ICSE Literature – Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Phenomenal Woman

by Maya Angelou

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.

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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. 

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Introduction .. As a civil rights activist, author and a feminist leader, Maya Angelou has made her mark in America. Maya, with her con-conformist outlook, fierce self-confidence and a great literary mind, has inspired hundreds and thousands of black and just ordinary women around the world to give up their inferiority complex and assert their place in the society. Born in 1928 in St Lois, Missouri, Maya is considered as a foremost public figure with multiple literary awards under her belt. She sang her famous song ‘On the Pulse of Morning’ in Bill Clinton’s inauguration to thunderous applause from the audience.

Explanation to Stanza 1 and 2… Maya Angelou wrote the poem in the first person. She is brimming with self confidence as she declares herself as a ‘phenomenal’ woman. In this male-dominated and sex-defined society, she is a rebel – an anti-hero. Bereft of impressive vital statistics, and white skin, she stomps her way in the society and the work place as men glance appreciatively towards her begging her love. Her gait, smile, body language and, most importantly, self-assurance gives her the aura of beauty, attractiveness, grace and sophistication. It is certain that she is a woman of substance–a ‘phenomenal’ woman. She has a radiant face and a radiant smile despite not being rated as a raving beauty in the stereotype sense. On such value system which rates women as their figure and skin colour as yardsticks, she pours scorn and disdain. She defies the age-old system of looking at women and authoritatively prives it wring through her own example.

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 for my care.   

’Cause I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That’s me.

Explanation Stanza 3 and Stanza 4 … The author, with an air of self-confidence, says how men are left clueless about her charm. She exudes grace and a cool attractive persona that the men folk find so intriguing. They try to delve into the secrets of her beauty, but fail to unravel anything. The author then proceeds to list them. It is the arch of her back, the optimism and brightness of her smile, her bust and her grace that make her so adorable to the opposite sex. She ends her stanza by reiterating that she is a ‘phenomenal’ woman.

She walks upright, with no inferiority or guilt. She has a cool composure, neither screams, nor raises her voice to make a point. She asserts that she is bodily as much beautiful as she is desirable for values hidden in her. People yearn for her attention, because a woman like her with beautiful hair pals and gait infects others with inspiration, joy and optimism. This is why she calls herself a ‘phenomenal’ woman.

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[To be continued]