I think that this poem is really portraying the social factors that are exerted on a woman, and on the other hand this poem, shows the factors of what is going on inside the thought process of the woman in the story. The first stanza has both outside social and effects and internal social effects. First it begins with her talking about what she thinks about her self, and then when she opens up to “them” and they begin to judge her, however she ignores it and tells herself she is better than that. In the second stanza, this refers mainly to social interactions that she has. They look at her for who she is on the outside, and how beautiful she is and want to interact with her. However, she doesn’t want to be superficial so she tells her self the same thing from the first the first paragraph that she is a great woman. The next paragraph now is about her self, and how she responds to the others reactions, and what she still thinks of her self. She says that she tries to give hints to the people who only see her on the outside, but when she does they just don’t get it. This is very similar to the past story we read because Margo felt basically the exact same way. She knows she is pretty on the outside, but she also knows that her friends don’t appreciate the real her personality and that scares her. While at the same time, it angers her that she can’t be the person on the insider. In the final stanza, she talks to us as the readers. She looks at us says, now you understand my thoughts. She seems successful and happy on the outside, but on the inside it is really just a war zone and her moods can really go either way. However, she states to her self one more time that she is a phenomenal woman to calm her down and get her mind back on track. All and all her saying at the end of every of stanza that she is a phenomenal woman is kind of like when I, for example, am about to speak publicly say to my self, I am calm, cool, collected, and confident. It is kind of like safe phrase that organizes you and gets you back on track to where you need to be. Here when the battle between her inner conflicts, and her social life are in full swing, she says this phrase and it gives her the confidence and will power she needs to over come the stress.
Women wonder at the attractiveness of the (female) speaker. Assuming that it is her aim, they see her "perfection," and wonder about how she attains it. When the speaker reiterates that her motive is not what they think, the women respond in disbelief, thinking that she tells, "lies". The speaker, however, tries to explain to them her own reasons for the attractiveness others see in her. The numerous things she points to about herself such as "the reach of my arms" and "the fire in my eyes" all focus on the common thread that she is a "phenomenal woman." Attractive personality is much more powerful than attractive genetics or any ability to fill in an impossible role. The speaker then explains to these women, that it is her own attractive personality that is the reason men "stand or fall down on their knees" before her. It does not mean that she does not try to be her best, but she does not see conformity as justifiable and therefore the reason why "[her] head's not bowed". She then goes on to explain in detail her own reasons and her own aims in attractiveness. She measures her own achievement by measurable decisions she can make such as her "smile", "style", and "stride", not impossible standards. Showing that a woman’s attractiveness comes from how well she project herself.
I truly enjoyed this poem by Maya Angelou. I believe that this poem appeals to more than just the female population. Our society places a lot of stress upon male supremacy .However; I think the real problem comes from the women not sticking up for themselves. If all the women in the world had the same confidence as the woman in this poem then there wouldn’t be any problems between the sexes. I stated earlier that this poem appeals to more than just the female population which means it must appeal to the male population. The reasoning behind males “liking” this poem comes from a simple fact-they too enjoy a confident woman. If a woman is confident then she is easier to deal with. Any man would agree that with a confident woman comes less work. For example, the woman throughout this poem states that she is beautiful in every feature. Therefore, a man doesn’t have to spend time coxing her, and tell her multiple times that she is beautiful. This simple logic can be applied to all situations dealing with women. Overall, I enjoyed reading this poem and I plan on sharing it with not only women, but with men as well to hear their reactions to this poem and the idea of a confident women.
In my opinion this poem is about the strength within a women. This writer seems to believe that it is important to embrace who you really are, and be you. She may seem to come off as a little cocky at first, describing all her great qualities. However, a few lines suggest she is really saying that her strength and confidence is what makes her so appealing to people, especially men. She defiantly believes that women should stand up for themselves and be strong. She says "It ought to make you proud," encouraging the readers to be inspired by her and want to be strong as well. But, she is not a loud obnoxious confident which she makes clear saying "I don't shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud." She describes little details of herself that she explains to everyone is why she is so phenomenal but they say they can't see it. This is because shes trying to tell them that its not really this detail or that one, its her as a whole. Maya's message is that we are all phenomenal, but we have to see it ourselves first, before others can as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading and analyzing this poem, and I really approved of the writing structure that Angelou utilized; the piece may not have been long or long lined, but the author still manages to convey her message through the help of clever word choice and vivid imagery. Angelou depicts the idea that women are all attractive creatures regardless of physical appearance. There is this irresistible charm that women exude that turns all the heads, and the author confidently portrays her own interpretation of personal charms that she possesses as a woman. Again, I really took a liking to this simple, confident, playful, and powerful poem; as Pompeo said, I hope that members of both sexes will enjoy this piece.
