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An acclaimed American poet, storyteller, activist, and autobiographer, Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. Angelou had a broad career as a singer, dancer, actress, composer, and Hollywood’s first female black director, but became most famous as a writer, editor, essayist, playwright,...
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Analysis (ai): Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman" is a celebration of self-acceptance and female empowerment. The poem rejects societal beauty standards and instead emphasizes the speaker's confidence and radiant individuality. Angelou's lyrical language and rhythmic structure create a powerful declaration of self-worth.
Learn More. "Phenomenal Woman" is a poem by Maya Angelou, first published in 1978. The poem rejects narrow societal expectations of women and proposes an alternative perspective on what defines real beauty. Confidence and comfort in one's own skin, the speaker insists, are the markers of true beauty. Read the full text of “Phenomenal Woman”.
- Summary
- Meaning
- Structure
- Literary Devices
- Themes
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- Historical Context
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The first-person speaker of the poem ‘Phenomenal Woman,‘ presumably Maya Angelou, describes the allure she has and celebrates her identity as a woman. Throughout each stanza, the speakerexposes the attributes she possesses that deem her irresistible to others, particularly to those of the opposite sex, despite the fact that she does not fit into so...
Angelou’s constant use of the word “phenomenal” is twofold. One most often defines the word as meaning extraordinary and impressive, and she is certainly revelling in being an extraordinary and impressive woman; however, the word phenomenal is also synonymous with unbelievable. By consciously choosing to call herself phenomenal, the speaker seems a...
Structurally, Angelou breaks her poem into four major stanzas, with a smaller yet still significant stanza in between. So, there are a total of five stanzas. While there is some evidence of rhyme, she mostly uses an unconventional rhyme scheme. She begins her poem with a couplet in the first two lines: “Pretty women wonder where my secret lies./ I’...
Throughout this poem, the poet makes use of several literary devices. These include but are not limited to: 1. Repetition: Angelou ends the majority of her stanzas with “That’s me.” In addition, the phrase “phenomenal woman” is repeated throughout the course of the poem, once again emphasizingAngelou’s unconventional beauty and appeal to the opposi...
Angelou’s ‘Phenomenal Woman’ taps on the themes of womanhood, identity, pride, self-love, and self-acceptance. The main theme, womanhood, is celebrated throughout the poem. The line, “I’m a woman,” propagates her self-confidence in being a woman. She celebrates not only her bodily beauty but also her inner glow. Another important theme, identity, i...
Stanza One
In the first stanza, Angelou’s speaker bluntly tells her reader that other women wonder what she has that they are missing, even though she lacks the traits that society most often judges to be beautiful; she intuits that the other women are jealous of her. She writes, “They think I’m telling lies.” The speaker continues on, telling the reader her appeal lies in her arms, hips, and lips. Her voice reflects a sense of confidence. She does not hesitate to talk about the span of her hips or the...
Stanza Two
In her second stanza, she moves away from discussing women and begins to discuss the spell she seems to have over the men she encounters. Her attractiveness goes beyond the physical: it is something innate inside her that makes her so irresistible to men. While women can change the way they look, Angelou insinuates that they will never be able to replicate what she naturally possesses inside herself.
Stanza Three
The third stanza contains only two lines. These lines are a part of the refrain. Separating these lines in this stanza, Angelou tries to emphasize the idea. Besides, she uses this scheme to give special stress to the words. It enhances the confident moodof the poem. As readers can see, these lines need special emphasis. The repetition of the same idea also expounds on how she feels when men hover around her like honeybees. She feels confident by thinking about men’s reactions and celebrates h...
‘Phenomenal Woman’ was first published in Maya Angelou’s collection “And Still I Rise” (1978). Later it was published in her book of poetry “Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women” in 1995, along with Maya Angelou’s most popular poems such as ‘Still I Rise’and ‘Our Grandmothers.’ This poem was previously published in Cosmopolitan magazine a...
Here is a list of a few poems that are similar to the themes present in Maya Angelou’s poem, ‘Phenomenal Woman.’ 1. ‘On Being a Woman’ by Dorothy Parker – This short and humorous poem describes a fickle-minded lady’s failure in love to be true to her emotions. Read more poems by Dorothy Parker. 2. ‘A Woman’s Hands’ by Eva Bezwoda – In this poem, a ...
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- Poetry Analyst
Phenomenal Woman By Maya Angelou this poem is a Classic that deals with every women in the world. This poem shows that beauty is compare by what society thinks a woman should looked like, walk and talk etc. Woman inner beauty makes a women whole and beautiful. Man had always wondered what they see in a women.
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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘Phenomenal Woman’ is a 1994 poem by the American poet Maya Angelou (1928-2014). Angelou was a singer, dancer, composer, actor, teacher, memoirist, and poet: a woman of many talents. She was also a key voice in the American civil rights movement. Much of her work is about striving to….
Overview. Maya Angelou ’s 1978 poem “Phenomenal Woman” is something of a Black feminist manifesto, delivered by a confident Black female speaker who’s proud of her beauty and her sexuality. What’s so remarkable about this speaker is her refusal to submit to her society’s idealized beauty standards. Though oppressive for all women ...
