“Phenominal Woman” – Maya Angelou – 3-2

Things I Learned:

I decided to do my response on a poem by Maya Angelou. This poem is a poem about self-confidence and the value of a woman. In order to understand a bit more about the poem I decided to look into Maya Angelou and the context surrounding the poem. It is very helpful to do this when reading a poem from someone you may not know much about, because poems express emotions and feelings which are mostly related to experiences that the writer may have encountered or lived through. Maya Angelou is an American poet and a civil rights activist who worked with people such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. She has also become a recognized spokesperson for women across the world. In one of her works titled, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she confesses to the world how she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend at 7 years of age. Apparently her uncle’s murdered the man that raped her, and Maya stopped talking for a period of 5 years. As a woman, one can only imagine the negative effects, depression and excruciating fear that can overcome one, when you are taken advantage of. The worst part is Angelou wasn’t even a woman, but an innocent child, who was abused and this is something she will carry with her for the rest of her life. After learning this about Maya, I read the poem again and came to a new perspective on the poem. It gives the woman a strong position, because it’s not just about how she finds herself attractive no matter what, but it provides the reader with hope in a way, because even though what happened to her may have traumatized her for a while, she proves the value of a woman in this poem. She call herself a phenomenal woman, and I think she is because of all she’s overcome and how she’s been able to express herself through her writing.

If you want to read more on her bio, you can click below:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/maya-angelou

Clarification:

I think what’s important about this poem is who wrote it and what they went through, and that’s how I can further connect the true message the poem is trying to send. I went on a blog to see what people thought about the poem, and some people said it was an inspiring poem for women that don’t see themselves as beautiful. This is true, it gives hope for women, but this poem goes past physical characteristics and looks. Looking at Maya’s background, this poem is about a woman’s value, and the characteristics just add to what makes a woman in the views of man, but in reality it’s how you value yourself as a woman in the society we live in.

Question:

I wonder what was going through Maya’s head as she wrote this poem. I also want to know how she was able to openly talk about what happened to her as a child? Does that mean she’s completely overcome that experience? It’s similar to Fiona Apple (who btw is my favorite singer), but she was also raped, and a lot of her music is an ode to the woman and her strengths. My main question is how do you come about being able to openly express these things? I feel I would not be strong enough, but that’s just me and also because I’ve never lived through something like that. I think the final message in this poem, is no matter what, you have to keep going; as a woman in this world, because we are strong individuals with plenty to give.