Phenomenal Women: A Woman\'s Imaginary Mold in Society PDF

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Martin 1 Alexandria Martin Dr. Namorah Gayle Byrd English 102 – 51 26 April 2020 Phenomenal Women: A Woman’s Imaginary Mold in Society Maya Angelou was an acclaimed author and poet from St. Louis, Missouri. She was known as Hollywood’s first African American female director and a civil rights activist who worked for Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. In 1995, Maya Angelou wrote “Phenomenal Woman,” a poem that captures an in depth encounter of how women are often treated. This poem specifically displays the feelings and emotions of a woman who does not feel that she conforms to the standards of beauty or the imaginary mold of what a woman should be according to society (“Maya Angelou”). Poetry is a combination of words that are grouped together to capture the reader’s attention, provoke many feelings, and to tell a story. It has the ability to provoke feelings that are positive, negative, or both. This poem explores the outside qualities, inside characteristics, and attributes associated with a beautiful woman. In the first stanza of “Phenomenal Woman,” the narrator uses a reflective tone to recall her interactions with other women. She recalls that “pretty women” often look at her and wonder what makes her so attractive and alluring (Angelou, line 1). The narrator does not consider herself to be a pretty woman, “where my secret lies,” because she considers herself to be rather plain or homely-looking (Angelou, line 1). These lines of the poem suggest that the narrator is perhaps a plus-sized woman who does not consider herself to be physically beautiful when comparing herself to others. But inside she knows that she has pretty women asking the same questions that are difficult to answer regarding their own beauty. When the narrator

Martin 2 attempts to tell her secret to the other women, the women believe she is telling “lies” (Angelou, line 4). She quickly defends herself against these conventionally-beautiful women and states that she is “not cute or built to size” (Angelou, line 2). With women, self-image correlates with selfesteem. Having a negative self-image leads to a depressed mood and some women will result to putting others down to re-affirm their own self-image (Santrock). Since self-esteem has the ability to effect relationships between women, it appears to be clear that the women judging the narrator have low self-esteem. Individuals with low self-esteem often experience a “lack of control” and will “tend to see the world as a hostile place,” often passing judgments on others to create a security blanket for themselves (Burton). By using imagery, the narrator made the ability to show whom she believes is confident and successful. Although she cannot reveal all of her secrets, she can tell the pretty girls about her own physical and character attributes that she uses to allure the attention of others. “It’s in the reach of my arms, / The span of my hips, / The stride of my step, / The curl of my lips” (Angelou, lines 6-9). The narrator again uses imagery to show what objects and goals are in her grasp, the full extent of her womanhood, her decisiveness, and the alluring effect she has on people when she smiles. In the second stanza, the narrator describes the effect that she has on men. She explains how she presents a powerful, alluring sensuality that draws their attention when she walks into the room. She describes these men by using a metaphor to state they gathered around her like “a hive of honey bees” (Angelou, line 20). These men fall to the measures of her beauty before fighting for her attention. Psychologically, people are drawn to others with high self-worth, and this concept explains why the men felt so compelled to be near her. For centuries women were required to stifle their own “voice” as they confronted “demands to become subservient and

Martin 3 silent in order to be attractive to males” (Nolen-Hoeksema). In theory these men likely find the narrator so attractive because she does not conform to the standard “fragile and conflicted” female identity (Nolen-Hoeksema). As in the previous stanza, the narrator credits her physical attributes to explain the effect she has on others. From the power in her look to the sway of her hips, the narrator is proving that she is capable of seducing men by simply standing in the same room. In the third stanza, the narrator continues to focus on her impression on men. She draws a line between the reflections of both men and women questioning what was so special about her. She states that others cannot touch “my inner mystery,” creating a mysterious beauty that others cannot see or understand even when she attempts to show it to them (Angelou, line 34). The men and women judging the narrator make an accurate display of today’s society. They can judge her – and likely other women as well – based only on her physical attributes. Other people simply cannot understand the radiant beauty that she displays to those around her. In the fourth stanza the narrator finally addresses the reader. She summarizes her qualities and explains how her previous recollections with those men and women should help her audience better understand “Just why my head’s not bowed” (Angelou, line 47). She also refuses to flaunt her beauty by stating, “I don’t shout or jump about,” in front of women that may be less beautiful or have poor self-esteem (Angelou, line 48). She chooses not to draw attention to herself willingly, but simply being herself draws others to her. The narrator is confident, beautiful, and self-respecting. All of these things have happened in her life because she is a phenomenal women and she is proud of it. Based on the poem’s use of the first person, it would be easy to assume that the narrator is Maya Angelou reflecting on past experiences of hers considering she was very proud of herself

Martin 4 and wanted the world to see it. This specific poem is written in free verse and has no specific rhyme scheme, however Angelou does use several rhymes through the poem to give it a rhythmic feel. The narrator additionally utilizes epimone – the repetition of a phrase to stress an important point – by stating “I’m a woman / Phenomenally. / Phenomenal woman, / That’s me” at the end of each stanza (Angelo, lines 10-13). The central point of this poem examines the author’s perspective of what a phenomenal woman is by providing that impression and describing those attributes to the readers. The most prominent theme in “Phenomenal Woman” is to discuss and celebrate the astonishing beauty of women that come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, especially in a world where women are considered to be inferior. Although women today now have a “strong and positive identity,” many women still find themselves struggling with low self-esteem and “little sense of mastery or agency” in their personal and professional lives with “ambivalence over whether they should be feminine or masculine” in those roles (Nolen-Hoeksema). Every woman is beautiful regardless of the beauty standards that society has set for them and no two women can fit into the same imaginary mold of what all women should be. Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman” is arguably one of her most notable poems because of its ability to bring forward an empowered, resilient woman. It makes an effort to show that beauty is not defined by physical standards, but by their inside beauty and the grace that they portray. This poem makes it a point that a phenomenal woman is one who creates opportunities for others to accept who they are inside, rather than changing herself to conform to physical beauty standards.

Martin 5 Works Cited Angelou, Maya. “Phenomenal Woman.” Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48985/phenomenal-woman/. Accessed 7 Mar 2020. Burton, Neel. “Building Confidence and Self-Esteem.” Psychology Today, 21 Jun 2019, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201205/building-confidence-and-selfesteem/. Accessed 12 Apr 2020. “Maya Angelou.” Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/maya-angelou/. Accessed 8 Mar 2020. Nolen-Hoeksema, Susan. “The Truth About Women and Self-Esteem.” Psychology Today, 21 Jan 2010, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-women/201001/the-truth-aboutwomen-and-self-esteem/. Accessed 14 Apr 2020. Santrock, John. Essentials of Life-Span Development. New York, McGraw-Hill Education, 2020....