There is a poem that rejects society’s expectations of beauty and proposes an alternative perspective of what defines real beauty. A black woman born on April 4th, 1928, named Maya Angelou wrote a poem that sends the message of being oneself and having self-love. This poem is called “Phenomenal Woman.” The poem, “Phenomenal Woman,” won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album in 1995. This is one out of three awards she has won. In the year 2000, Maya Angelou received a Presidential Medal of Arts from Bill Clinton, in 2008 the Lincoln Medal, and in 2010 President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Angelou uses imagery, metaphors, and hyperbole to show that all people need to do to be more attractive is to be confident in themselves.
Angelou’s use of imagery describes the most feminine features of a woman. Angelou created a description of a phenomenal woman who enjoys her beauty and loves being a woman: “The curl of my lips … The swing of my waist … The ride of my breast … The stride of my steps … The flash of my teeth … And the palm of my hand.” Angelou has used imagery to describe the body of a woman. This use of imagery helps readers visualize the personality of a strong woman.
Angelou’s use of metaphors describes the confidence she has in her features. Maya compares the admiring men with honeybees: “Then they swarm around me, / A hive of honeybees” (lines 19-20). The men surround her, as they are attracted to her. Angelou compares her confidence and passion with fire: “It’s the fire in my eyes” (line 22). Angelou uses this to illustrate the effect her power has over others without trying.
Angelou’s use of hyperbole describes how men are drawn to her. Through this hyperbole, she shows her superiority over men: “I walk into a room just as cool as you please, / and to a man, / The fellows stand or fall down on their knees” (lines 14-18). Angelou uses this to illustrate the power she has over men without trying. Angelou uses over-exaggeration to suggest that men are so struck by her presence that they fall on their knees. Angelou uses hyperbole and metaphor playfully, not to be prideful or vain in emphasizing her power over men, but to empower women in seeing that their value is not determined by the male gaze but by their own confidence.
In conclusion, Angelou used imagery, metaphors, and hyperbole to show that all people need to do to be more attractive is to be confident in themselves. The imagery in this poem visualized the personality of a strong woman and the most feminine features of a woman. The men were so attracted to the confidence that Maya Angelou radiated they fell to their knees. Men are so star-struck by the confidence in a woman that they have no choice but to be so attracted to them. Know your worth, and do not let anyone bring you and your confidence down.
