The Spirit of Hope and Resilience in Mushrooms by Sylvia Plath and Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

Abstract

Poetry is a powerful vessel to convey philosophy with rhythm in a few words and to express the multifaceted experiences of feminism. Poetry facilitates us to continue to persist in face of despair. The paper critically examines and compares the poems- Mushrooms by Sylvia Plath and Still I Rise by Maya Angelou and aims to discuss the spirit of hope and the concept of resilience in both the poems. It focuses on women’s suffering and how they were perceived in a male- dominated society. Both the poems encourage us to think about the experience of women and thereby ensue a sense of hope and resilience. Though Maya and Sylvia treat the same theme using the same approach, both of them differs in shaping the poem with the feministic tool. Maya mix up the anti-black racist images along with feministic whereas Sylvia follows the main stream of feminism. In Mushrooms, Plath indicates that the female power lies in being united and foreshadows the uprising of women and encourages women to unite to form a common voice. Whereas in Still I Rise Angelou talks about individual oppression and rise above all the adversities and assert her individual identity. Through their poems Angelou and Plath offer deep reflections and pose thought provoking questions to their readers. Both champion womanhood and rising above oppression. Both the poems insist on the power and endurance of feminine spirit.