Phenomenal Women Summary

What does a lady have that makes her beautiful? What does a woman have that a male doesn't? What draws your attention?her eyes, her smile, her assurance, her gait, or her mystery? Maya Angelou (1928-2014) explains that all of these traits contribute to a woman's lovely and strong personality in the poem "Phenomenal Woman." In her poem, Maya Angelou tackles the issue of femininity not through the prism of current beauty trends but rather through the inner strength and power that women possess, which reflects itself externally and is irresistibly alluring.

Poet, author, and Civil Rights activist Maya Angelou is the author of the poem "Phenomenal Woman." The poem was first released in 1978's, And Still, I Rise, which was Angelou's third book of poetry. Thirty-two poems from the renowned poetry collection are about overcoming obstacles and despair to rise above one's surroundings. Maya Angelou discusses topics like racism and gender, which are typical of her poetry, in the book And Still, I Rise. Poetry for all women, "Phenomenal Woman," in particular, captures Angelou's experience as a black woman in the United States of America. Maya Angelou's proclamation of her confidence in her beauty and power as a black woman has more significance when seen in the context of 20th-century America's racial biases and traditional white ideals of beauty.

Maya Angelou gives the world's women the ability to be strong, powerful, and magnetic by informing them that their confidence is what makes them beautiful. Later, in 1995, Maya Angelou's poetry collection Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women included a new edition of "Phenomenal Woman."

About the Author

On April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, Marguerite Johnson, the poet, novelist, and professor Maya Angelou was born. Her parents were Bailey and Vivian Baxter. When they were young, Angelou's elder brother, Bailey Jr., gave her the moniker "Maya." As a result of her parent's divorce when she was three years old, Angelou and her brother were taken to live with their grandmother in the racially segregated Stamps, Arkansas. Through their early years, Angelou and her brother often travelled between Stamps and St. Louis. The first Black female streetcar conductor in San Francisco, Angelou attended San Francisco's Labour School and George Washington High School during World War II. She briefly left school to work there for a short time but finally finished at the age of seventeen. Her lone son was born three weeks after her graduation.

For her work in the 1973 Broadway production of Look Away, Angelou received a Tony Award nomination. She also won three Grammy Awards for her spoken word albums and an Emmy for her supporting performance in the "Roots" television miniseries. The National Women's Hall of Fame honored Angelou with its 1998 induction. Both the National Medal of Arts and the Lincoln Medal were awarded to her in 2000 and 2008, respectively. Later in life, Angelou split her time between Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Harlem, New York. Her family consisted of one son, two grandkids, and two great-grandchildren.

On May 28, 2014, 86-year-old Maya Angelou died away.

Structure of the Poem

Angelou divides her poem into four main stanzas, with a shorter but nonetheless important stanza in the middle. There are hence five stanzas in all. While there are few instances of rhyme, she mostly employs an unusual rhyme pattern. "Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size," she writes in the opening couplet of her poetry. She sometimes uses rhyme. However, she does often conclude her lines with nouns that end in "s." This enhances the poem's seductive, sexual tone, especially when it is read aloud.

Theme of the poem

The themes of femininity, individuality, pride, and self-love are all present in Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman." All throughout the poem, the poem's central theme?womanhood?is praised. She promotes her self-confidence in being a woman with the sentence, "I'm a woman." She highlights her inner radiance in addition to her outward attractiveness. Gender-based perspectives are used to examine identity, another significant topic. Her racial identity is not discussed. Her joy in being a beautiful woman?not only physically but also mentally?comes out more clearly in her speech.

Within this work, there are themes of self-acceptance and self-love. As the speaker embraces who she is, she claims in the last verse that her head is unbowed. She is proud of the way her physique exudes her inner beauty and is content with it.

Summary of the Poem

First Stanza: The speaker recounts her contact with other women thoughtfully. She admits that "pretty women" often gaze at her and wonder what it is that draws them to her. The speaker is keen to note that she is not "cute" and does not have a model's body, in contrast to these conventionally gorgeous ladies. Because of this, other women are perplexed by her attractiveness and want to learn the key to her potent presence. The speaker seeks to unravel this riddle by detailing the peculiarities of her appearance and demeanor.

She asserts that these ladies never take her at her word when she attempts to explain her attraction to them, however. The speaker implies that they could feel envious or that they might not be able to accept the possibility that a lady who does not meet traditional criteria of beauty can really be lovely at all. The stanza is concluded with the speaker's repeated claim that she is a "phenomenal woman." She proudly exclaims that she is an extraordinary lady, not just a beautiful one.

