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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 7 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the fourth stanza, what kind of person does the speaker ask if "you" want her to be?

2. Which two things does the final stanza use to represent the past and present?

3. Which is the first stanza of the poem that is longer than four lines?

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

5. Which is the best definition of "beset" in line 6?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Among Maya Angelou's many contributions to American literature and culture are her inspirational speeches and interviews. Choose and watch one of her speeches or interviews from the dozens available online. What are the key ideas that she expresses in the video? What rhetorical strategies does she use to make her ideas appealing and memorable? How does this compare to the ideas she expresses in "Still I Rise"? Do you see any strategies in common between the prose in the video and the poetry of "Still I Rise"? Write an essay in which you compare and contrast the content and style of her remarks in the video you chose with the content and style of "Still I Rise." Support your observations with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from both sources, and be sure to cite borrowed language in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

How does Angelou use the rhythm of her poem to create tone and shifts in tone? How does she use meter to emphasize ideas and support the poem's overall meaning? Write an essay in which you explicate and analyze the poem's rhythm. Describe how the initial meter is established and then note where this dominant meter changes. Comment on the possible purposes of both the poem's dominant meter and any changes to new metrical patterns. Support your explication and analysis with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from throughout the poem, and be sure to cite quoted evidence in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

In "Still I Rise," how does the speaker's voice impact the reader? How does Angelou manage to create a friendly, humorous tone for her speaker despite the serious and challenging message the speaker is issuing? How is the speaker's voice confident and authoritative without becoming condescending or elitist? How do the poem's diction, details, figurative language, musical devices, and rhythm work together to create this engaging voice? Write an essay in which you analyze the speaker's voice and its impact on the reader, commenting on Angelou's likely purpose in creating such an engaging voice. Support your analysis with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from throughout the poem, and be sure to cite quoted evidence in MLA format.

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