Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou)

[Musical-Monkey]

I had to write a paper on my favorite poet, Maya Angelou, check it out!!!

A Phenomenal Woman

                Dr. Maya Angelou has had a very hard, but very rewarding life at the same time.  She took things in her life that could have scarred her for the rest of her life (and almost did) and turned them around to inspire millions of people, especially women.

                Maya went through a horrible ordeal at the age of eight, being rapped by a boyfriend of her mother's.  Although he was later murdered by some relatives, this ordeal would leave little Maya mute for nearly six years.  It was in her love of the arts that she seemed to finally find her voice again.

                At the age of fourteen she became San Francisco's first Female African American Cable Car Conductor.  But, the call of the city's art district still called after her, seducing her.

                Soon, she joined the ranks, being in and writing plays.  She was a dancer, a writer, a singer.  She was gifted in many forms.

                She traveled abroad, mastering five languages.  While in the country Ghana, she met with a man she would soon admire.  He wanted to start a new African American Organization.  Maya was onboard 100%.  But soon after their arrival back to the United States, this visionary man, Malcolm X was assassinated.  The Organization didn't get far off the ground.

                The one true admirer she still recites often to this day, is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  She often talks about this man with a dream.  He gave her some dreams of her own.  She still speaks his name with great awe and reverence.

                Dr. Maya's early work mainly consisted of the hardships of growing up in an oppressed world as a negro woman with a hint of hope.  That only seemed to last a moment though, for her next set of poetry would be filled with women that were confident, empowered, and strong.  These women bowed to no man, man bowed to her.  People were in awe from the wake she left as she passed.  As her poem stated she indeed was a "Phenomenal Woman".

               

                Her later work shifted gears into a new genre.  From over coming oppression, to women empowerment/self confidence, to turning back, facing all that, embracing all of that and honoring your roots.  She was telling everyone to turn around and look at their life, look at the road we took and be thankful for all of it.  All the twists and turns, all the mountains and valleys, every horrible and wonderful moment had brought us here, today.   Every moment has made polished us to be the people we are today, so we should be thankful if we were able to rise above it.

                Dr. Maya has so many Awards and Honorable Mentions, so many to name, that it would literally

 

take up a page or two, so I'm just going to list a few: 

 

            Voice of Peace award (first recipient), Hope for Peace and Justice, 2008.

                Lincoln Medal, 2008. 

                Mother Teresa Award, 2006. 

                Grammy, "Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album," Phenomenal Woman, 1995.

                Presidential Medal of Arts, 2000. 

                Pulitzer Prize Nomination, Just Give Me A Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Die, 1972. 

                Tony Award Nomination, Look Away, 1973.

                Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Association National Award, 1996.

                Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature, 1999.

 

Still I Rise (An Excerpt)

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

                I love this poem!  "Phenomenal Woman" is still my all time favorite, but when I read this while researching this paper, I went, "Whoa!  This is my life right now!"  I have this problem person in my life that keeps spreading lies about me.  I've tried to fix my side of the problem, and I've built my part of the bridge, and now I'm done, and I'm living my life happily, moving on, while this person is stuck in time.  So, they may trod me down and twist me with bitter lies, but list the dust, "Still I'll rise!!!"  I think that's my new motto!!

                The most recent work I could find of Dr. Angelou's in the form of poetry seemed to be "A Rock, A River, A Tree" Which was written for Clinton's Inaugural address in 1993, because on here official website, there is no dates on here individual poems on when they were written.  "Phenomenal Woman" has been said to be written in 1978, but if it won a Grammy in 1995, I'm thinking it is the most recent.  Therefore, I'm going to go with my gut here and analyzing "Phenomenal Woman".

(My comments will be in parenthesis)

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size (Most women are not model built, this really rings true for many)
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
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 telling them it is just in her mind, if you believe it, everyone else will.  Some of the most powerful women in history are not the prettiest, they are the most confident)

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.  (What a wonderful simile!  Men seem to be more drawn to more confident woman than not.  You will see in clubs and such women who men are literally "Swarming" around to be with.)
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,  (I love how she says this!  It could be used so many ways!  You could think of a beautiful smile or a challenge met in battle when crossed wrong.  You should see the flash of my teeth if someone were to cross me!)
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.  (The joy of my feet!  Ah!  If everyone had that stride what a difference the day would bring!!!!!)
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.  (Men are from Mars, they will never understand that maternal touch women will always have.  It truly is a mystery.  It is instinct.  It is something that only women get and cannot really explain.)

When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,  (Sunbeams and rainbows, it makes me think of a child's laugh!)
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed. 
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.  (This is the sign of a confident woman...someone that doesn't need to shout for attention, someone that is noticed without needing to get it without using any distractions but her own head held high and her grace.  Not a low cut shirt, or a short skirt, but her head held high and being proud!)
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,  (There's no place like home!)
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

                If everyone could listen to these words right here, everyone would rise up and be Phenomenal, they would never be the same.  There is a reason she keeps repeating that word, it's because everyone is Phenomenal!!!!  We would have more women that would hold their heads up, demand respect and be respected.  We would have less women degrading themselves!!

                This is why Maya is one of my heroes, she has helped through some troubled times in my life.  She has helped me become a Phenomenal Woman, and I hope to follow in her footsteps and help others become one as well.

 

                                                                           

References:

 

http://www.poemhunter.com/

 

http://mayaangelou.com/bio/

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Maya_Angelou

 

 

 

[JustGail]

Nov. 28, 2009 at 5:16 PM

what awe inspiring words on such an awe inspiring woman!