Multiple Interpretations Quick Check

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Feature

Still I Rise
by Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise. . .

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'll rise.

"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 devices used by the poet support the interpretation that the poem emphasizes oppression? Select the two correct answers.

(1 point)
Responses

anaphora
anaphora

imagery
imagery

simile
simile

allusion
allusion

rhetorical questions

1 answer

The two devices used by the poet that support the interpretation that the poem emphasizes oppression are:

  1. Imagery - The poem uses vivid imagery to illustrate the pain and struggle of oppression, such as "trod me in the very dirt" and "cut me with your eyes."

  2. Anaphora - The repetition of the phrase "But still, like..." emphasizes resilience in the face of oppression, contrasting the oppression with the strength to rise above it.

Therefore, the correct answers are imagery and anaphora.