we're "upset" by her confidence; compares herself to "sun".
3 - The speaker asks why we want to break her spirit.
4 - The speaker feels rich and valuable, even when people try to oppress her.
5 - The speaker makes reference to her body and its beauty.
6 - The speaker references the history of slavery but she will “rise” above it.
Q6.
Which of these sentences use the word tenacious (or its forms) correctly? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
I am tenacity because I finished all my homework.
Correct answer: I completed the race, even though it was long, showing my tenacity.
Correct answer: Tenacity is a positive attribute – it shows perseverance and strength.
I can't wait to be given tenacity when I grow up.