Summary and Analysis of Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou: 2022

About Maya Angelou: Writer and civil rights activist Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. She shot to instant fame with the publication of her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which made literary history as the first non-fiction best-seller by an African-American woman. In 1971, Angelou published the Pulitzer Prize-nominated poetry collection Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die. She later wrote the poem “On the Pulse of Morning“—one of her most famous works—which she recited at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. Angelou received several honours throughout her career, including two NAACP Image Awards in the outstanding literary work (non-fiction) category, in 2005 and 2009. She died on May 28, 2014.

Summary of Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Stanza 1: “Phenomenal Woman” begins with a savage attack on stereotypes. She proudly declares that neither she has an hourglass figure, nor she has a cute face. Her success without essential feminine traits surprises pretty women and they often want to know the secret of her success. She describes her secret saying that it comes from her confidence, the way she stretches her arms, the way she walks, the rhythm of her hips and also the way she smiles. Her entire body is an expression of womanliness. She concludes the first stanza by declaring herself as a ‘phenomenal woman’. This phrase is a double-edged sword. The word ‘phenomenal’ signifies her talismanic physical structure as well as her towering personality.
Stanza 2: In the second stanza, Maya says that despite her not-so-feminine beauty, men used to fall for her, swarm around her like bees. Since she has a body of her own; her glistening smile, movement of the waist, lightness of her feet makes her a champion. Since she knows she is phenomenal, she celebrates what she is and what she has.
Stanza 3: In the third stanza, she says she remains an enigma to men. Men leave no stone unturned to unravel her mystery but they fail miserably. She indicates to them that her mystery is not obscure but clearly expressed in her body language from the curve of her back, to her smile and rhythm of her bosom. This unresolved mystery, Maya feels, makes her so coveted amongst the men. She says she is a supreme woman, “Phenomenally/ Phenomenal woman/ That’s me.”
Stanza 4: In the last stanza, she expects her readers to understand how and why she always walks with her head held high. She tells that she does not need to do anything loud to snatch attention. Rather it is the sound of her heels, the curve in her hair, the palm of her hand making her a ‘phenomenal woman’.

Analysis of Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

The poem starts in a conversational fashion where a flock of women, intrigued by poet’s popularity amidst male suitors, want to know from her the secret of her success. Despite her strong refusal to fit into beauty paradigm, the poet gets maximum male attention. By her own admission, she is neither cute, nor she has a bottleneck figure. Her physical incongruity makes the questioning women more curious and they have a strong feeling that the poet conceals the secret of her success.
The poet proudly asserts that she is very happy with whatever she has and definitely is not going to take a plunge to beautify herself. Her real appearance, the reach of her arms, the span of her hips, and the curl of her lips make her such a phenomenal woman. What she intends to highlight is that there is no falsity about her appearance. She appears the way she exists. Such honesty of her appearance exudes tremendous confidence which makes men go
Every time she enters the room, she becomes the cynosure of the present contingent of men. Helpless men used to stoop flock after her just the way bees swarm around their hive. The hive of honey bees is an interesting metaphor. As bees find shelter in a hive, helpless men seek refuge in the not-so-glamorous body of the poet.
Maya Angelou now takes initiative to decode the mystery further for the bewildering women. She is confident and that shows in the spark of her eyes. She has a proud smile which exudes optimism. Her swinging waist and joyous feet show she is in firm control over the situation. This firmness, this confidence makes her a phenomenal woman who refuses to mould herself according to male desire. The repeated proud assertion of being a phenomenal woman is a celebration of womanhood.
Now, she remains a mystery to her male admirers. This ordinary looking woman sparks a desire in them and they fail to pin down the reason. Maya Angelou tries to reveal the mystery but the myopic men fail to see it. Actually, male doctrine believes in specificity. They cannot stand the idea of totality. When Maya Angelou’s entire appearance wins them over, they leave no stone unturned to fix a point. Male hegemony demands stability, a hierarchy of things which Maya Angelou’s body savagely defies. Her arch of the back, her glorious smile, rhyming motion of her breasts remains a jigsaw and single-minded men will never find the final piece of this jigsaw.
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19 comments

  1. Praiseworthy guidance.a comparison with the similar works of other poets like Kamala Das will be appreciated.

  2. Really inner beauty is greter than outer.no one is more beutiful in that sese from woman. She is wonderful in caring. The last line mentions her palm which is a blessing for serving for catering service which matters more not the raw physical beauty.marvellous.

  3. Great material, great summary and explanation of poem. Very detailed and organized. It helped me to research and answer some questions related to this poem. Thank you and hope more material will be added on different poems.

  4. Very nice summary and analysis, i have get much objectives from the explanation of this poem, i wish u all the best, thanks for ur contribution to us.

  5. It’s really very helpful .it has helped me clearing my boards.because this was the most toughest poem I’ve ever studied in my life.

  6. Really appreciative.. Inner beauty nd inner essence is the most important thing in one’s life.. Felt quite confident with myself after reading these beautiful poem..

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