Phenomenal Woman

by:

Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size But when I start to tell them, They think I'm telling lies. I say, It's in the reach of my arms, The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.

I walk into a room Just as cool as you please, And to a man, The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees. Then they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees. I say, It's the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth, the swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.

Men themselves have wondered what they see in me. They try so much But they can't touch My inner mystery. When I try to show them, They say they still can't see. I say, It's in the arch of my back, The sun of my smile, The ride of my breasts, The grace of my style. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.

Now you understand just why my head's not bowed. I don't shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud. When you see me passing, It ought to make you proud. I say, It's in the click of my heels, The bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, the need for my care. 'Cause I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

 Modern society highly values women's beauty. Due to that pressure, wish to reach their "potential" as women, and to "fit in. They seem not to know what it means to be unique, the highest aim as the standard society sets for beauty. A faulty aim, the speaker explains. In her powerful response to the pressure of society, that it isn't just about how a woman's looks or her built, but it's about who the woman is as a person.
Attractive personality is much more powerful than attractive appearance The speaker then explains that it is her own attractive personality that is the reason men "stand or fall down on their knees" before her. It does not mean that she does not try to be her best, but she does not see conformity as justifiable and therefore the reason why "[her] head's not bowed". She then goes on to explain in detail her own reasons and her own aims in attractiveness. She measures her own achievement by measurable decisions she can make such as her "smile", "style", and "stride", not impossible standards.

PERSONA
Strong, confident woman. The persona tells the reader what her secrets, why as she enters the room she gathers attention, why men smitten by her and why the readers should understand and be proud of her by listing her personal qualities. Lyman B. Hagen states, "The woman described is easily matched to the author herself. She has a strong personality and a compelling presence as defined in the poem

THEME
Based on the poem she rebounded by finding the confidence and self-worth in herself. She try to make the readers look in a different perspective of the definition beauty Even though we may not be a classic beauty, she is trying to say that the beauty lies in us and is exuded in being confident and the ability to believe in ourselves. It is about acceptance and appreciation of who we are.

LITERARY DEVICES

IMAGERY
Angelou uses imagery to give the reader a sense of what the persona looks like. She states: I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size She then lists characteristics to help further the reader's sense of the persona: The curl of my lips. . . / It's in the fire in my eyes. . . / The sun of my smile. . . / The need for my care. She uses such imagery so that the proud, confident persona can be better understood.

METAPHOR
In the second stanza Angelou uses a metaphor: "Then they swarm around me, / A hive of honey bees." This refers to the men who have surrounded her as she enters a room.

ANAPHORA
Angelou does this in several places in Phenomenal Woman. An example is "The span of my hips, / The stride of my step, / The curl of my lips. . . / Phenomenally. / Phenomenal woman," she does this in order to create a smooth flow in the work.

REPITITION
Maya Angelou uses repetition in this poem to stress certain phrases. An example of this is "I'm a woman / Phenomenally. / Phenomenal woman, / That's me." Her use of repetiton helps to give the poem a lyrical flow.

MUSICALITY
Maya Angelou's poem Phenomenal Woman is very lyrical. This may have been influenced by her career as a dancer and as a Broadway actress. It is purposely lyrical. It is designed to boost emotional responses. She had always wanted the poem to be a song and this can be seen when she gave her permission to singer Amy Sky to set her poem into music and in 2001, Phenomenal Woman was released.