Phenomenal Woman

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 of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me. 

Maya Angelou               

   

Analysis of the poem: 

Stanza 1: “Phenomenal Woman” begins with a personal attack on stereotypes. She proudly says that she doesn’t have the hourglass figure, or 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”. She concludes the first stanza with declaring herself as a ‘phenomenal woman’. She believes in herself and that is what matters the most. With the type of things see on the media today, many people fall into the trap of needing to have the perfect body.

 

Stanza 2:
In the second stanza, Maya says that despite her not-so-feminine beauty, men used to fall for her, swarm around her like bees. Since she has a body of her own; her glistening smile, movement of the waist, lightness of her feet makes her a champion. Since she knows she is phenomenal, she celebrates what she is and what she has. This stanza includes a Metaphor. In the line “They swarm around me, A hive of honey bees”, the poet compares men to bees going after the poet for her unique charm. This stanza represents the confidence that she has in herself. There is also the line, “It’s the fire in my eyes” and this represents the intensity of her confidence as she does not let the men define who she is.

   

the second bees image represents the poet and how even with many men around her, she continues to love herself and doesn't change who she is. 

Stanza 3:
In the third stanza, she says she remains a wonder to men. Men leave no stone behind to unravel her mystery but they fail miserably. She indicates to them that her mystery is not obscure but clearly expressed in her body language from the curve to her back. I think that she believes her physical appearance does not define who she is. Instead she accepts her body and that is what makes her a “Phenomenal woman/ That’s [her].”

Stanza 4:
In the last stanza, she expects her readers to understand how and why she always walks with her head held high. She tells that she does not need to do anything loud to snatch attention. Rather it is the sound of her heels, the curve in her hair, and the palm of her hand making her a ‘phenomenal woman’. This reminds me of a song called “All About That Bass” by Meagan Trainor.  

                     

                 

    

Overall views and thoughts:

The poem starts with the female talking about other women wondering what secret she is keeping. Many females wonder what it is that she has which keep men following the female. Despite her strong refusal to fit into beauty paradigm, the poet gets maximum male attention. Her physical appearance makes the questioning women more curious and they have a strong feeling that the poet conceals the secret of her success. The poet proudly asserts that she is very happy with whatever she has and definitely is not going to take a plunge to beautify herself. Her real appearance, the reach of her arms, the span of her hips, and the curl of her lips make her such a phenomenal woman. What she intends to highlight is that there is no falsity about her appearance. She appears the way she exists. She is confident and that shows in spark of her eyes. Now, she remains a mystery to her male admirers. This ordinary looking woman sparks a desire in them and they fail to pin down the reason.

More literary devices:

Metaphor

     - “It’s the fire in my eyes.”

The poet here uses a very commonplace metaphor of fire that defines the poet’s passion.

   - “The sun of my smile.”

Here, Maya Angelou has compared the warmth of her smile to that of the sun.

Repetition: 

“I’m a woman,

Phenomenally.”

This line gets repeated in all the stanzas of the poem which shows the confidence the poet has in them.  

Alliteration:  Examples of alliteration from the poem are,

“pretty woman wonder”

“they say they still can’t see” and “the sun of my smile”

Imagery: I found two parts in this poem where imagery was clearly present. One is when it says that the men swarm around her like a swarm of bees and another throughout the play when she is confident with her body. This is seen when she talks about her walking with her head held high.