Phenomenal Women

Phenomenal women

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

The poem “Phenomenal Woman” is a classic piece of Black Feminist Poetry by Maya Angelou. It explains the different details about a woman that makes her phenomenal. Maya shows us that this woman feels great about herself regardless of what others think. Throughout the poem she tells us that nobody seems to understand what it is that makes her attractive because she is not physically beautiful by society’s standards. So what makes this woman so appealing? The woman in this poem is appealing to others because of her inner beauty and how she feels about herself. It is not about how she looks on the outside nor is it about what makes her attractive to the opposite sex. Even other women notice there is a something about this woman but they don’t understand why because she does not portray what is considered beautiful just by looking at her. The poem opens up by saying “Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size” She lets us know from the beginning that it is not her physical features that make her attractive. “Men themselves have wondered what they see in me. They try so much but they can’t touch my inner mystery.” This shows that it is not an actual feature that makes her attractive to men it is something that cannot be seen or touched, it is something that comes from within. “I walk into a room just as cool as you please, and to a man the fellows stand or fall on their knees. Then they swarm around me, a hive of honey bees.“ This part of the poem shows that men do find her attractive and are drawn to her like bees to honey. So, to be the phenomenal woman is not only about physical appearance but also the real women must concern to inner beauty to change people stereotype. Because inner beauty is more powerful to make women regard as phenomenal woman.

Still I Rise

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise. 

             
             - Maya Angelou

Analysis

"Still I Rise," by Maya Angelou, is a courageous and inspiring poem written about the emerging prominence of African Americans during the nation's civil rights movement. It channels the expression of the free spirit of all African Americans through the voice of one woman who speaks of overcoming the hardships of the beginnings of the race in America. She Angelou speaks to her audience of oppressors about how she has overcome racism, criticism, sexism, and personal obstacles in her life with pride and grace. This poem is historically rooted with the mentions of slavery, a “past of pain,” and “gifts of ancestors,” however she is speaking in the present having overcome all of the hardships of her past and embarking on the rest of her journey with the knowledge that she is a strong African American woman. Still I Rise is about overcoming oppression with grace and pride, having no sympathy for the oppressors and giving to validity to the reasons for oppression. The main symbol throughout the poem is that of rising dust. For dust to rise, it must be unsettled from the ground in some way and then forms a dust cloud. But once the dust has been unsettled from the ground, it can leave and RISE. This can be applied to Angelou’s overcome of the obstacles and her oppressors on the “ground” and rising above them all, unsettling and challenging the oppression. This poem has a very certain seriousness to it, but Angelou brings in her pride as an African American woman and injects playful images into the poem when questioning her oppressors. The stanzas that have questions show the direct relationship between the speaker and the audience, Angelou and her oppressors, and allows the reader to put themselves in the heat of the discussion and in the heart of the poem. The tone is one of sureness, pride, and grace. 

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and is tune is heard
on the distant hillfor the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
an the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom. 

     - Maya Angelou

Analysis

"I know why the caged bird sings” is one of the most famous poems of Maya Angelou. It speaks of freedom and equality for the entire humanity. It represents many ideas, themes, and thoughts, so it doesn't necessarily have just one meaning. This poem states that there are two birds, one trapped in a cage, and the other in free and flying in the sky. The trapped bird represents an African American man or woman, while the free bird represents a white man or woman. The poem is portraying the relationship between an African American person and the white people. Maya Angelou is explaining the feelings of racial discrimination, segregation, and domination. The poem describes how she was the bird that was trapped and tied up and unable to reach freedom. The caged bird can be interpreted as the black race being held back from freedom by their skin color. The fat worms and breeze in the poem symbolize hope and opportunity In the poem, it is constantly repeated that "his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing." This is implying that even though this bird is trapped, it still has hope. The bird will continue to persevere and not give up. It sings about the hope of things to come, not necessarily of happiness. . She uses harsh metaphors to portray a vivid picture of the social scenario of the 20^th century African American community that was oppressed under the whites since centuries.