Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou
Phenomenal Woman is one of the most notable poetic pieces by Maya Angelou that celebrates womanhood and femininity highlighting the qualities necessary for a woman to be termed as phenomenal. In my opinion, Maya Angelou uses the poem to espouse her belief in inner beauty as the key behind what makes a woman be dubbed as phenomenal (Cullum 27). Her poem takes a critical stance at the biased perceptions bestowed on women by the society regarding what beauty is. I believe her work is based on the contemporary’s society obsession with thinness and a pretty face as the true quality of a woman’s beauty (Angelou 3). All the four stanzas in the poem employ literal devices and themes to accentuate her perception of what a phenomenal woman entails. With a song like form and a loose structure, the poem is effective in delivering the poet’s intended message (Cullum 27).
In the first stanza, the poet reveals that she neither has what many would say is a cute face or a model like figure. She instead links her phenomenal nature to her confidence that emanates from the way she walks, stretches her arms, her smile and the rhythm of her hips. The poet’s body is the true expression of womanliness. She concludes this stanza by citing that she is phenomenal, a term that may have dual meanings. Phenomenal may describe for huge figure and second her confident and towering personality(Angelou 3). She is thus both big in personality and physique.
In the second Stanza, the Angelou says that no matter how subtly she enters a room, men fall for her swarming around her like bees. Her body language and self-confidence are primarily the themes tackled in this stanza. She credits this reaction to the passion exhibited in her eyes, shiny teeth, waist movement and her light feet. To say the least, she is “phenomenally a phenomenal woman” (Angelou 3). Maya ends this stanza by accepting that she is outstanding and supreme.
The third stanza dwells on mystery as a theme. In this stanza, the poet reveals the mystery that she is to many men. The mystery manifests itself in the way men perceive and fancy her. They find it hard to understand her but still cannot reach her soul. The problem lies in the fact that men fail to comprehend that the mystery emanates from her womanhood. The poet believes her womanhood cannot be a mystery as it radiates from her body language, her smile, her bosom rhythm, and the curve to her back. Her grace and femininity are the main sources of her influence. She is truly a supreme woman as illustrated by the last line of the stanza “Phenomenally/Phenomenal woman /that’s me” (Angelou 3).
In the last stanza, the poet takes time to acknowledge the reader’s comprehension of why she continues to be influential and powerful. She tackles the theme of confidence extensively in this stanza(Angelou 3). I agree with her that attention should not be courted through jumping or being loud in one's actions or words. Her power she concludes lies in the sound of her heels, her hand’s palm and her hair curve. All this translates into the actual description of a phenomenal woman.
In my opinion, Maya Angelou adopts a celebratory tone, warm mood as well as positive diction to put across her appreciation of the phenomenal woman and joy of being one. Through use of imagery such as the curl of my smile, the reach of my arms she allows to visualize her actions as she recites the poem. Her diction is in itself simple and full of energetic phrases such as “as cool as you please”, and “the fire in my eyes” (Cullum 28). She uses metaphors severally to make the poem intriguing such as her description of men swarming around her “like bees” (Cullum 28). Maya Angelou further uses rhyme, assonance, and consonance to enhance play of the various sounds employed in the poem to make it more vivid and enjoyable. The assonance is evident in the repeated line “I am a woman phenomenally, phenomenal woman, that’s me”, consonance in the repeated consonant sound L such as in the phrase “real loud” and rhyme in lines one two and four(Cullum 28). The poem also incorporates repetition of the word phenomenal to cement the central subject of the whole poem- Phenomenal Woman.
Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women. New York: Random House, 1994. Print.
Cullum, Linda E. Contemporary American Ethnic Poets: Lives, Works, Sources. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2004. Print.
