Question

In Maya Angelou's poem 'Still I Rise,' the author assigns a singular pronoun to the speaker, despite the speaker representing an entire group of people. Who is the group of people the speaker represents, and why does the author choose to use the singular pronoun to represent that group?

A. The speaker represents oppressed individuals striving for equality, and the singular pronoun emphasizes their collective resilience.
B. The speaker embodies a community of activists advocating for civil rights, and the singular pronoun emphasizes their unified struggle.
C. The speaker symbolizes marginalized women, and the singular pronoun highlights their shared experience of overcoming adversity.
D. The speaker signifies a generation of oppressed people, and the singular pronoun emphasizes their common strength and perseverance.

Answer 1

In Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise', the speaker uses the singular pronoun 'I' to represent a collective of oppressed individuals, particularly a community of civil rights activists, emphasizing their unified struggle and resilience.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Maya Angelou's poem 'Still I Rise', the speaker represents African Americans and more broadly, all oppressed individuals striving for equality. Angelou uses the singular pronoun 'I' to represent a collective experience, drawing attention to the shared struggle and resilience of an entire group. However, the specific answer to the question of which group of people the speaker represents, and why the author uses the singular pronoun to represent that group, can be interpreted as option B. The speaker embodies a community of activists advocating for civil rights, and the singular pronoun is used to emphasize their unified struggle. This literary technique allows for a powerful, personal connection with the reader while also portraying a collective solidarity among those facing oppression. By focusing on a singular voice, Angelou magnifies the personal triumph over adversity, yet extends this victory to all who are part of the struggle.