Marywood University is unlike many other higher education schools I looked into. Marywood is not only a school with goals like many other universities, but also a school with a strong set of core values that can be applied to the outside world. One of those Marywood values is empowerment and also service. Empowerment is a value that uplifts a person so they can achieve their full potential. These values are clearly seen in the novel A Good Man by Mark Shriver the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. The core value empowerment is notably expressed throughout the poem “Still I Rise.” Throughout the poem, Angelou continues to say “I rise” in a way that indicates she wishes to empower and overcome all obstacles. She states the following:
“Does my sexiness upset you
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?” (Angelou) …show more content…
Another statement by Angelou says “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave” (Angelou). These statements indicate that Angelou is thankful for all gifts from her ancestors, and although her ancestors’ past was painful (shown through the word “slave”), she sees herself as the dream. The word dream itself can be defined as a perfect aspiration or ideal, so it is very significant that she sees herself in this light. As expressed through the poem, Maya Angelou sees her full potential that cannot be knocked down, and this is what the value of empowerment