And Still I Rise Question Answer (6 Mark)। Maya Angelou। Class 11 2nd Semester । Long Question Answer । WBCHSE
And Still I Rise Question Answer (6 Mark)
(1) Write the substance of the poem “ And Still I Rise”.
(“ And Still I Rise” কবিতার সারমর্ম লেখ।) ( Very Very Important )*****
Answer –
✍ A black Afro-American woman states the pitiable conditions of her community in her own nation in the poem “Still I Rise”. They are the soft targets of racism and social discrimination. The White racists oppress her hard. But she is determined to rise above all stiff oppositions- lies and hatred. She discovers her inner strength. She is hopeful. Her oppressors want her to submit to their authority. They like her to lament and cry. But she looks defiant. Her boldness upsets them. Their unkind words, hateful look cannot dampen her spirit. Rather, her physical appeal allures them. She has long legacy of her ancestors’ sufferings as slaves. They inspire her to rise. And she rises to become the dream and hope of the class of tortured people all over the globe.
(2) Analyse the title of the poem, “And Still I Rise”.
( “And Still I Rise” কবিতাটির নামকরণের সার্থকতা বিচার করো । ) ( Very Very Important )*****
Answer –
✍ The titled expression ” And Still I Rise” is used as a Psalm refrain from the beginning to the end of the poem. The word ‘stiil’ signifies the adversities are formidable but counteraction is more than challenges. The word ‘I’ explores the self-declaration of an assertive power of the speaker. And finally, the catchword ‘Rise’ sums up the purpose of the speaker’s life. Rising here suggests the empowerment and establishment of black women’s identity and space findings in this unfeeling world. All oppressors will have to retreat when the tortured will rise by dint of resilience and courage. So the title is in perfect tune with the spirit of the poem. It is a splendour choice.
(3) Analyse the various images as found in “ And Still I Rise”.
(“ And Still I Rise” কবিতায় যে-সব চিত্রকল্প দেখতে পাও, সেগুলি ব্যাখ্যা করো।)
Answer –
✍ Images in poetry are not only for decoration but for creation of concept. Maya’s poem “Still I Rise” proves this true. Here we find various images in the form of simile and metaphor. Some of them are visual, some are auditory, and a few are sensual. All these images are in tune with the spirit of the theme of a black woman’s rise amidst challenges of racism and male domination. The speaker describes her resilience by saying, “You may trod me in the very dirt/But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”
✍ Gradually she goes on comparing herself to ‘the moons’, ‘the suns’ ‘the tides’ “black ocean leaping and wide”. These images tell us the speaker’s natural power to rise against all pressure. To express her inner wealth, she says that she walks like she has got oil wells, laugh as if she has got gold mines. Her sexiness gleams like diamonds. In fact, she shows her value by all these striking images.
(4) How does the poem ‘ And Still I Rise’ convey the power and growth of the marginalised people ?
(‘ And Still I Rise’ কবিতাটি প্রান্তিক মানুষদের ক্ষমতা ও ক্রমবিকাশের ব্যাখ্যা কীভাবে দেয় ?)
Answer –
✍ Though written in the context of the brutality and slavery faced by black people in America, it transcends its message from a local to a universal perspective. It becomes an overall allegorical story of all people who are continuously humiliated, insulted, disgraced, dishonoured and reviled. Not just in the name of power but also in the name of race and even skin colour. There is an underlying conflict throughout the entire poem. The speaker is referring to the conflict between herself and the people in society who would like to see her tied to the past and are offended by her success or power. The conflict is with those who want to oppress her because she is an African- American woman. The poetess raises her voice for them. She climbs up to their so-called standard and shows them the potential of oppressed people. Her tremendous determination, willpower, goal, resilience, attitude and power help her grow up from the dark past, fight back for her rights and survive like other “human” beings in this wold. Thus, this poem conveys the power and growth of marginalised people through the lens of conflicts and confrontations.
(5) “Why are you beset with gloom?” – Whom does the word “you” refer to ? Why is the speaker beset with gloom? Explain its significance.
(‘হোয়াই আর ইউ বিসেট উইথ গ্রুম?’- ‘ইউ’ বক্তাটি কার উদ্দেশ্যে উল্লিখিত? কেন সেই বক্তা দুঃখে নিমজ্জিত ? এর তাৎপর্য ব্যাখ্যা করো।)
Answer –
✍ As Maya Angelou, in her poem “ And Still I Rise,” addresses her own oppressors. The word “you” refers to that oppressive society as a whole.
✍ That “you” is beset with gloom as the speaker, after ascending to the oppressors’ stature, explicity shows off her “sassiness” to portray a defiant voice.
