Analysis Of The Poem Phenomenal Woman By Maya Angelou

In the poem â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† written by Maya Angelou, the poem is strong, it is about womanhood, the strength not the weakness that describes Maya Angelou. Although Maya Angelou is describing herself, she is in fact describing all women and is therefore a poem of feminism and the feminist perspective. The structure of this poem is loosely arranged into four stanzas. The idea of this poem is that physical beauty is not what makes a woman phenomenal but the way she has confidence in herself and her inner mystery. â€Å"Phenomenal† does not only mean â€Å"special† or â€Å"impressive† it means to be worthy of attention. This poem explains how to have inner self-confidence no matter what your appearance is. In â€Å"Phenomenal Woman†, the most important literary devices are imagery, metaphors, and tone with a first person point of view. The style Angelou uses is feminist criticism, feminist approach expressed in the stanzas through her phenomena , which is different from other woman. In her poem â€Å"Phenomenal Women†, Angelou effectively uses the literary devices to give reason to why she is phenomenal. The literary devices are powerful as it creates an awareness of not only her but of womanhood and the idea of being a strong black woman. Angelou’s poem â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† is a testament to why woman are revered even the face of gender inequality and with these specific literary devices she is able to effectively explain the reason she is phenomenal. To begin with, Angelou uses heavy imagery onlyShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem Phenomenal Woman By Maya Angelou2030 Words   |  9 PagesSummary of Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou Stanza 1: â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† begins with a attack on stereotypes. She proudly declares that she neither has a hourglass figure, nor a cute face. Her success without essential feminine traits surprises pretty women and they often want to know the secret of her success. She describes her secret saying that it comes from her confidence, the way she stretches her arms, the way she walks, the rhythm of her hips and also the way she smiles. Her entire body isRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Phenomenal Woman By Maya Angelou925 Words   |  4 PagesMaya Angelou, writer of, â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† illustrates that woman are as strong, determined, and beautiful just the way they are. We were built to fulfill the same roles as men and be able to achieve in anything what we set our minds to. We as woman should never let any man or significant other define us for who we are and the roles we play as young woman in the US. With this intention, women are born into the world and ar e taught to grow up to become a young, wise, and vibrant figure. Angelou’sRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Phenomenal Woman By Maya Angelou851 Words   |  4 Pagesof what makes an ideal woman; however, Maya Angelou shows us what truly makes a true Woman in her poem, â€Å"Phenomenal Woman.† The word, â€Å"Phenomenal† is defined as something that is magnificent, remarkable, breathtaking, as well as extraordinary. This poem shows one the confidence and beauty from within, instead of the conventional views that society tend to have, which is to only focus on the appearance. She takes us to acknowledge womanhood. One is able to appreciate the poem even further, by analyzingRead MorePhenomenal Woman Essays1223 Words   |  5 Pages Maya Angelou is best known for addressing the world through the medium of her own life. Her works are a reflection of the social issues that were prevalent in the second half of the 20th century. â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† by Maya Angelou celebrates femininity and highlights the traits necessary for a woman to become ‘phenomenal.’ She believes that it is not the outer beauty of a person but the inner one which makes each woman phenomenal. She criticizes the biased societal expression that expects womenRead MoreMaya Angelou: Speak Up Essay example1127 Words   |  5 PagesMaya Angelou experienced a life-changing event at the vulnerable age of eight: her mother’s boyfriend raped her. As a result, she chose to be mute for five years due to the emotional trauma this caused. Soon, a family friend named Mrs. Flowers, a wealthy and intellectual woman from Stamps, Arkansas where her grandmother resided, read with Angelou and helped Maya to express herself through writing. Mrs. Flowers taught Maya â€Å"words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voiceRead MoreEssay about Poetry: Emotions in Words 1027 Words   |  5 Pagesof expression and emotions through words. It encompasses the writer’s mood and point of view about a certain idea. Two poems that demonstrate the use of emotions in words are â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† by Maya Angelou, and â€Å"A Dream within a Dream†, by Edgar Allan Poe. Both of these poets are very important in the literary field even though their ways of writing contrast each other. Angelou is a revolutionist who is known around the world for her astounding stories of racism, family, and overcoming adversityRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s Caged Bird 1835 Words   |  8 Pagesthe famous African American people. Growing up with my grandparents, I always heard a lot about the loving Dr. Maya Angelou. She was a tremendous figure in their lives and a phenomenal woman. One day my family was sitting outside, and my mom was reading a book with a lot of famous poems. The one she read aloud was Maya Angelou’s poem â€Å"Caged Bird.