Introduction
Girl power, women empowerment, gender equality, feminism, this was the 90s. Female roles were continuing to grow and close the gender gap. Discrimination in education, government, employment, and the law was coming to an end with women making up 50 percent of bus drivers, 29 percent of all chemists, 12 percent of dentists and 44 percent of economists. Empowerment of women found its way into society through media and poetry supporting women and their beauty, and unlike today was free from misogynist backlash. So what’s changed? If women’s rights movement was developing progressively, why is it now, in the year 2017, women are still grabbing the short straw when it comes to their rights?
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By 1975 Maya was much more than a poet, she was recognized as a spokeswoman for both blacks and women in their time of need. The way she utilized writing techniques such as dialogue and plot throughout her autobiography was an innovation for the 50s through to the 90s. Maya’s poetry is seen as a strength for women and their rights to happiness and justice, a breath of fresh air for women around the world. Maya Angelou, successfully nudges the conscience of society through her expressive poem, ‘Phenomenal Woman’, highlighting the importance and value of women accepting their inner and outer beauty, despite the typical societal beauty definition that attempts to define
This tone can be seen at the start of each stanza with, ‘I say’. This is a cue that Maya is openly speaking her mind on how phenomenal women are those who be themselves and stick to their own image. The repetition of, ‘I say’, is followed by her point of view on her own physique and why she believes that she is beautiful in her own unique way. This confidence tone is directly said by Maya towards the end of the poem, ‘Now you understand 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’. Through this line Angelou conveys that she doesn’t let criticism define who she is because she doesn’t need anyone else’s opinions to gain attention, it is her confidence and expression of womanliness in herself, that attracts the attention.
Conclusion
In summary, society is always making women feel like they will never be good enough or pretty enough or smart enough to be successful in life. Therefore, through Maya Angelou’s poem, ‘Phenomenal Woman’, she nudges society’s conscious through describing the allure women have and the attributes they possess, that deem her and other women irresistible, despite having no relation to the societal definition of beauty. Maya makes women of any shape, size or race, feel confident and fearless in being a phenomenal woman inside and out, by just being themselves.
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This term paper was written to shine a little light on one of America’s extraordinary women, Maya Angelou.
Maya Angelou’s “Equality” depicts a more patient yet tenacious rebel than described in Dunbar’s poem. “You declare you see me dimly”, she begins, “through a glass that will not shine.” Maya describes the denial of her boldness, of her rebellion; but, she continues to march, chanting “Equality and I will be free. Equality and I will be free.” She identifies herself as a shadow, unimportant to those she opposes— but she intends to repeat the mantra “Equality and I will be free” until she is heard. The sixth stanza left me in literal tears (and I am not an emotional person, thank you very
This literary critique was found on the Bryant Library database. It talks about how well Maya conveys her message to her readers as well as portraying vivid scenes in her reader’s minds’. Maya’s sense of story and her passionate desire to overcome obstacles and strive for greatness and self-appreciation is what makes Maya an outlier. Living in America, Angelou believed that African American as a whole must find emotional, intellectual, and spiritual sustenance through reverting back to their “home” of Africa. According to Maya, “Home” was the best place to capture a sense of family, past, and tradition. When it comes to Maya’s works of literature, her novels seems to be more critically acclaimed then her poetry. With that being said, Angelou pursues harsh social and political issues involving African American in her poems. Some of these themes are the struggle for civil rights in America and Africa, the feminist movement, Maya’s relationship with her son, and her awareness of the difficulties of living in America's struggling classes. Nevertheless, in all of Maya’s works of literature she is able to “harness the power of the word” through an extraordinary understanding of the language and events she uses and went through. Reading this critique made me have a better understanding of the process Maya went through in order to illustrate her life to her readers. It was not just sitting down with a pen and paper and just writing thoughts down. It was really, Maya being able to perfect something that she c...
