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Still I Rise
by Maya Angelou

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room. . . .

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin' in my own back yard.

"Still I Rise" from AND STILL I RISE: A BOOK OF POEMS by Maya Angelou, copyright
© 1978 by Maya Angelou. Used by permission of Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

Question
Use the lines to answer the question.

What interpretation is supported by the poet’s use of rhetorical questions in these lines? Select the two correct answers.

(1 point)
Responses

She offers an alternative definition of wealth and what it involves.
She offers an alternative definition of wealth and what it involves.

She is confident in her own abilities and in her beauty and power.
She is confident in her own abilities and in her beauty and power.

She shows defiance and boldness in the face of oppression and suffering.
She shows defiance and boldness in the face of oppression and suffering.

She alludes to other stories that support the themes of the poem.
She alludes to other stories that support the themes of the poem.

She feels she has the ability to control others even though they are unaware.
She feels she has the ability to control others even though they are unaware.
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1 answer

The two interpretations supported by the poet’s use of rhetorical questions in the lines from "Still I Rise" are:

  1. She is confident in her own abilities and in her beauty and power.
    The rhetorical questions reflect a sense of self-assuredness, showcasing the speaker's confidence in her strength and resilience.

  2. She shows defiance and boldness in the face of oppression and suffering.
    The use of rhetorical questions emphasizes the speaker's defiance against those who might seek to demean or oppress her, signaling her refusal to be subdued by negativity or societal expectations.

These interpretations highlight the themes of confidence and resilience against adversity expressed in Maya Angelou's poem.