✍ Rejecting the ideal standard of physical appearance, Angelou deeply focuses on inner strength, resilience, confidence and defiant attitude to celebrate beauty on her own terms. She challenges all previous notions of femininity, breaks all societal perceptions and defies the norms set by them. This signifies her self-love, and fondness about her racial identity.
(6) How does Maya’s representative in her poem ” And Still I Rise” show her resilience in the face of torture and discrimination ?
(মায়ার প্রতিনিধি “And Still I Rise” কবিতায় অত্যাচার ও বৈষম্যের মুখোমুখি হয়ে কীভাবে তাঁর সহনশীলতা প্রদর্শন করেন ?)
[Or],
What is the significance of the word “rise” in Maya’s poem ?
(মায়ার কবিতায় ‘উত্থান’ কথাটির তাৎপর্য কী ?)
Answer –
✍ “And Still I Rise” starts with a saga of sufferance. It ends with a hymn of hope. In between the persona asserts her fabulous power of resilience in her fight against stiff resistance. The all-pervasive gender prejudice cuts her to the quick. The colour superiority of the White Americans try to keep her marginalized. Their cruel look, cutting comments, offensive gestures are meant to demean the speaker. The speaker is found herself smeared in dirt. She is expected to face her masters with bowed head and downward look. But the speaker has already discovered her infinite fountain of inner strength. She is destined to rise, whatever obstacles may come on the path of her life. She does not protest. She gathers forbearance to fight the injustice out. From dust she rises. She rises like air. She rises with the force of tides. She rises with the light of moon and the sun. She rises from out of her forefathers’ sacrifices. And it is nothing but her amazing resilience that motivates her to be an epitome of hope and dream of the slaves.
(7) How does the speaker of Maya Angelou’s poem “And Still I Rise” express her inner urge to ‘rise’ ? ( Very Very Important )*****
Answer –
✍ The speaker of Maya Angelou’s poem “And Still I Rise” expresses her urge to rise against all forms of oppressions and inhuman injustices. Her weapons are her resilience and strength of will force. Her roots of inspiration lie in the endless legacy of her ancestors. She starts with the declaration that “Still I’ll rise” and ends up with the conviction that ‘I rise. In between her dreams, desires and fulfilment of missions lie a history of torture and tyranny. That history of humiliation and suffering, encourages her every moment to fight back and establish her identity.
(8) What does the speaker’s ‘rise’ in the poem “And Still I Rise” symbolise and how does the speaker achieve that rise ? ( Very Very Important )*****
Answer –
✍ In Maya Angelou’s poem “And Still I Rise” the speaker repeatedly uses the word ‘rise’. The word asserts her desperate search for self-identity and the power of resilience in adversities. She utters the word to encourage her and frighten the tyrants. The speaker achieves her ‘rise’ with the power of her will power, determination and her search for empowerment.She shows her sassiness and sexiness to reveal her anti-taboos attitudes. She walks with head held high and gazes straight. She is not made of such metal to yield or submit to any torture.
(9) How does the speaker in Maya Angelou’s poem “And Stiil I Rise” employ symbols to convey her resilience in oppression ?
Answer –
✍ The speaker of Maya Angelou’s poem “And Still I Rise” uses multiple symbols to convey her resilience amidst all forms of oppression. She asserts that she will rise like dust 85 trodden by the oppressors. She will walk like the owner of oil mines and gold mines. She will rise like waves of the ocean. The regular rise of the moon and the sun encourages her to rise like them. She will rise like air. She will break all taboos by her dazzling dance. She will rise from the hut of history’s shame. In short, she compares herself to all powerful natural elements. She will gather strength and force to face tough challenges for her phenomenal rise.
(10) “Does it come as a surprise/That I dance” – Who is surprised ? Why is the dance of the speaker surprising ? What does Angelou want to convey through this metaphoric “dance”.
(“ডাজ ইট কাম অ্যাজ ও সারপ্রাইজ/ দ্যাট আই ডান্স”-কার চমক লেগেছিল ? বক্তার নৃত্য কেন চমকৃত করে দেয়? রূপকাত্মক এই ‘নৃত্য’ এর মাধ্যমে অ্যাঞ্জেল্যু কী বলতে চেয়েছেন ?)
Answer –
✍ According to the poem “And Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, whom she addresses as “you”, her audience, the oppressors are surprised here.
✍ With the brutal and shameful history of slavery by Afro-Americans in the U.S., though the systematic process of growth in slave trade was banned, it continued to flourish and showed the discrimination against them. The oppressive society was the beholder of societal standards on how women from slave class, should behave. That is why, for certain, the expression of joy and happiness through dance is very much surprising for them.
✍ Angelou’s poem is sharp is using figurative language. The metaphor of “dance” is used here to express the joy of freedom from all kind of oppression and discrimination.
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