Phenomenal Woman
"Phenomenal Woman," by Maya Angelou, describes herself from her own point of view. It shows us her strong self-confidence when expressing the way she feels personally about herself. She may lead us to think that she does believe to be unattractive when she describes in the poem, "Pretty women wonder where my secret lies" (1). "Men themselves have wondered what they see in me" (30). She shows that even though she is not the cute, petite women, she is beautiful and can attract attention in any circumstance.
She is not only speaking for herself but speaking for all women. Women can do or be anything they want if they have the confidence to prove it. In the poem, she introduces to us just that. She tells them what it is about her and they just simply think she's lying.
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. (6-13)
Every action she makes, from the dazzle in her eyes, to the twist in her hips when she walks, shows that she moves about a room like she has complete control. Another place in this poem that shows this is when she says it's "the flash of my teeth...And the joy in my feet" (23-25). She truly shows her happiness, in general, and with who she is. Men have a hard time understanding of what it truly is that stuns them about her. Pretty women have a hard time wondering what it is about her too. She's not cute or skinny like them, so why do guys choose her over the pretty woman? She begins to tell them but they still don't see it. It's the way she stands straight and proud with her bright noticeable smile. She seems like a nice happy person and has a positive outlook on life. Her personality is filled with potential. In other words, there is much more to see then what meets the eyes. In the last stanza she expresses that it is time for them to understand why I don't look down on myself and why I keep my head up or I don't do anything spectacular
She is not only speaking for herself but speaking for all women. Women can do or be anything they want if they have the confidence to prove it. In the poem, she introduces to us just that. She tells them what it is about her and they just simply think she's lying.
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. (6-13)
Every action she makes, from the dazzle in her eyes, to the twist in her hips when she walks, shows that she moves about a room like she has complete control. Another place in this poem that shows this is when she says it's "the flash of my teeth...And the joy in my feet" (23-25). She truly shows her happiness, in general, and with who she is. Men have a hard time understanding of what it truly is that stuns them about her. Pretty women have a hard time wondering what it is about her too. She's not cute or skinny like them, so why do guys choose her over the pretty woman? She begins to tell them but they still don't see it. It's the way she stands straight and proud with her bright noticeable smile. She seems like a nice happy person and has a positive outlook on life. Her personality is filled with potential. In other words, there is much more to see then what meets the eyes. In the last stanza she expresses that it is time for them to understand why I don't look down on myself and why I keep my head up or I don't do anything spectacular