By addressing her reader with questions, Angelou is hoping her reader will then begin to question their own feelings and emotions on how comfortable they are that a black woman has found her self-worth. The six main questions she asks her reader are:
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Does my sexiness upset you?
After years of misconceptions, racism, stereotyping, and lies that have been told about her and her ancestors, Angelou is ready to claim her value as a black woman. Instead of being downtrodden and oppressed, Angelou expresses her “sassiness,” “haughtiness,” and “sexiness” throughout the poem. She says,
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
These words stress that Angelou has come from a past of pain, terror, and fear; however, she has risen above that history and now loves herself for the characteristics (like haughtiness) that she possesses. Now, she is asking you if you are upset by the fact that she is no longer “broken” or shows a “bowed head.” She is asking her audience to come to grips with the new woman she has become.
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