2. Which two things does the final stanza use to represent the past and present?
(a) Night and daybreak.
(b) The directions east and west.
(c) Gathering clouds and rain.
(d) A seed and a sprout.

3. Where does the speaker say she obtained her gifts?
(a) From effort and hard work.
(b) From her ancestors.
(c) From the passage of time.
(d) From well-chosen friends.

4. Which is the best definition for "trod" in the context of line 3?
(a) Press down with the foot.
(b) Throw or hurl downward.
(c) Drag along the floor or earth.
(d) The sound of footsteps.

5. Which is the first stanza of the poem that is longer than four lines?
(a) 7.
(b) 9.
(c) 8.
(d) 6.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which technique is used in line 9, "Just like moons and like suns"?

2. What technique is used in line 29, "Out of the huts of history’s shame"?

3. What technique is used in line 21, "You may shoot me with your words"?

4. What kind of "certainty" does the speaker claim to have in line 10?

5. What precious stones does the speaker use to evoke beauty and value in the simile in line 27?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the final stanza, what metaphor does the speaker use, and what does it signify?

2. What oppressive actions does the speaker suggest "you" might take, and how does she say she will respond?

3. What specific historical phenomenon does the speaker talk about rising above in the final two stanzas, and what allusion does she use to introduce the topic?

4. Describe how the final two stanzas of the poem differ from the first seven stazas.

5. What do all of the questions the speaker asks have in common?

6. Describe the pattern that stanzas 2, 4, 5, and 7 have in common.

7. Why is the poem titled "Still I Rise" and not just "I Rise"--what additional idea does the word "Still" convey?

(see the answer keys)

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