Why I love Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman"

I chose Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman" because it is a poem of empowerment. Written in 1978, it is part of a collection that was originally published in Cosmopolitan magazine. Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in April of 1928. She is known for many title's such as Hollywood's first female black film director, but her most famous title is of poet and writer. She was a Civil Rights Activist, working for Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. She is currently a professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.

In the poem "Phenomenal Woman", the speaker is a woman who is very comfortable with who she is. She knows she's not perfect nor what society views as perfect. She expresses this in line two, "I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size." Also, throughout the poem, she expresses what makes her a "phenomenal" woman. The lines that caught my attention were, "It's the fire in my eyes,/ And the flash of my teeth,/ The swing of my waist,/ And the joy in my feet." These lines express a happy, determined woman.

Another example of this happiness and confidence is seen in lines 38 through 41, "It's in the arch of my back,/ The sun of my smile./ The ride of my breasts,/ The grace of my style." The speaker is comfortable with who she is. She has a bright smile like the sun and she views herself as graceful.

 The speaker also enjoys the way in which she catches men's attention. This can be seen in lines 30 through 36, "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." These men who are captivated by her are unsure what draws them to her and she say's that it's how she carries her self. She's a confident woman and men don't know how to handle this.

At the end of each stanza the speaker repeats the lines, " I'm a woman/ Phenomenally./ Phenomenal woman,/ That's me." This statement reminds the reader that the speaker is comfortable with who she is. She's strong, confident and knows that this confidence can be seen by others. She enjoys being a woman who is envied by other's and is captivating to men.

This poem is a strong example of what a woman should be; strong, confident, and comfortable with who she is. I found this poem to not only be inspirational, but also to be very easy to read. It's word's flowed very smoothly and  kept the reader's attention. One thing I noticed about the rhyme scheme was that there were always two lines that rhymed but they were never placed in the same location throughout the poem. Every woman should feel this powerful and confident and that's why I chose this poem.