Phenomenal Woman – Maya Angelou

Pretty women [D1] 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[D2] . 

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[D3] ,   

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.

The poem is a narrative free verse. There are no conventional rhymes. The poetic persona speaks directly using the first person singular. The last four lines in every stanza forms a refrain. Maya Angelou was an African American woman and because of her nationality as well as the fact that she was not beautiful according to the accepted criteria of her society she experienced discrimination and was aware of the way the society looked at people like her. Still, Angelou was unapologetically proud of herself as she was and she wanted the world to see it. She was not afraid of speaking against racial and gender discrimination.

In “Phenomenal woman,” Angelou wants to show the world what makes her beautiful. In the first stanza Angelou states that pretty women wonder what makes her look beautiful as she is not the type that would fit into the designers clothes and look good in them. When she tries to explain what is beautiful about her she states that the other women believe that she is lying. Angelou claims that beauty comes with a confidence, a woman doesn’t have to look like a model or a centerfold to consider herself beautiful and worth looking at. The poem includes a description of Angelou’s body: “The sun of my smile/ The swing in my waist / the flash of my teeth.” She states it in a way to show she is proud of her hips, which is something unusual as the women that have bigger hips usually do not consider themselves beautiful and are not proud of it at all. The other technique worth mentioning is the use of irony. She is indirectly stating that the world’s view on perfect women is ridiculous. Angelou perceives herself as a woman that is not only beautiful but smart and that she is phenomenal.   

In the second stanza, the poet describes her relations with men. She says that whenever she walks into a place full of men, they either stand up or fall on their knees [D4] J. Angelou compares men to bees and they all want to get as close to her as possible. They admire her and she is a queen bee to them. Angleou determines why men behave like that around her another – “It’s the fire in my eyes/ The joy in my feet.” Once again the four lines beginning with “I’m a woman” are repeated.

In the third stanza the poet says that men actually wonder why they behave in the way they do around her. They cannot touch her, which makes it even more difficult for them to understand why they are so attracted to her. She says that it is something inside her, an “inner mystery.” Angelou says she tried to show them what the mystery is but they are not able to see it. Proving she is a very happy person, Angelou gives a list of her features, descriptions of her body and the stanza is ending with the refrain.

The fourth stanza is a summary of what has been said so far. Angelou speaks directly to the readers to make sure they have understood her points in the previous three stanzas about her being a phenomenal woman. She says it full of self-confidence: “Now you understand Just why my head’s not bowed.” She says that whenever she goes anywhere she does not have to be noisy to get anyone’s attention. Angelou says, “When you see me passing It ought to make you proud.” She shows that she is not an extraordinary super beauty or a model walking on a catwalk; still her presence should make people feel proud of themselves and probably of her as well. And again she lists her features. “It’s in the click of my heels,” She uses assonance – “It’s in the click of my heels”. it is only here she succumbs slightly to the status quo. Even this liberated woman wears heels in order to make herself pretty. Long legs and tall bodies are considered beautiful. The stanza ends with the refrain and the epiphora

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 [D1]The norm – big-made women with darker complexions can’t make it

 [D2]Extraordinarily

 [D3]Why should she be wearing heels, that is if she is really liberated?

 [D4]A bit of an exaggeration?