Diana Hocker January 20, 2015
English Period 8
_______________Maya Angelou was an African American poet, singer, and actress who influenced the world through her writing. Her compositions, including songs, poems, and speeches, relate to her experiences in life, in which she faced racism, rape, and the stereotypes of African Americans. Angelou’s poems were written with various underlying themes, based upon the events that she faced, but was then able to overcome. Maya Angelou, through her autobiographical poems, “Phenomenal Woman” and “Still I Rise”, conveys to readers the importance of inner strength and perseverance to overcome obstacles.__________________
One of the most prominent themes in both “Phenomenal Woman” and “Still …show more content…
Angelou experienced struggles based upon her gender; one important example was being raped by her mother’s boyfriend at age nine. Being both African American and a woman was considered to two strikes against her, which she has used to influence her writing and overcome these. In “Phenomenal Woman”, Maya Angelou describes and praises the many traits she possesses because she is a woman (Neubauer 1). These traits, though, are not physical traits; instead they are inner strengths, pride, and even sass. She uses these to overcome the gender barriers, proving that gender does not determine a person’s capability (Neubauer 1). One significant example is“Men themselves have wondered / What they see in me. / They try so much but they can't touch my inner mystery.” In this quote, she brings forth her inner traits that attract the attention of both men and women.This theme of feminism is also prominent in “Still I Rise.”In this poem, she is “rising” above this gender barrier, focusing on her own vast capabilities. “Still I …show more content…
This subject, like most others in her poems, is based on events that occurred in her life, which she has been able to triumph over with success and accomplishment. As a young African American woman, it was not expected that she would have been able to go to college or even become as successful and influential as she was. Angelou brings forth her strong attitude to triumph over what was predetermined of her based on ethnicity and gender, and other struggles she endured during her life. Her intelligence is displayed in “Phenomenal Woman”, as she describes herself attracting attention and being accepted in society. This is proven in this excerpt from “Phenomenal Woman”: “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.” In this context, Angelou conveys the importance of pride and self-esteem to overcome the hatred or negativity of others. This theme is also prevalent in Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” with the repeated phrase, “I rise,” (Traylor 3). This recurring phrase represents her mentally defeating the derogatory stereotypes and comments about her race and gender, in which she shows the significance of your own confidence and self-love. She speaks not only for herself, but for all of her race, which is a customary extension of self to personalize experiences in