I think that this poem is really portraying the social factors that are exerted on a woman, and on the other hand this poem, shows the factors of what is going on inside the thought process of the woman in the story. The first stanza has both outside social and effects and internal social effects. First it begins with her talking about what she thinks about her self, and then when she opens up to “them” and they begin to judge her, however she ignores it and tells herself she is better than that. In the second stanza, this refers mainly to social interactions that she has. They look at her for who she is on the outside, and how beautiful she is and want to interact with her. However, she doesn’t want to be superficial so she tells her self the same thing from the first the first paragraph that she is a great woman. The next paragraph now is about her self, and how she responds to the others reactions, and what she still thinks of her self. She says that she tries to give hints to the people who only see her on the outside, but when she does they just don’t get it. This is very similar to the past story we read because Margo felt basically the exact same way. She knows she is pretty on the outside, but she also knows that her friends don’t appreciate the real her personality and that scares her. While at the same time, it angers her that she can’t be the person on the insider. In the final stanza, she talks to us as the readers. She looks at us says, now you understand my thoughts. She seems successful and happy on the outside, but on the inside it is really just a war zone and her moods can really go either way. However, she states to her self one more time that she is a phenomenal woman to calm her down and get her mind back on track. All and all her saying at the end of every of stanza that she is a phenomenal woman is kind of like when I, for example, am about to speak publicly say to my self, I am calm, cool, collected, and confident. It is kind of like safe phrase that organizes you and gets you back on track to where you need to be. Here when the battle between her inner conflicts, and her social life are in full swing, she says this phrase and it gives her the confidence and will power she needs to over come the stress.
ReplyDeleteEdgar Ortiz
Period 1
Women wonder at the attractiveness of the (female) speaker. Assuming that it is her aim, they see her "perfection," and wonder about how she attains it. When the speaker reiterates that her motive is not what they think, the women respond in disbelief, thinking that she tells, "lies". The speaker, however, tries to explain to them her own reasons for the attractiveness others see in her. The numerous things she points to about herself such as "the reach of my arms" and "the fire in my eyes" all focus on the common thread that she is a "phenomenal woman." Attractive personality is much more powerful than attractive genetics or any ability to fill in an impossible role. The speaker then explains to these women, that it is her own attractive personality that is the reason men "stand or fall down on their knees" before her. It does not mean that she does not try to be her best, but she does not see conformity as justifiable and therefore the reason why "[her] head's not bowed". She then goes on to explain in detail her own reasons and her own aims in attractiveness. She measures her own achievement by measurable decisions she can make such as her "smile", "style", and "stride", not impossible standards. Showing that a woman’s attractiveness comes from how well she project herself.
ReplyDeletesandrine amine
period1
I truly enjoyed this poem by Maya Angelou. I believe that this poem appeals to more than just the female population. Our society places a lot of stress upon male supremacy .However; I think the real problem comes from the women not sticking up for themselves. If all the women in the world had the same confidence as the woman in this poem then there wouldn’t be any problems between the sexes. I stated earlier that this poem appeals to more than just the female population which means it must appeal to the male population. The reasoning behind males “liking” this poem comes from a simple fact-they too enjoy a confident woman. If a woman is confident then she is easier to deal with. Any man would agree that with a confident woman comes less work. For example, the woman throughout this poem states that she is beautiful in every feature. Therefore, a man doesn’t have to spend time coxing her, and tell her multiple times that she is beautiful. This simple logic can be applied to all situations dealing with women. Overall, I enjoyed reading this poem and I plan on sharing it with not only women, but with men as well to hear their reactions to this poem and the idea of a confident women.
ReplyDelete-Pompeo M.
Per.4
In my opinion this poem is about the strength within a women. This writer seems to believe that it is important to embrace who you really are, and be you. She may seem to come off as a little cocky at first, describing all her great qualities. However, a few lines suggest she is really saying that her strength and confidence is what makes her so appealing to people, especially men. She defiantly believes that women should stand up for themselves and be strong. She says "It ought to make you proud," encouraging the readers to be inspired by her and want to be strong as well. But, she is not a loud obnoxious confident which she makes clear saying "I don't shout or jump about
ReplyDeleteOr have to talk real loud." She describes little details of herself that she explains to everyone is why she is so phenomenal but they say they can't see it. This is because shes trying to tell them that its not really this detail or that one, its her as a whole. Maya's message is that we are all phenomenal, but we have to see it ourselves first, before others can as well.
Emily McColl
p. four
I thoroughly enjoyed reading and analyzing this poem, and I really approved of the writing structure that Angelou utilized; the piece may not have been long or long lined, but the author still manages to convey her message through the help of clever word choice and vivid imagery. Angelou depicts the idea that women are all attractive creatures regardless of physical appearance. There is this irresistible charm that women exude that turns all the heads, and the author confidently portrays her own interpretation of personal charms that she possesses as a woman. Again, I really took a liking to this simple, confident, playful, and powerful poem; as Pompeo said, I hope that members of both sexes will enjoy this piece.
ReplyDeleteZhanneta.
Period 1.