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The underlying meter of “Still I Rise” is trochaic tetrameter, which means that most lines in the poem consist of four metrical feet known as trochees (TROH-keez). A trochee is a metrical foot that has one stressed and one unstressed syllable, as in the words “some-thing” and “for-est.” For an example of the poem’s use of trochaic tetrameter, consider the second stanza (lines 5–8):

     Does my | sass-i- | ness up- | set you?
     Why are | you be- | set with | gloom?
     ‘Cause I | walk like | I’ve got | oil wells
     Pump-ing | in my | liv-ing | room.

The lines in this quatrain all contain four metrical feet, each of which consists of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. The only exceptions to this rhythmic pattern are the final feet of the second and fourth lines, which have just one stressed syllable. These lines are catalectic (CAT-uh-LEK-tik), which means they’ve dropped the unstressed syllable at the end. As you can hear if you read the poem aloud, the catalectic lines help create a swinging rhythm, which is established by the slight pause that naturally arises from the missing syllable. Angelou’s use of this metrical form is strongest at the beginning of the poem, and it suggests a sense of strength and pride, as if the speaker is confidently strutting as she speaks.

Although the poem does have an underlying trochaic meter, there are many deviations from that rhythm. In fact, the first deviation appears already in the opening stanza (lines 3–4):

     You may | trod me | in the | ve-ry | dirt
     But still, | like dust, | I’ll rise.

Line 3 has five trochees rather than four, and the final foot is catalectic. Meanwhile, line 4 has only three feet. Furthermore, instead of being trochees, the feet in line 4 are all iambs, meaning that they have one unstressed syllable and one stressed syllable. The sudden shift in meter here has a strong effect, giving pointed emphasis to the speaker’s declaration of resilience. Even more pronounced deviations from the trochaic rhythm appear later in the poem, particularly as the refrain “I rise” begins to interrupt the poem’s quatrain structure (lines 29–34):

     Out of the | huts of | his-to-ry’s | shame
     I rise
     Up from a | past that’s | root-ed in | pain
     I rise
     I’m a black | o-cean, | leap-ing and | wide,
     Well-ing and | swell-ing I | bear in the | tide.

Aside from the refrain of “I rise,” each of the lines still has four feet. But notice how the number of syllables per line has increased, reflecting the speaker’s description of her own self-expansion. This expansion occurs because Angelou introduces three-line feet known as dactyls (DACK-tills), which have one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. Dactyls create a galloping rhythm that conveys an increased sense of pace, suggesting greater emotional intensity on the speaker’s part.

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