Maya Angelou is best known for addressing the world through the medium of her own

life. Her works are a reflection of the social issues that were prevalent in the second half
of the 20th century. Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou celebrates femininity and
highlights the traits necessary for a woman to become phenomenal. She believes that
it is not the outer beauty of a person but the inner one which makes each woman
phenomenal. She criticizes the biased societal expression that expects women to starve
themselves in order to be considered pretty.
Summary:
Stanza 1: Phenomenal Woman begins with a stark comment saying that she is neither
cute nor has a great figure to suit a models size. She tells that pretty women often
wonders where the secret of her success lies. Moreover when she reveals her so-called
secrets to them, they refuse to believe her. 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. Her entire body is an expression of
womanliness. Maya Angelou concludes the first stanza by saying that she is a
phenomenal woman. Here the word phenomenal can have dual meanings, one that is
she is huge and the second, she has a towering personality. Thus she is huge in both
physique and personality.
Stanza 2:
In the second stanza, Maya says that no matter how cool she enters a room, men fall
for her and falls on their knees, they swarm around her like bees. She claims that its
the passion in her eyes, the shine of her teeth when she smiles, the movement of her
waist and the lightness of her feet that win men over. She is phenomenally a
phenomenal woman. She considers herself as supreme and outstanding.
Stanza 3:
In the third stanza, she says she remains a mystery to men. Men often wonder why they
fancy her. They try hard as much as they can to understand her mystery but they
cannot touch her soul. Actually, they fail to understand that her mystery lies in her
womanhood. She indicates to them that her mystery is not obscure but clearly
expressed in her body language from the curve to her back, to her smile and rhythm of
her bosom. In fact, her influence lies in her grace, in her femininity. She says she is a
supreme woman, Phenomenally/ Phenomenal woman/ Thats me.
Stanza 4:
In the last stanza, she asks her readers that they must have understood by then her
power and influence on others and why her head is never bowed that is she walks
confidently with her head always held high. She says that she need not have to jump or
talk loudly to grab attention when she walks by. She influences all by passing quietly yet
full of expression in every gesture she makes. She declares that her power lies in the
sound of her heels, the curve in her hair, the palm of her hand. Finally, she restates the
fact the she is a phenomenal woman.
Analysis:
Form and Structure:
The poem, Phenomenal Woman is structured into four stanzas and the number of
lines in each stanza varies from one another. The poem is written in free verse which
allows the poet to compose long and short sentences without any interruption. The
language used by the poet is lucid and colloquial in nature. The language so used
highlights the distinctive qualities of a phenomenal woman. Though the language is
simple but it has energetic and fluent phrases to signify the inner strength of a woman
which makes her phenomenal. Few such examples from the poem are listed below,
*the fire in my eyes
*the stride of my step
*the swing in my waste
*the joy in my feet
*the grace of my style
*the click of my heels
Tone of the poem:
The tone of the poem is that of a strong, confident woman who does not bother what
people think about her. She finds happiness in her womanhood. In the first three
stanzas, she describes what other people think about and her reaction towards their
viewpoint. She is not embarrassed about her huge physique. She considers herself a
supreme woman and celebrates womanhood.
Imagery:
Maya Angelou has used imagery skillfully and vividly to create a mental image of a
woman who is self-confident, loves herself and is proud being a woman. The examples
of imagery are given below,
*I am not cute or built to suit fashion models size
*The curl of my lips
*The swing of my waist
*The ride of my breasts
*The stride of my steps
*The flash of my teeth
*The sun of my smile
*The palm of my hand
*the joy of my feet
Thus, we see the poet has used imagery to describe her whole body from head to feet
and her behavioral patterns which make her a phenomenal woman.
Irony:
The poem represents irony in the way the poet thinks about beauty and how the world
perceives it. The poet is an African-American. She has experienced racial
discrimination, rape and oppression in America. The American standard of beauty is to
have fair color, sharp features and blue eyes. But the African American women do not
conform to these standards. On the other hand, Maya Angelou believes that inner
beauty is the real beauty of a woman. She feels confident in her curvaceous body and
huge physique. She finds joy in her womanhood.
Figures of speech:
This small poem of four stanzas are comprised of a number of figures of speech.
*USE OF METAPHOR: The examples of metaphor in the poem are,-
Then they swarm around me
A hive of honey bees.
In the above lines, the poet has compared a group of men to honey bees who huddle
around her when she enters a room.
Its the fire in my eyes.
In the above line, the poet has compared her passion to fire.
The sun of my smile.
Here, Maya Angelou has compared the warmth of her smile to that of the sun.
*USE OF REFRAIN: A refrain is a line, a part of line or a group of lines which is
repeated in the course of a poem, sometimes with little changes usually at the end of a
stanza. The last four lines of the first three stanzas of the poem, Phenomenal Woman
should be noted,-
I am woman,
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
Thats me.
These lines are again repeated at the end of the last stanza but with the addition of a
cause,-
Cause, I am woman,
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
Thats me.
*USE OF PERSONIFICATION:
And the joy in my feet is an example of personification.
*USE OF ALLITERATION: The repetition of the consonant sounds at the beginning of
words is called alliteration. Examples of alliteration from the poem are,
pretty woman wonder
they say they still cant see
the sun of my smile
Maya Angelous Phenomenal Woman asserts the theme that Beauty is more than
skin deep. She refutes the theory that beautiful women should have well proportioned
physique and vital statistics. She disapproves the distorted view of beauty, which
emphasizes more on outer beauty than inner beauty. She argues that true beauty lies
within and body language is the medium through which it is expressed.


