“Phenomenal Woman” Analysis

“Phenomenal Woman” Analysis Maya Angelou is a name not foreign to anyone who is remotely interested in poetry. A renowned African-American female who is known for speaking against racism and sexism, Angelou wrote many well-known poems that speak to the world. “Phenomenal Woman”, one of her best poems, truly exemplifies Angelou’s style. Through the use of many poetic devices such as metaphor, connotation, and imagery, “Phenomenal Woman” is truly the greatest poem and tells women all over the world that beauty and confidence does not originate from physical attributes. Firstly, metaphors are used in several places in the poem to vividly describe the scene. One particularly striking example is the comparison of men to bees in the line “Then they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees”. The skillful use of metaphor here vibrantly describe the scene of men keenly approaching Angelou as she enters the room. The comparison of eager men to bees is effective in showing the interests these men have in her. The use of the verb “swarm” further demonstrates the degree to which these men are attracted by her. Furthermore, bees are creatures that are generally friendly but with a slight hint of annoyance. Angelou’s choice to use bees to describe men instead of other animals shows that she positions herself equally, if not above, the men of the society, thus becoming more confident. “Phenomenal Woman” was written around an era in which racism and sexism still affected the daily lives of women. The poem can thus be interpreted as Angelou’s call to all women to stand up for themselves and consider themselves equal to men. Overall, the use of this metaphor successfully conveys the message that inner beauty and confidence are powerful in gaining the respect of others. Angelou uses this metaphor to show women around the world that they should believe in themselves and be confident in their physical attributes. Secondly, the use of connotation in this poem is witty and playful and shows the resilience in Angelou’s efforts to strive for gender equality. “I’m a woman / Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, / That’s me” is a repeating phrase that occurs several times in the poem. The word “phenomenal” has two meanings in this poem. The obvious meaning of “phenomenal” is “remarkable and extraordinary”. This definition of the word is certainly emphasized in the poem. As Angelou describes her body, her actions, and her confidence, she repeatedly reminds the readers that she is a truly phenomenal woman. Angelou’s phenomenal mind urges other women to follow suit with high impact. On further readings of the poem, readers can also interpret the word “phenomenal” as “large”. In colloquial language, “phenomenal” can be used to describe things of large sizes such as a phenomenal amount of money or a phenomenal number of people. Here, Angelou can be suspected to use the word “phenomenal” to mockingly describe her own physical size since Angelou’s image as shown in media has always been a large African-American woman. The extra connotation of the word “phenomenal” adeptly juxtaposes with the literal meaning of the same word, demonstrating Angelou’s confidence and pride in being both emotionally and physical phenomenal. The use of the same word twice, one immediately after another, cleverly portrays the image of Angelou as a large yet confident woman who is ready to take on any challenges that stands between her and equality. Readers are made to think twice on the meaning of the word “phenomenal” and truly understand Angelou’s message that every woman is unique and beautiful. Finally and most prevalently, the use of imagery paints a colorful picture of Angelou’s character and further reinforces the strong message she is sending to the world. Amongst numerous locations on the poem where imagery is used, the most useful usage of it is in the many parallel lines with which Angelou describes her own body and actions. For example in the second last stanza Angelou describes the way she interacts with men by saying “It’s in the arch of my back, /The sun of my smile, /The ride of my breasts, /The grace of my style”. In four short lines, Angelou paints a portrait of herself with a strong body, an optimistic smile, a feminine figure, and a calming poise. Angelou is able to identify positive characteristics of her body and her personality and thus gain confidence from them. As she uses imagery to paint a picture of herself, readers can identify similarities in their own bodies or bodies of those around them and gain confidence as well. The description of Angelou’s body and personality resonates with others reading the poem regardless of the gender of the readers. The resonance created speaks louder than words and becomes a memorable and powerful image in the mind. Images of strong, powerful, positive, and self-respecting women come to the minds of readers; thus Angelou has successfully conveyed the message that a woman is beautiful as long as she is confident. In conclusion, “Phenomenal Woman” is one of the greatest poems ever written because of the potent message it sends through the use of poetic devices. The theme of gender equality and self-respect in women has been frequently explored by many poets and writers throughout the years but none does it better than Angelou in “Phenomenal Woman”. Creatively, Angelou’s message is able to reach the heart of men and women alike. The importance of educating the men in understanding gender equality is often overlooked by popular culture, yet a proper balance between the genders can only be established when individuals of both genders agree on the same principle and act accordingly. Works Cited "Poetic Devices." . N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2014. . "Phenomenal Woman - Poem by Maya Angelou." Phenomenal Woman - Poem by Maya Angelou. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2014. .