Second Stanza: The speaker then goes on to discuss her impact on males. She describes how every time she enters a room, they are immediately drawn to the intense sensuality she emits. Every time she approaches them, they either react positively to her entrance by standing up or being overcome with desire for her. They then crowd around her, trying to catch her eye. Similar to the preceding verse, the speaker describes her appearance and demeanor to illustrate how she affects people. The speaker may seduce the other sex just by standing in front of them, from the strength in her expression to the swing of her hips. Being a fantastic lady is the repetition that the verse ends on, reinforcing the speaker's confidence and defending other people's attitudes toward her.

Third Stanza: The speaker continues to consider males in the third stanza. This time, she compares the responses that both women and men have when they see her. Like other women, she claims, males have questioned what is so great about her. She raises the bar of her analysis, nevertheless, when she, for the first time, asserts that she genuinely has a whole other sort of beauty. Even when she attempts to demonstrate it to men, she possesses a strange inner beauty that they cannot see or comprehend. They only evaluate her?and perhaps other women as well?based on her outward appearance, which leaves them ignorant of what makes a woman attractive from the inside out. Using sensuous words, the speaker highlights the physical characteristics and demeanor that make up her lovely and intriguing aura. The speaker reiterates the theme of being an extraordinary lady towards the conclusion of the verse.

Fourth Stanza: The speaker introduces herself to the audience, summarising her attributes and emphasizing how the listener might better understand her by learning more about her past. The audience should be able to understand the speaker's life right now and respect her traits. The speaker says that since she is proud of who she is, she does not hang her head in shame. Additionally, she does not intentionally bring attention to herself; rather, by just being herself, she attracts people. She encourages the listener to be proud of her as she passes since she is a self-assured and deserving lady. The speaker goes on to describe her joyful walk, the inherent beauty of her physical features, and the necessity for a lady like her in the world. Because she is a remarkable lady who marches to the beat of her own drum and is proud of it, all of these things have occurred in her life.

Analysis of the Poem

The speaker doesn't address anybody in particular in the opening verse. Given that the poem is written in the first person, the reader could conclude that Maya Angelou is narrating her own experiences. Although there is no defined rhyme pattern throughout the whole poem, Angelou makes use of multiple rhymes in this specific stanza to give the piece a rhythmic sense right away. The speaker claims that the other ladies who are observing her with interest are just "pretty women." The speaker makes it clear to the reader right away that she does not identify with this group. She claims in the second line of the verse that she does not conform to the standard of beauty shown by fashion models. The ladies accuse the speaker of telling "lies" as she attempts to reveal the secret of her beauty. They accuse the speaker of being dishonest because they are envious, and the choice of such a harsh word shows that they are not just in disbelief but also jealous of her.

The speaker seems upbeat despite the women's petty attitudes. She uses words that paint a picture of herself as bigger than life, describing her looks and motions in minute detail. She moves with elegance and the idea of occupying space without restraint, as seen by the "reach" of her arms, the "span" of her hips, and the "stride" of her step. The speaker walks confidently through life, and the "curl" of her lips conveys more than simply a physical characteristic but possibly even a pleased grin.

The speaker mentions the refrain at the end of the stanza, which is repeated at the conclusion of every succeeding verse. With the term "phenomenal," the speaker makes a play on words that also results in a rhyme. The word "phenomenally" modifies the verb "to be," suggesting that being a woman is an activity that requires attention rather than merely a passive state. She actively embraces everything that being a woman entails, including beauty, brains, and grit, and she does it in an extraordinary way. She expresses her self-assurance by concluding, "That's me," with a resounding assertion that she is, in fact, magnificent.

It's interesting how various people might understand the term "phenomenal". It may be seen as remarkable and wonderful on the one hand. However, it might equally be seen as unbelievable?as a natural phenomenon that defies logic. The second meaning is similar to how the ladies are depicted in verse; they do not believe the speaker, just as they may disbelieve any phenomena that are seen to be strange or improbable to happen. However, the speaker enjoys her position of authority and rejects the cynicism of other women. The word "phenomenal" may also describe anything that is obvious or noticeable; thus, no matter how unbelievable or startling it may appear, people can't help but notice the speaker's amazingness.

The speaker's voice changes in the second verse from being just confident to be both confident and enticing. She calls her demeanor "cool" when she walks into a room. Because she is conscious of her dominance over men, she is not in the least bit afraid of them. She compares and contrasts with the ladies mentioned in the first verse with the words "and to a man" in the next line. Men are driven to desire, while women are driven to jealousy and distrust. Those who are seated get up as soon as guys see her. This shows that rather than the other way around, the males are genuinely scared of her. They are ready to serve her and use the appropriate language to get her attention. Additionally, Angelou overstates her influence on males, saying that some of them really fall to their knees in her presence. These guys are less cool-headed than the ones who rise because they really love her and fall on their knees in submission to her.

