Kimmel 1

Nick Kimmel
Mrs. Garza
English II 5
th

February 21, 2014
Maya Angelou had a long and meaningful life by the time that she decided to write the
poem Phenomenal Woman. She faced many different triumphs and failures since her birth in St.
Louis Missouri in 1928 (Phenomenal Woman Maya). Later on in her childhood she moved
to Stamps Arkansas and faced challenges that were normal for black women during that time
(Global Renaissance woman). She faced a lot of negative social pressure and discrimination
yet despite this she was immensely proud of being a woman. She wrote Phenomenal Woman to
help her to express this. She believed that, even though she wasnt the most beautiful woman, her
personality allowed her to be attractive and mysterious both to men and other women (Maya
Angelou). In her poem Angelou uses many poetic themes, including repetition, metaphor, mood
and tone. She helps the reader to better visualize and feel what she wants to get across and feel
the same emotions and drive she did.
Maya expresses how, even though she didnt have the body of a supermodel, she was
confident enough in herself and secure enough in her womanhood she made good impressions on
everyone she met. I believe that she really was convinced that pure physical attractiveness and
charm are not all that matters for a woman. Her personality and body language casted enough of
an aura of confidence around her that she didnt need to be physically stunning to be popular
(Phenomenal Woman Maya). In the poem it seems that she knows exactly the effect she has
on others, and isnt keeping it a secret. Still, they are confused by her (Angelou). They just cant
Kimmel 2

seem to imagine that she, even though she doesnt have what they do, such as physical beauty,
can still be at least as influential and attractive as them.
One of the poetic themes that is prevalent in the poem repetition. At the end of each
stanza she repeats Phenomenally/ Phenomenal Woman/ thats me (Angelou). This repetition
emphasizes and reaffirms how she feels, that she is something great. The repetition in this poem
is important for two main reasons. First of all it add emphasis on what she really believes, that
she is something special and deserves to be paid attention to and wondered at. She also wants to
give this message about all women, they are things to be cherished. This repetition also reveals
the style and personality of the author, not all poets would repeat the phrase like this, she is doing
something that sets her apart from other poets.
Metaphor is another important literary element present. Making comparisons and
providing imagery, Ms. Angelou brings the poem alive and interesting to the reader. Metaphors
help the reader to understand exactly what she is trying to say and feel. When she talks about
men as a swarm of bees, she helps to paint the image of how men treat her into the mind of the
reader (Angelou), it brings up a specific image to the readers mind. She also used this literary
tool to help describe herself with the flash of her teeth, (Angelou), once again making it so that
we can almost see her in our minds eye. The metaphors in this poem, while not extremely
extensive, still add a lot of value and meaning.
The overall tone and mood of the poem are one of the immense pride Ms. Angelou feels
and her womanhood in general (Maya Angelou). She is proud of her life, the way she carries
herself, how she is treated, and everything else that makes her such a unique, wonderful
individual. This really carries over in the poem because its such a large part of what she is and
the essence of the poem. She also seems especially proud of the effect she has on others. Both
Kimmel 3

men and women see her with mystery, and they wondered at her because of the way she
carries herself (Angelou). Many women, even today read this poem and because of how strong
these feelings are.
In order to understand her poem Phenomenal Woman, the reader really needs to
understand the rich history and background of the author, her childhood and the persecution she
felt as a young adult affected her poetry in ways that we can only understand by diving into it.
Also, showing her skill as a poet she uses many different literary elements in order to make her
poems both interesting and stimulating to read. Learning about her history and diving into the
literary devices in this poem, you discover many different layers and double meanings. Without
this background the poem loses much of its symbolism and meaning and loses its extra meaning
felt by so many even today.












Kimmel 4

Works Cited
"American Woman Poetry." Angelfire.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.angelfire.com/co4/lisapoems/americanwomen.html>.
Angelou, Dr. Maya, "Phenominal Woman." Poetry Foundation. Random House, 1978. Web. 13
Feb. 2014. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178942>.
"Maya Angelou - Biography." Maya Angelou - Biography. Hart+Vine, 2014. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.
<http://mayaangelou.com/bio/>.
"Phenomenal Woman." Skoool.ie. Intel Corporation, n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.skoool.ie/examcentre_sc.asp?id=4754>.