Maya Angelou is the writer of the poem ‘Still I Rise,’ whose famous phrase ‘Still I Rise’ became the most recognizable one. The year of publishing of this poem is 1978. ‘Still, I Rise’ consists of 32 short poems that are divided into three different parts. This poem’s central message is rising above the struggles and difficult times that may happen in your life. Angelou’s best works are the two poems named ‘Phenomenal Woman’ and ‘Still, I Rise.’ Within the volume that these two poems are found in, she speaks for her race and womanly gender and her community’s brave resilience. These two poems received attention from people and the United Negro College Fund that used ‘Still I Rise’ as the center of a marketing campaign.
Besides the fact that this phrase became popular through the work of Maya Angelou, you don’t have to be a professional or know all about Maya Angelou, her work, and life. However, without her empowering so many people through her creativeness and words, we would have a less realistic meaning of what ‘Still I Rise’ truly means. This phrase is not only intended for women in the African-American community but for men and others of any race who have equally entitled to sport this phrase.
Just like with most phrases and tattoo concepts, they all hold to the person owning them. People have different views and attitudes on things, which make them unique. A tattoo such as this stands for other things depending on the individual. Whatever your reason is for getting this tattoo, this phrase is self-empowering and a sign of willpower and perseverance. Below are some of the unique meanings and designs of the Still I Rise tattoo.
Overcoming Obstacles
Every person is part of the roller coaster of a life we live with their struggles and tribulations. These barriers and hard times that fall in our way can either make you or break you. Overcoming something that has been a problem in your life gives us a great sense of self-pride and achievement. The phrase itself ‘Still I Rise’ suggests that something terrible has happened. Tattooing this phrase can serve as a reminder for the owners of who they are and how far they have made it from whatever happened to them in the past. It shows that the individual is a strong and determined person who does not give up very quickly in other people’s eyes.
People who have problems and suffered from an addiction to some addictive substance and never thought it would be possible to triumph over their demons but ended up doing just that with their willpower and dedication get this tattooed. It is the ideal example of rising above. Overcoming something destructive to you but hard to resist is one of the hardest things to do. You are aware of how this substance is destroying your body and spirit but cannot do anything about it since you want to keep chasing the feeling of whatever this addiction causes. That being said, those who are lucky enough to stand up for themselves and save themselves of all of their demons and make a life-altering change to their life are the ones who genuinely rise above it all.
For lots of people worldwide, love is a special and precious thing to have in your life. However, some of us fall in love with the wrong people. At first, these people seemed like good ideas, but their true colors start to show over time. The badest thing that can happen to someone is to be in a relationship or married to an abusive and violent person. Being ill-treated by someone you have strong feelings for and love can destroy a person. Even though the abuser doesn’t deserve your love or affection, it’s not always easy to get rid of that person.
These abusers are capable of threatening you with your life or someone close to you, destroying your property, or in the worst case, get you to the point of committing suicide or killing you. Freeing yourself from an abusive relationship is something to be proud of and, most of all, to learn from. In this case, a tattoo with the phrase ‘Still I Rise’ is a helpful reminder where you have been never allowing anyone else in your life that will treat you that way again. Or if they are treating you in the worst way, it can serve as a wake-up call to stand up for yourself, no matter the consequence.
Image and a Phrase
The message behind the phrase ‘Still I Rise’ is so strong that looks great as a tattoo by itself. Different fonts can be used to depict this phrase. If you already have a font in your mind for the tattoo but want a little something more to go along with it, an image of your liking is always a perfect way to go. Having in mind the phrase itself and its powerful meaning of overcoming and rising above pressure and problems, images such as flowers are a popular and unique way to express just that. This is because flowers start by growing from the dirt and blossoming into something stunning.
Just like them, you as well were at rock bottom and rose above everything that got in the way, the bad weather, the circumstances in which you were placed, everything that made who you are now. Including the image of your favorite flower or the flower that symbolizes similar things, you can put the phrase either wrapping around the flower in the script or having the words go along with the stem leading up to the flower itself.
As you can see, there is genuinely a strong message behind this phrase, which makes this tattoo that much powerful. This tattoo is indeed a perfect motivator for people to fight for what is right for them.
