"Phenomenal Women" by Maya Angelou: Rickett1

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Amber Rickett Mrs. Caruso English 1101 5 October 2011
Phenomenal Women By Maya Angelou

What is Poetry? Poetry is the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts. Poetry is usually written in the form of a poem. A poem is a composition that, though not in verse, is characterized by great beauty of language or expression. There are many different types of poems such as a Ballad, Limerick, or a Haiku. Ballad Poems are poems that tell a story similar to a folk tale. Ballad poems can also be written in the form of a song. Limerick poems are usually silly and nonsensical. Limerick poems are short and usually consist of five lines. Haiku is a Japanese poetry form. The best haiku uses just a few words to capture a moment and create a picture in the readers mind. Haiku poems most of the time are talking about nature. Poems have different rhyming schemes depending on the type of poem that it is. A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming lines in a poem. Rhyme schemes are labeled according to their sounds. For instance a limerick rhyme scheme is aabba. This rhyme scheme means that the first, second and fifth line all rhyme and the third and fourth line rhyme. There are many different types of genres of poetry. For instance there Epic poetry which is heroic or mythological, Satirical poetry purpose is often constructive social criticism, and using wit as a weapon. And there is also Dramatic poetry is drama written
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in verse to be spoken or sung, and appears in varying, sometimes related forms in many cultures. Maya Angelous poem doesnt really fit into a genre, but it does address many different important concepts. Maya Angelous poem Phenomenal Woman is a type of poem that asserts Gender and sexuality, and human worth which can also be referred to as themes. The poem describes her and how she feels about herself but I think that the purpose may to be so that other women can relate to it as well. When I first read the poem it actually gave me a sense of confidence. It made me smile and let me know that not all women are the same and of course thats what makes us unique as individuals. The purpose of many poems is to send a certain message to a certain audience. Maya Angelous Phenomenal Woman is to let everyone know that she has self confidence and that beauty isnt always whats on the outside but whats on the inside as well. The span of my hips/ The curl of my lips tells about her different features as a woman. She also uses personification or different metaphors such as Its the fire in my eyes/ And the joy in my feet and the sun of my smile to be mores suggestive or forceful. Towards the end of the poem Maya Angelou kind of calms it down and shows off the more sensitive side of women by saying The palm of my hand/ The need of my care/ Cause I am a woman(lines 55-57) which is saying that we are caring, loving and gentle. Another purpose of this poem is to talk about how women carry themselves. Now you understand just why my heads not bowed / I dont shout or jump about / Or have to talk real loud (46-50). Women dont have to talk real loud to be seen, its holding your head up high and having self confidence in yourself that makes you be seen.
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Being comfortable in your own skin and having personality is what makes you stand out. Its how you portray yourself and use all your flaws and characteristics to make you stand out as an individual. Maya Angelou at the end of every stanza she repeats Im a woman/ Phenomenally/ Phenomenal woman/ Thats me to let people know that thats what she is and she is proud of it. Just by reading this poem you can hear the confidence and strength in her voice to the point where when women read this poem they have to say it with attitude. The poem I Am Me by Virginia Satir is also describing herself, but it is by what she does that makes her as a person. She starts out by describing body parts, My body/ My mind/ My eyes/ My feelings somewhat describes her physically. But all my actions, whether they be to others or to myself asserts that it is her actions that make her as a women. The things that she possess or value in life make her up as an individual. For example she says I own my fantasies/ I own all my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes, her experiences throughout life is what make the person that you are or that you will become. The poem Phenomenal Woman can be appointed to any age group, size, men or women. This poem says that no matter what, be you and own what you have. One should have confidence and love themselves as a person. Now-a-days young boys and girls go by what they see on television and magazines and think that is what theyre supposed to look like but in reality nobody looks like that. The media thinks that there is only one look and theres not. High self-esteem and self-confidence is built from the inside out and not the outside in. One of the main purposes of a poem is to give off a message. I think that Maya
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Angelous poem Phenomenal woman serves its purpose as a poem and giving off the message of self-worth and how you portray that. But overall I think that depending on who reads the poem and how they read the poem is what they as a person will get out of it. I dont think that you can really fit the message of this poem into a certain theme or genre. And even though it seems like this is just referring to women, anyone can relate to it. Maya Angelou wrote this poem about herself, and self-confidence and pride, and when reading the poem it gives off a feeling of confidence and self-pride.
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Work Cited Page

poem. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved October 05, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poem poetry. (n.d.). Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. Retrieved October 05, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poetry
" T h e P o e t r y F o u n d a t i o n . " P o e t r y m a g a z i n e , 2 0 1 1 . We b . 5 O c t 2 0 1 1 . h t t p : / / w w w. p o e t r y f o u n d a t i o n . o r g / f o u n d a t i o n .
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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
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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.

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Amber Rickett Mrs. Caruso English 1101 5 October 2011

Phenomenal Women By Maya Angelou

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