This line not only bears a certain emotion, but it creates a certain imaginary. As you read her boastful words you can picture a woman dancing beautifully yet delicately as not to disturb her valuable diamond encrusted thighs. The image is almost as beautiful as it is amazing, her choice of words seems so far fetched, yet borders on brilliant.
Another crucial element in the effectiveness of this poem is the many literary devices used. There is one main simile that this poem is based around: " Still like dust I"ll Rise" . There are a few different ways to look at this statement. One very obvious way to interpret the poem literally is to say that she means just that, she will rise up as dust does. Another way to interpret the poem is to think of the history that blacks have had in this country. Since the days of slavery blacks have been treated unfairly, in essence, they have been treated like dirt or dust. So another perspective is of Maya being treated like that dust, but also having the same capabilities as that dust and rising above her circumstances. By using such literary devices Maya allows the reader to think deeper while gathering their own opinion of the poem. Although there is not many metaphors in this particular writing there is a number of personification used. In lines such as " you may kill me with your hatefulness-, the poems seems to spring to life as you envision a certain entity, a weapon that represents hatred being used to kill a beautiful woman. By using such a large number of personification Maya gives the poem a more creative way of dealing with the issues at hand. Rather than saying "You may be hateful and ruin me" she decides to grasp a more unique angle to express an almost identical scenario. Had this poem lacked many of its crucial literary components, it would not have had nearly as much impact.
Just as a mother would warn her children of everyday dangers by continuously repeating house rules, Maya puts great emphasis on "rising" above her circumstance.