Maya Angelous poem, Phenomenal Woman, is a compelling form of art. Angelou
tends to write about topics that are often disregarded and unexplored by others. Her
poem illustrates the love a woman has for herself even though she isnt considered
beautiful. The language and tone indicate that the speaker was abused. Her pride
has risen from the torture and neglect she experienced. Instead of being ashamed
and blaming herself, she has gained hope.
The scholarly essay by Kelly Holland Cecil analyzes the key concepts of the poem
and notes Angelous inspiration and the general patterns that can be found
throughout her poetry. Cecil notes the generalization of Angelous usage of personal
experience and history, Much of Angelous poetry, almost entirely short lyrics,
expresses in strong, often jazzy rhythms, themes common to the life experiences of
many American blacks discrimination, exploitation, being on welfare. Other poems
deal with social issues and problems which, though not unique to blacks, are
explored from a black perspective.
In my own analysis I discovered that Maya Angelou mostly writes from experience,
and this poem falls perfectly in that category. She faced constant discrimination as a
woman, particularly an African American woman. She also thought that she was
never terribly pretty. She allowed this dissatisfaction to grow, but when she became
older she killed it with the sense of pride she gained. As a child, Angelou was
sexually abused. When she told her family about the terrible occurrence, the man
was killed. She chose to remain silent for the next five years, because she believed
that her words had killed the man. Her silence has taught her the power and
capabilities that words possess, and she clearly evokes that notion in this poem.
Though she was abused as a child, she has grown into a talented woman. Kelly
Cecil writes, The persona in this poem is a strong, confident woman. Lyman B.
Hagen states, The woman described is easily matched to the author herself.
Angelou is an imposing woman at least six feet tall. She has a strong personality
and a compelling presence as defined in the poem. This poem can closely relate to
the pride she has found by loving herself regardless of what others think.
The poem uses a repetitive pattern in each stanza. Angelou starts the stanza with a
description of someones reaction to the woman as they notice her. The reactions
are all categorized by wonderment. They question why she is so happy and what
others see in her. The stanzas continue by developing the persona. The person is
described as a vivacious woman. Kelly Cecil describes Angelous purpose for her
descriptions by stating: She uses such imagery so that the proud, confident
persona can be better understood. The descriptions contribute to the way the
person sees herself: as a beautiful woman. Each stanza ends with the same four
lines. Cecil notes; Maya Angelou uses repetition in this poem to stress certain
phrases. An example of this is Im a woman / Phenomenally. / Phenomenal
woman, / Thats me. They reassure the reader that the person described loves who
is she by restating that she is a phenomenal woman.
Angelou gives the feeling of a hidden frustration and anger at the men and women
who question the subjects self-confidence. But overall Maya Angelou gives praise to
the woman who loves herself.
Pulchritude possesses solely cutaneous profundity.

The poem Phenomenal Woman describes the spirit of womanhood. The poem
describes a woman who is proud of being a woman, who is confident, follows her heart,
has faith in herself and believes in her inner strength. Such a woman is phenomenally
phenomenal.
The poet tells her readers to ignore the conventional view of being beautiful which is
only related to physical appearance. Instead the poet asks us to feel proud of what God
has endowed us with. Women should not succumb to the artificial canons of beauty.
Maya Angelou reminds us that our beauty lies much beyond the outer appearance.
She lists down some qualities that make truly phenomenal and why other women and
men find her beauty mysterious.
Phenomenal Woman begins with a stark comment saying that she is neither cute nor
has a great figure to suit a models size. She tells that pretty women often wonders
where the secret of her success lies. Moreover when she reveals her so-called secrets
to them, they refuse to believe her. 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. Her entire body is an expression of womanliness.
Maya Angelou concludes the first stanza by saying that she is a phenomenal woman.
Here the word phenomenal can have dual meanings, one that is she is huge and the
second, she has a towering personality. Thus she is huge in both physique and
personality.
In the second stanza, Maya says that no matter how cool she enters a room, men fall
for her and falls on their knees, they swarm around her like bees. She claims that its
the passion in her eyes, the shine of her teeth when she smiles, the movement of her
waist and the lightness of her feet that win men over. She is phenomenally a
phenomenal woman. She considers herself as supreme and outstanding.
In the third stanza, she says she remains a mystery to men. Men often wonder why they
fancy her. They try hard as much as they can to understand her mystery but they
cannot touch her soul. Actually, they fail to understand that her mystery lies in her
womanhood. She indicates to them that her mystery is not obscure but clearly
expressed in her body language from the curve to her back, to her smile and rhythm of
her bosom. In fact, her influence lies in her grace, in her femininity. In the last stanza,
she asks her readers that they must have understood by then her power and influence
on others and why her head is never bowed that is she walks confidently with her head
always held high. She says that she need not have to jump or talk loudly to grab
attention when she walks by. She influences all by passing quietly yet full of expression
in every gesture she makes. She declares that her power lies in the sound of her heels,
the curve in her hair, the palm of her hand. Finally, she restates the fact the she is a
phenomenal woman.
Throughout the poem, we find the spirit of womanhood is highlighted. Maya Angelous
Phenomenal Woman asserts the theme that Beauty is more than skin deep. She
refutes the theory that beautiful women should have well proportioned physique and
vital statistics. She disapproves the distorted view of beauty, which emphasizes more
on outer beauty than inner beauty. She argues that true beauty lies within and body
language is the medium through which it is expressed.