Literary Analysis on Poem Phenomenal Woman - Essay Example

? English Literature ic and Modern) Introduction This poem is a musical orchestra. Ask me to construct a sentence using three words inappreciation of this poem. They are ‘good, better and best’. If this poem is the rose, Maya Angelou’s each experience is like the petals. Collectively they spread fragrance that thrills the reader. This poem reveals her character and attitude towards life. The latent address ingrained in it is, live life in its trials, tribulations, duty and beauty. Oh woman! You are born to lead, how you can ever imagine that you are shackled. Give up this negativity and indulge in creativity to discover the beauty of Nature that is you! You are not part of the Nature, you are the Nature, ever smiling, ever changing for the better, ever new. Radiance is the other name for your inspiring countenance! You are the creative force; you are the power that sustains the universe. We are all beholden to you! They may cross the moon and beat the stars, but probe they must the mystery known as woman! Maya reveals this mystery, stage by stage in her unique style. In the process she neither seeks sympathy, pity for women, nor she condemns males. She makes efforts to awaken women through the latent challenges that run through the poem. She is interested in a process of living and is not willing to draw conclusions, by arguments to raise issues. She throws questions to the males and kindles awareness in them to know the strengths of her body, mind and soul. She does not tease the menfolk on the basis of the beauty and appeal of the body parts of the woman. But she persuades the women to let them know their strength on these counts. She does not seek special appreciation, but reels out the facts of the personality of a total woman, a role model which the female fraternity would like to appreciate and follow. The poem is a confidence-builder. It lays out the mental gymnasium with the message to the women, be aware of thyself, know thyself, accept the challenge and fight it out! This poem, besides the read, is worth the intense search. The positive message is delivered in stages in an easy conversational style. While reading the poem one feels as if a sculptor is at work, who chisels the non-essentials chips from a block of stone, to present the beautiful statue of his imagination. Explaining the inherent nature of poetry Shira Wolosky (2008) argues, “Poetry can be many things. Poetry can be philosophical, or emotional, or sentimental. It can paint pictures, a descriptive mode, or tell stories, in a narrative use. Poetry can also be satirical, or feeling, or political, or just informative.”(p.3) This one, I think, contains all these positive elements to make it a brilliantly constructed poem. The layout of the poem is not long enough to bore, with no hurry seen in the composition of stanzas to increase the blood pressure. It is divided into 4 stanzas, thirteen lines in the first and 16 lines in the second and third, and finally 15 lines in the fourth stanza. Ending with the same 4 lines is in all the stanzas. On each occasion the title is repeated which indicates the “Phenomenal” that is “Woman.” This poem is the credential for the women, it publicly tells why, and provides inner joy. I think the four stanzas indicate the four levels of a woman. Physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual! The first stanza relates to the physical characteristics. This is a God-given asset, the presentation may be improved with efforts, but the basics remain the same. She is not what the poets call beautiful, but she has the distinct personality of her own. Her confidence is evident in the parts of her body. Maya Angelou explains with somewhat pride, “It’s in the reach of my arms, the span of my hips, the stride of my step, the curl of my lips.” The second stanza explains her attitude. She is aware of the strength of her physical assets, walks to their rhythm to get positive response from the people. The third stanza puts a question and provides the answer why men are attracted to her. The last stanza contains the punch lines, and tells in equivocal terms the secret of her being phenomenal. The message to the adolescent girls is clear. Hold heads up and let all concerned know how strong you are. All the physical attributes are corollary to the strength of her inner beauty of the soul. The soul is powerful, the very source of existence, and nothing in the outer world can bother it or beat it. Maya Angelou argues, “They try so much, but they can’t touch, my inner mystery. When I try to show them, they say they still can’t see.” Every gesture and every movement of her body parts are special endowments awarded to her by nature. Maya makes adolescent girls realise that each one of them is beautiful and they need not seek certification from the male section in any area. The lines look preachy but it is the significant message of love delivered in the tone to create awareness. To love one is the birthright of every women and Maya does it without bragging. She demands respect and at the same time she is also willing to reciprocate it in equal measure, if not more. Women need not live for the sake of men, just live in their own style, and men will appreciate and follow. With four beautiful strokes (stanzas)of her pen, Maya challenges the negativities that chase women, and emerges strong on all counts. The poem also extends an invitation to a debate as to why the modern society, both men and a vast majority of women, attach lots of importance to beauty aspects of women and has introduced a new element into the men-women relationship. This poem is like the gushing of fresh water and is the work of a genius. Commenting on the caliber of a poet-genius, William Wordsworth argues (2008), “Of genius, in the fine arts, the only infallible sign is the widening the sphere of human sensibility, for the delight, honor and benefit of human nature. Genius is the introduction of a new element into the intellectual universe.”(xxi) This is a factual assertion whether Maya cares for it or not. Probably she does not care. Maya is not willing to be a part of the popular, stereotype orchestra. So, the desire that sprouts in the heart of every women to excel, be competitive not only with males, but with fellow females. Through this poem Maya challenges the pressure exerted by the societal forces against women, and how they should equip themselves to face it. She differentiates between attractiveness by the societal standards, and attractiveness in the real sense. The measuring tools of success are smile and style, the easy but important options. These are the acceptable public relations standards in the society. Now, let me think about this poem from the historical angle. All authors are products of history and they view it from close angles from the points of view of the characters they create or poems they write. Howsoever cleverly one may try, howsoever intelligently one may make efforts to sweep under the carpet one cannot help expressing own convictions in writings. A silent historical grudge of women against the male section of the society and the societal norms in particular in which women are also partners, is running through the lines of the poem. Maya heralds the wakeup call for the adolescent girls, with a firm directive to view her individual status with a new perspective. She seems to indicate to menfolk-- I know what you are, your machinations against women, your hidden agenda and she encourages females to rebel. She does it subtly, without hitting out directly, and without expressing any grudge. Nevertheless, she releases several arrows from her bower one after another, but they are not meant to kill; they do wound a sensitive male reader. There are strong reasons for the female section to nurture such anti-views against menfolk. The societal discussions mostly relate to the role of women in society, and no mention is made about the role of men. The never-ending talk of giving equal rights to women in all areas goes on unabated. But the change has to be achieved from within-by both men and women. The role of men in this area is more important. Turn the pages of history; women have always been at the receiving end. How can one give equal rights to women? God has given her the status of more equal. No one can snatch it away from her. It is the mother, who gives protection for the initial nine months to the divine creative force of the Nature that is responsible for the continuance of human race. A female child is victimised at every stage of life, from the moment of birth, notwithstanding the fact that it is she who sacrifices at those steps. Conclusion: The ultimate message one experiences through this poem is you feel as if this poem is written by Maya exclusively for you. It enlivens the spirit and provides the future direction. Maya Angelou conveys the message of confidence to women and urges them to think boldly and indirectly appeals to the male section of the society to change their style of thinking. The total emotional impact created for the adolescent girl is one of determination and not of frustration. Majority of the women will be too happy to share her observations and majority of the men will nod in appreciation as for her efforts to build the confidence level of women. She has written this poem for a good reason as a challenge to the existing societal customs and traditions. She has probably translated part of her own experiences in this poem and a reader can trace the passion behind them. References Wolosky, Shira. (2008).The Art of Poetry: How to Read a Poem. USA: Oxford University Press Wordsworth, William (2008) William Wordsworth - The Major Works: including The Prelude (Oxford World's Classics).Stephen Gill (Ed.) USA: Oxford University Press Read More