The speaker then uses metaphor to show how these guys surround her like bees, as if she were delicious, like honey. They want to be close to her and after her. The speaker describes her attraction in this verse by using verbs and words that conjure up motion and light. This time, she reveals that males are hypnotized by the "fire" in her eyes and the "flash" of her teeth. Her eyes effectively hypnotize the males around her; the fire might be sexual energy or just confidence. Flashes of light imply bright, white teeth that sparkle as she grins. The "swing" makes me think of dancing since it seems like her hips are moving in a lovely and seductive way. The "joy" on her feet also represents the pride and happiness she feels in who she is as a woman. She reiterates this idea towards the end of the stanza when she claims once again that she is a great lady. The poem's melodic nature is further enhanced by this repetition, which makes it seem as if the speaker is singing a stirring song about the benefits of being a remarkable lady.

The speaker makes another reference to how other women react to her in verse three by saying that "men themselves" have likewise pondered her attractiveness. These guys are perplexed by her strong grip on them and unable to discern what makes her so alluring. The speaker's claim that these individuals often attempt to "touch her inner mystery" might mean a number of different things. In the context of a guy attempting to seduce a woman, the term "touch" has a sexual meaning. The speaker implies that these guys are ineffective in seducing her even though they are most likely willing to make love to her. She is in charge of and in control of her own body. Her inner mystery also alluded to all the lovely aspects that comprise a human spirit, such as aspirations, desires, and character qualities, to mention a few. In this context, the notion of males attempting to connect with her inner mystery may seem more harmless. They could be making an effort to comprehend what makes her unique, but they are unable to fathom or "touch" these facts. As society has trained males to assess women superficially (thus the previous remark about "fashion models"), they "cannot see" or are blind to the beauty that lies inside. Even when the speaker makes an effort to demonstrate her attractiveness to them?by inviting them to go near or by trying to describe her interests and convey her emotions?they are unable to grasp it.

The speaker, however, remains unaffected by these men's responses and expresses pride in herself. She behaves in a more sexualized manner in this stanza than in the ones before it. By describing the "arch of her back," the speaker conjures up a picture of a sensual woman. Again referencing light and the brilliance of her beauty, she says that her grin is like the sun. The most overt movement she describes is the way her breasts "ride" or move back and forth when she walks. Finally, she mentions a graceful personal style, implying that she is not only sensual but also practically holy due to her radiant and gentle beauty. The word "grace" connotes purity, which is the antithesis of sexuality. The speaker continues to emphasize that she may actually be both holy and sensuous; when combined, these attributes make her a remarkable lady, just as women are portrayed as heavenly and sacred in religious texts. Once again, the solution to all of these puzzles is pretty straightforward: Simply said, she is a wonderful lady who understands how to be a phenomenal woman.

In the fourth and final stanza, the speaker somewhat alters the poem's meaning by speaking directly to the audience. She has been sharing her narrative about her life with a listener to gain this person's understanding and respect rather than merely singing her own praises and revelling in herself. Although the speaker, Angelou, is not identified, it may be assumed that she pleads for the world to acknowledge her dignity and position as a strong and self-assured woman. It should now be obvious to the audience why she does not bend her head, she says, since she is not embarrassed about who she is. The term also makes one think of African slaves who were often humiliated or taught to bow down and obey. The speaker is raising her head high and rising above the suffering of her ancestors.

The fact that the speaker doesn't strive to attract attention from others is another way she demonstrates her humility. She doesn't raise her voice to "shout" or create a fuss in order to draw attention to herself. Instead, every trait she has mentioned in the poem is either entirely quiet or subtly expressed. A glance, a grin, or a hip movement are potent signals that are softly expressed. The speaker is just living her life on her own terms without attempting to annoy or influence others, which is why the audience should be proud of her. She reiterates her belief that her subtle attributes give her authority. The "click" of her heels conveys femininity and a positive stride, while the "bend" of her hair conveys the way her hair naturally falls and enhances her beauty. Her hand's "palm" might be a reference to the color of her skin. However, it could also represent a soft human touch, like holding someone's hand or making an offering. The most fascinating quality is the final one. The speaker asserts a "need for my care," implying that not only does the rest of the world want her, but also needs her. This statement fits nicely with the preceding line that highlights her palm because she is required as a strong and exceptional lady. Because she is a genuinely extraordinary lady, she has a lot to give the world.