Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise" is a type of lyric poetry. The lyric poem expresses the speaker's feelings about a situation or subject and may or may not rhyme. In "Still I Rise," Angelou writes about themes of blackness, femininity and resilience.
Angelou's "Still I Rise" is considered to be one of her most beloved poems. The poem explores issues of race, issues of sexism and finding strength from adversity and failure. The rhythms of the poem are deeply influenced by Angelou's experiences with the Southern African-American churches of her youth. In 1994, decades after it was published, the poem was featured in a television commercial for the United Negro College Fund's 50th anniversary.
