Giomara Castillo

October 17, 2015

English 1101-D323

Textual Analysis Essay-Draft #2

A Phenomenal Woman Is Far From Just Being Pretty

“Culture stereotypes women to fit the myth by flattering the feminine into beauty-without-intelligence or intelligence-without-beauty; women are allowed a mind or a body but not both,”Naomi Wolf said. The poem entitled, “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou    addresses feminine beauty in terms of confidence, personality, and determination.

Confidence comes from being free and happy with whatever shape or size you are. The author shows a great confidence with her body and a deep sense of being a woman. Angelou says, “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.” She is saying that she is not the prettier woman, nor does she fit the perfect size to be a model, however when she walks into a room everybody stares at her. She doesn’t feel cocky or superior, she feels powerful because she has such a confidence within herself that nobody can make her feel miserable. She continues saying, “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.” She is so confident that she repeatedly calls herself a phenomenal woman.

Poet Angelou states further of her confidence that she has a body of her own, meaning she has the body that she wants to have even if it doesn’t fit the so-called “essential feminine traits” such as having a flat stomach, big hips, long hair. Angelou shows confidence by saying, “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”. She is saying that other women, who she thinks are prettier than her feel superior and ask her how she does it and when she tells them where her confidence comes from and tries to reveal her joy so that the rest can be as confident and fulfilled as she is they don’t believe it, because they follow the rest of the society and their idea of a perfect woman. Women that are not confident believe that the woman who comes out on the covers of magazines or models are perfect. However, they don’t see the daily struggles that these females have to go through every day trying to maintain their body in a perfect shape in order to fit  the category of a perfect woman. All the women who have the so-called essential feminine traits  are not perfect. Some of them suffer from depression because they believe that they are not fit or pretty enough for society to consider them perfect. By writing this poem, Maya was trying to send a message that all women are beautiful no matter what.

Personality is a trait that defines who you are as a human being. Maya argues that true self-expression lies in a successful personality. Body language can express your personality in many ways. She says that every gesture, every shape in her body causes people to look at her with admiration. With her personality she impresses men and intrigues women in a way that they feel intimidated. She says, “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.” This shows that Maya is not influenced by the views of others. The poet, Angelou suggests that beauty is far from just having the looks of a model. Beauty is also determined by the way she has her head on her shoulders, her positive personality, and her ability to not let anything bring down her pride. A phenomenal woman is more than just having a good physical appearance.

If your determination to succeed is strong enough you will never give up. Maya wrote this poem to provide females with messages and ways to lead them to success. One of them is determination. Even though Angelou does not send a clear message about determination, she says, “Now you understand/ Just why my head’s not bowed./I don’t shout or jump about/Or have /to talk real loud/ When you see me passing/ It ought to make you proud.” This means that even though she is not like the rest of the pretty girls with a nice body, she is determined enough to walk inside of a room full of judgmental people and make herself noticed. She doesn’t need to act like a fool to get all the attention but is determined to have a good personality and be confident in herself. Lastly, Angelou said, “I’m a woman/ Phenomenally./Phenomenal woman,/That’s me.” This means that gender is not an obstacle to pursue your dreams.As long as you are determined, you will achieve many things that were once neglected due to gender differences.  A bright future comes with a lot of obstacles, but no matter how many times you want to give up, your determination will keep your head up and will make you think of new ways to overcome all those obstacles.

In conclusion, the poem entitled “A Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou addresses feminine beauty. A woman does not need to have a pretty face or have a perfect body in order to get all the attention. She just needs to be confident enough to let other people feel jealous and inferior not in a negative way, but in a way where the rest want to know the secret of being so self-confident. A phenomenal woman is not only based on physical appearance but rather it is a woman with a great personality and a way of carrying herself without being cocky or making a fool of herself trying to get all the attention. A determination is the key for all the success, no matter how many times you fail. Therefore, if your determination to succeed is strong enough you will get through any obstacle presented to you.