The Legacy of Dr. Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou, an acclaimed activist, storyteller, and poet, was known for her most famous work, I know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) which lead to the publication of her well-known poem Still I Rise (1978). I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the first of six autobiographies that Angelou wrote in which expresses both fiction and hard truth to tell her story. Although this book is highly recommended, I wanted to review her slightly less famous, yet still powerful poem Still I Rise. This poem reflects her life story as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings does, just on a smaller scale. Still I Rise is a nine-stanza poem that expresses the idea of rising out of the trials and tribulations of life. When I decided to review this poem, having read it multiple times in the past, I knew that I wanted to dive deeper into the poem’s message by understanding how Maya Angelou used it as an outlet to share her story. Still I Rise is such a powerful poem that underlies an important and inspiring message as it reflects what the author had gone through to shape who she was.