65 Traits of Phenomenal Women (2024)

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Who is the Phenomenal Woman answer? ›

The speaker of “Phenomenal Woman” is a spirited woman who, with a breezy confidence, proudly defies her society's conventional notions of what makes women attractive. In the poem's opening stanza, the speaker implies that she doesn't fit the stereotypical image of a woman propped up by contemporary society.

The meaning of the poem 'Phenomenal Woman' is that women are a powerful presence. However, this power does not come from superficial beauty, but from the inner confidence and strength of women which reflects itself externally.

'Phenomenal Woman' is a poem written by Maya Angelou that was first published in 1978. The poem explains how a woman's beauty is not defined by societal standards, but by her inner power and capacity to radiate confidence, joy, and care. The poem is a lyric poem written in free verse with a cool and confident tone.

Further, the irony of the poem thematically shows that the phenomenal woman is not related to the pretty, cute, and white skin, but it is related to woman who changes her weakness to be strength. Last, tension of the poem is the imbalance between black woman life and whites's life.

Beauty and Self-Acceptance. “Phenomenal Woman” challenges restrictive notions of feminine beauty. The speaker rejects narrow societal beauty standards, and insists instead that real beauty comes from a place of self-confidence and self-acceptance. The speaker opens the poem by referencing the “secret” to her appeal.

Metaphor. In the poem's second stanza, the speaker develops a metaphor that likens the men who are attracted to her to honeybees. The speaker explains that many men desire her, and that they follow her around, competing for her attention.

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.

It's a poem of power: when the narrator walks into a room, “The fellows stand or / Fall down on their knees.” This poem, with its expanding lines wrapped around a two-word refrain, suggests that the woman's physical presence—her hips, step, eyes, teeth, waist, and feet—makes her powerful but also commends her “inner ...

Maya Angelou's poem 'Phenomenal Woman' celebrates the inner beauty and strength of women, going against societal norms and standards. Through her powerful and empowering words, Angelou encourages women to embrace their confidence, unique qualities, and magnetism.

What is the speaker's big secret in Phenomenal Woman? ›

She says, “Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.” The speaker's beauty is her “inner mystery” that no one can touch, it is in her confidence and character as well as her unique physical beauty: “It's the fire in my eyes, / And the flash of my teeth, / The swing in my waist, / And the joy in my feet.” The speaker ...

Angelou's 'Phenomenal Woman' taps on the themes of womanhood, identity, pride, self-love, and self-acceptance. The main theme, womanhood, is celebrated throughout the poem. The line, “I'm a woman,” propagates her self-confidence in being a woman. She celebrates not only her bodily beauty but also her inner glow.

This mystique isn't just about attractiveness. It's also—and more deeply—symbolic of the power, strength, pride, and self-worth that the speaker derives from her own way of embodying femininity.

The tone of “Phenomenal Woman” is predominantly confident and prideful, though also defiant. In each of the poem's four stanzas, the speaker enumerates the various ways in which her attitude and comportment communicate her sense of self-worth and attractiveness.

“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise.” “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.”

Angelou had a broad career as a singer, dancer, actress, composer, and Hollywood's first female black director, but became most famous as a writer, editor, essayist, playwright, and poet. As a civil rights activist, Angelou worked for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.