A Postcolonial Discourse Analysis of Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise with an Emphasis on the Elements of Resistance and Identity Reconstruction

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

damghan university

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou, the African American poet, by examining the role of rhetorical and structural elements in representing themes of resistance and identity reconstruction. The research is theoretically grounded in the integration of postcolonial criticism and genetic structuralism, seeking to reveal the connections between language, power, and the discourse of liberation within the text. Using a qualitative and analytical approach, the study employs close reading and both intra-textual and intertextual interpretation in three stages: identifying key themes such as resistance, identity, and hope; examining postcolonial elements such as rejecting othering, decolonizing language, and recovering historical voice; and analyzing the poem’s internal structures—such as rhythm, refrain, and rhyme—in relation to its socio-historical context. Emphasizing the inseparability of form and content, this study demonstrates how Angelou’s poem, as a cultural discourse, elevates the capacity for resistance from an individual experience to a level of historical and collective consciousness. The findings show that through techniques such as repetition, metaphor, imagery, and simile, Angelou recreates a dynamic and liberating identity, transforming the Black female subject from a passive position into a cultural and resistant agent. The refrain “I rise” functions not only as a poetic expression of individual resilience but also as an echo of a historical collective voice resonating within the memory of colonialism and discrimination. Ultimately, through the interplay of form and content, this poem transcends the level of a literary text to become a cultural and political manifesto in which literature serves as a tool for redefining power, identity, and agency.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Resistance Literature
Volume 16, Issue 31
March 2025
Pages 173-193

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