In Maya Angelou's Essay `Graduation' the use of language as a navigational tool is very evident, as it leads from emotion to emotion on the occasion of the author's graduation from eighth grade. Over the course of the work, Angelou displays 3 major emotions simply based from the language she uses; excitement, disappointment and finally, redemption
What makes a phenomenal woman? A phenomenal woman she was, Mrs. Maya Angelou truly inspired and touched people all over the world with her art and wisdom. On April 24, 1928 in St. Louis Missouri Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Ann Johnson, I know what your thinking how did she get her glorious name Maya Angelou; well she was given the name Maya Angelou in her early twenties, after her first performance as a dancer at the Purple Onion cabaret. Growing up Angelou had stable parents her mother was Vivian Johnson a nurse and realtor, her father was Bailey Johnson and he served as a naval dietician. In about 1931 her parents relationship would resort to a divorce leaving her younger brother and she to live with their grandmother in Stamps in
Born to a decaying marriage and unstable household, Maya Angelou thrills her poetic intentions through her dominant and eloquent words. Maya Angelou, center of mysterious and descendants of the broken, like a champion, she rose out of the ashes and into the lights of the stage. An American author and artist who has been called “America’s most visible black female autobiographer” by dozens of people, has made remarkable recognitions all around the word. She is best known for her sequence of six autobiographical stories, focusing on her childhood and early adulthood. Her writing, through the eyes and experiences of a black woman, can lend a structure to the study of racial relations and culture in the 20th century America. Angelou’s work is then, a presentation of the life of a black woman who has lived in the South and in the urban North, who has lived in Africa, and has traveled Europe. She has gone through poverty and despair and she has been granted high honors. Her work is the expression of those experiences and sensations through the eyes of a black woman. Due to specific events in Maya Angelou’s life, her style of writing was exceedingly pretentious.
The Web. The Web. 28 Feb. o http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175742>. The "Phenomenal Woman" By Maya Angelou : The Poetry Foundation. Web.
In the perspective as an African American woman, Maya Angelou speaks of the issue of sexism in her poem. In this quote, “You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies…”, Angelou sheds light on the problems women faced during her time. Many had to also face the discrimination from men as men control them and put words in women’s mouths. This indicates the doubled amount of burden that African American women had to go through and it was important for Maya Angelou to speak of this issue through literature and give a voice to women who were struggling with the same conflicting situations. In contrast, Hughes’s, “I, Too,” poem states the African American inequality more generally than Angelou’s
Maya Angelou lived through a time where she was discriminated against for not only her race but also her gender. In her poem “Still I Rise” Angelou sarcastically talks about how no matter what is thrown at her she will rise above it and she will do it with resilience and confidence. Her poem discusses racism and sexism and gives minorities and women a sense of hope to overcome and endure both of those things. Angelou’s self-assurance in the poem makes you believe that you too can overcome whatever obstacle. Although this poem was intended for blacks, and women, and specifically black women, the poem helps build up strong and courageous people no matter what race or gender you are. Maya Angelou in “Still I Rise” uses both pathos and ethos to
Hence, Maya Angelou “On the Pulse of Morning” landed her worldwide recognition for her creativeness delivering clear rhetoric effectively, prehistoric metaphoric images, and persuasive inspirational concepts to alert her audience to treat the world differently. May I suggest that everyone read her books or listen to her live because in her writings and speeches she expresses her feelings and make people able to visualize what is going on. I am glad that I had the opportunity to view such an event. Truly, I was blessed by the words of Maya Angelou, and I have taken to heart all that she said that evening.
Walker, Pierre A. Racial protest, identity, words, and form in Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Vol. 22. West Chester: Collage Literature, n.d. Literary Reference Center. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. .
Maya Angelou, a poet and award-winning author, is highly known for her symbolic and life-experienced stories. In her poem Men, she shows the theme of men domination over women, through her personal struggle. She makes her writing appealing and direct to the reader. With the use of various literary devices (similes, metaphor, imagery, and symbolism), sentence length, and present to past tense it helps the readers understand the overall theme in Men.
In conclusion, Maya Angelou’s poems are still very applicable to the lives of her reader’s today. To
Maya Angelou is a very inspiring and courageous woman who says how she feels through her poems without coming off in a hateful manner, but rather a sophisticated and intelligent way. Her poems varies between subjects such as love, passion,racism and the way of life. However, in her poem “Phenomenal Woman” she speaks for all women around the world who doesn’t feel they fit in with today’s society.
It is said that when we look in the mirror, we see our reflection; but what is it that we really see? Some people look through the glass and see a totally different person. All across the world identity is an issue that many women have. Woman today must be skinny, tall, thick, fair skinned and have long hair in order to be considered beautiful. Maya Angelou feels otherwise, as she gives women another way to look at themselves through her poem "Phenomenal Woman".