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1. Describe how the final two stanzas of the poem differ from the first seven stazas.

The first seven stanzas are quatrains rhymed ABCB. The final two stanzas are longer, at six and nine lines each, and they follow unique rhyme schemes. The final two stanzas use the line "I rise" as a refrain; this refrain is absent in the other stanzas.

2. Describe the pattern that stanzas 2, 4, 5, and 7 have in common.

These stanzas all begin with a rhetorical question or questions. They each conclude with a simile in which the speaker compares herself to someone who has the confidence that comes from owning precious natural resources.

3. Why is the poem titled "Still I Rise" and not just "I Rise"--what additional idea does the word "Still" convey?

The speaker mentions many forms of oppression in the poem, including slavery, violence, and bigotry. When she claims that she will "rise," she wants to make it clear that her triumph will come in spite of this oppression.

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