"Phenomenal Woman," by Maya Angelou, expresses the way she sees herself. She was born on April 4, 1928 and raised in America. Maya Angelou describes herself as a strong, confident, and powerful woman. She gives a different perspective about beauty. She opens the poem with how she is “not cute or built to suit a fashion model size.” Although she is not a models size she is still beautiful in her own way. Maya Angelou uses diction, tone, and her personal experience to convey beauty and confidence.
Maya Angelou had a troubling childhood, her personal experience contributed to the theme of the poem. Lyman B. Hagen notices that “her poems are entertainments derived from personal experiences.” At the age of three Maya and her brother were sent to …show more content…
The diction used is simple just like the characteristics she is describing. Although the words are simple it keeps the readers interested. it helps make what she is saying easier to understand. By giving simple descriptive words it makes the reader want to continue. Angelou says “then they swarm around me, a hive of honey bees.” by giving the metaphor it allows the reader to create an image. People would not continue to read the poem if she wrote “i walk into the room and the men fond over me” its the same thing but not as intriguing. The phrase “Phenomenal Woman” “sets herself apart from other women” (Dominic). The beginning of the poem starts off with how she is not cute and doesn't look like a model, making “these other women, the conventionally pretty, fashion-model-sized women, are marked as different from the speaker” (Dominic). Throughout the poem she speaks of a secret that women want to know .The second stanza describes how her confidence attracts men.Her metaphor about how men attract to her like bees makes her the queen of the hive. This shows that although her beauty is different than other women men still attract to her. The third stanza attempts to explain the mystery of why men fond over her when she is present. She explains the reason men find her attractive is because of her body language and grace. Although she tries to explain to men why the fancy her “they try so much, but they can't touch
Maya Angelou had a troubling childhood, her personal experience contributed to the theme of the poem. Lyman B. Hagen notices that “her poems are entertainments derived from personal experiences.” At the age of three Maya and her brother were sent to …show more content…
The diction used is simple just like the characteristics she is describing. Although the words are simple it keeps the readers interested. it helps make what she is saying easier to understand. By giving simple descriptive words it makes the reader want to continue. Angelou says “then they swarm around me, a hive of honey bees.” by giving the metaphor it allows the reader to create an image. People would not continue to read the poem if she wrote “i walk into the room and the men fond over me” its the same thing but not as intriguing. The phrase “Phenomenal Woman” “sets herself apart from other women” (Dominic). The beginning of the poem starts off with how she is not cute and doesn't look like a model, making “these other women, the conventionally pretty, fashion-model-sized women, are marked as different from the speaker” (Dominic). Throughout the poem she speaks of a secret that women want to know .The second stanza describes how her confidence attracts men.Her metaphor about how men attract to her like bees makes her the queen of the hive. This shows that although her beauty is different than other women men still attract to her. The third stanza attempts to explain the mystery of why men fond over her when she is present. She explains the reason men find her attractive is because of her body language and grace. Although she tries to explain to men why the fancy her “they try so much, but they can't touch