Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Phenomenal Woman

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.

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,
The bend of my hair, the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Analysis:
T- I believe that this poem, "Phenomenal Woman" will be about a phenomenal woman. I think that it may most likely be about herself as I saw in her other poem, "And Still I Rise."
P- This poem was about what made "I" shine above all the other women despite her imperfection. Although I previously believed that Maya Angelou was talking of herself, I now think that she is not talking of a woman in particular but is addressing all women on being a phenomenal woman.
C-Repitition, Metaphor, Symbol, Imagery, Personification, Hyperbole
The first connotation I noticed in this poem was its use of repitition and how it put an emphasis on what phenomenal woman is. Also, as she listed what made her a phenomenal woman, I was able to picture the confident woman she was describing and labeled them as an imagery. I felt that the two reactions from other women and men were hyperboles (because I don't think the women really would ask nor would men really drop to their knees) to prove her point AS WELL AS symbols because it showed the awe that one would be in in front of Angelou's definition of a phenomenal woman. In the third stanza, "Inner mystery" symbolized confidence. Although this poem did not have a particular rhyme scheme or a consistent rhythm, by using deliberate pauses, I felt a definite flowing rhythm within the poem.
A- Maya Angelou's tone was that of a strong, confident woman, challenging the stereotypes of what makes a phenomenal woman. It was also that of an encouraging leader, demanding that women be confident in themselves.
S- Although there seemed to be a shift of setting on all the stanzas, I believe that there were three main shifts throughout the poem. I believe they were divided at the third, fourth, and the last stanza. From the beginning to the third stanza, it was describing how other people saw her and how she responded. In the fourth stanza, she made a statement about exactly she perceived herself and the silent message within those three lines, while in the last stanza, she ends the poem with an explanation.
T- A phenomenal woman is not necessarily the prettiest or the one with the model body, but the one with the confidence.
T- As I had predicted in the beginning of my analysis, I believe that the title represented what the poem was going to be about, and tied the entire poem together nicely. I also believe that everything she lists out throughout the poem defines the title.