† She was so emotional reading this poem. During that time, I did not understand her emotions. At my high school, we would always celebrate black historyRead MoreMaya Angelo - Phenomenal Woman766 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ â€Å"Phenomenal Women† By Maya Angelo – Analysis In the poem â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† by Maya Angelo expresses many viewpoints on the topic of women. She describes the many attributes of women throughout the poem. Many think that a slim and trim body or pretty faces are the many features of a true woman. But Angelo explains the small insignificant features of a woman that people or society never mention. She believes and convinces the reader that these are the marks of a woman. The poems central idea Analysis Of The Poem Phenomenal Woman By Maya Angelou Maya Angelou, writer of, â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† illustrates that woman are as strong, determined, and beautiful just the way they are. We were built to fulfill the same roles as men and be able to achieve in anything what we set our minds to. We as woman should never let any man or significant other define us for who we are and the roles we play as young woman in the US. With this intention, women are born into the world and are taught to grow up to become a young, wise, and vibrant figure. Angelou’s poem is an elegant portray of feminism, as well as a love letter to every woman. In today’s society, woman are also brought into a world of comparison and never being truly satisfied with themselves. In agreement, it’s hard not to compare ourselves towards other women and those who we admire the most, especially when it comes to portraying ourselves as a beautifully flawed person. Our flaws don’t have to define us, but do make up who we our as a woman and how we carry ourselves. One fact I find to be the most relevant within Angelou’s poem that â€Å"Men themselves have wondered what they see in me. They try so much, but they can’t touch my inner mystery.† (line 30-34) Equally important, women don’t necessarily crave immediate attention towards other men, but simply, they only want to be given credit for all the hard work they put themselves through and for what they are on the inside. â€Å"When I try to show them, they say they still can’t see.† Point often overlooked, that there are soShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem Phenomenal Woman By Maya Angelou2030 Words   |  9 PagesSummary of Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou Stanza 1: â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† begins with a attack on stereotypes. She proudly declares that she neither has a hourglass figure, nor a cute face. Her success without essential feminine traits surprises pretty women and they often want to know the secret of her success. She describes her secret saying that it comes from her confidence, the way she stretches her arms, the way she walks, the rhythm of her hips and also the way she smiles. Her entire body isRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Phenomenal Woman By Maya Angelou1353 Words   |  6 PagesIn the poem â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† written by Maya Angelou, the poem is strong, it is about womanhood, the strength not the weakness that describes Maya Angelou. Although Maya Angelou is describing herself, she is in fact describing all women and is therefore a poem of feminism and the feminist perspective. The structure of this poem is loosely arranged into four stanzas. The idea of this poem is that physical beauty is not wh at makes a woman phenomenal but the way she has confidence in herself and herRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Phenomenal Woman By Maya Angelou851 Words   |  4 Pagesof what makes an ideal woman; however, Maya Angelou shows us what truly makes a true Woman in her poem, â€Å"Phenomenal Woman.† The word, â€Å"Phenomenal† is defined as something that is magnificent, remarkable, breathtaking, as well as extraordinary. This poem shows one the confidence and beauty from within, instead of the conventional views that society tend to have, which is to only focus on the appearance. She takes us to acknowledge womanhood. One is able to appreciate the poem even further, by analyzingRead MorePhenomenal Woman Essays1223 Words   |  5 Pages Maya Angelou is best known for addressing the world through the medium of her own life. Her works are a reflection of the social issues that were prevalent in the second half of the 20th century. â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† by Maya Angelou celebrates femininity and highlights the traits necessary for a woman to become ‘phenomenal.’ She believes that it is not the outer beauty of a person but the inner one which makes each woman phenomenal. She criticizes the biased societal expression that expects womenRead MoreMaya Angelou: Speak Up Essay example1127 Words   |  5 PagesMaya Angelou experienced a life-changing event at the vulnerable age of eight: her mother’s boyfriend raped her. As a result, she chose to be mute for five years due to the emotional trauma this caused. Soon, a family friend named Mrs. Flowers, a wealthy and intellectual woman from Stamps, Arkansas where her grandmother resided, read with Angelou and helped Maya to express herself through writing. Mrs. Flowers taught Maya â€Å"words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voiceRead MoreEssay about Poetry: Emotions in Words 1027 Words   |  5 Pagesof expression and emotions through words. It encompasses the writer’s mood and point of view about a certain idea. Two poems that demonstrate the use of emotions in words are â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† by Maya Angelou, and â€Å"A Dream within a Dream†, by Edgar Allan Poe. Both of these poets are very important in the literary field even though their ways of writing contrast each other. Angelou is a revolutionist who is known around the world for her astounding stories of racism, family, and overcoming adversityRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya Angelou s Caged Bird 1835 Words   |  8 Pagesthe famous African American people. Growing up with my grandparents, I always heard a lot about the loving Dr. Maya Angelou. She was a tremendous figure in their lives and a phenomenal woman. One day my family was sitting outside, and my mom was reading a book with a lot of famous poems. The one she read aloud was Maya Angelou’s poem â€Å"Caged Bird.† She was so emotional reading this poem. During that time, I did not understand her emotions. At my high school, we would always celebrate black historyRead MoreMaya Angelo - Phenomenal Woman766 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ â€Å"Phenomenal Women† By Maya Angelo – Analysis In the poem â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† by Maya Angelo expresses many viewpoints on the topic of women. She describes the many attributes of women throughout the poem. Many think that a slim and trim body or pretty faces are the many features of a true woman. But Angelo explains the small insignificant features of a woman that people or society never mention. She believes and convinces the reader that these are the marks of a woman. The poems central idea