Monday, April 30, 2012

Poem of the Week-Period 5&7

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/phenomenal-woman/

8 comments:

  1. i believe that in this poem the author is trying to get a point across about not just women but people in general. They are stating that people are attractive in their own way and they dont always have to look like the stars in the movies and magazines. They can be themselves and still be desireable to someone. Theres billions of people in the world, so someone's bound to like you.
    Marc Canzanella period 7

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  2. In this poem, "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou I believe she is trying to get the point through that not all woman look like super models or are as beautiful as them, but each woman is special in their own way. "I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size." People in todays society are looked down on if they are obese, our cultures standards have lowerd to judging other people on their looks. I feel that Maya was brought down and is just trying to show people that looks arnt everything. "Don't judge a book by its cover."


    -Zack
    Period 5

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  3. I have heard this poem recited by someone in public speaking class last year. After re-reading Maya’s poem, I had a better understanding of what she was trying to say. Maya talked about others looking at her and only seeing “the surface”. She wrote, “Men themselves have wondered what they see in me. 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.” Men could not see her personality or inner beauty just by looking at her. All they saw was what Maya looked like. But little did they know that Maya was going to be or was already a poet, actor, and author. To sum everything up, Angelou’s poem was about men who did not understand that there was more to Maya than her looks and that not everyone looked like celebrities even though the culture at the time dictated it.

    Meglin Bodner Period 5

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  4. I believe that the poem ''phenomenal women" was about being comfortable in your own skin.Angelou stated in the beginning of her poem ''I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size'' shows that she's not extremely good looking or has a perfect body yet people are still drawn to her and based on her tone throughout the rest of the poem leads readers to believe that it is her confidence that gets people's attention. I also think that Angelou was trying to stress that its not the way that we look thats its the way we present ourselves in front of others that will draw them in towards the end. Confidence according to Angelou attracts people not looks.
    Bryanna Willaby period 7

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  5. I think this poem relates to a lot of girls who are uncomfortable in there own skin. If they dont fit in, then they never feel like they are never good enough. Teenagers in highschool relate to this alot. She doesn't think that her inner beauty is what people will accept. Maya is trying to get the message out there that its not looks that count.

    Amanda Genovese (period 7)

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  6. The phrase, "I'm a woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman. That's me." caught my eye, for the pure reason of its repetition throughout the poem. Her mindset of her ability to be phenomenal brought her to her potential. She took the time to think deep inside herself what makes her phenomenal, even though her idea of phenomenal might not be what an outsiders view is. Her bold comparisons to bees, fire, and sun accentuate her passionate belief of herself, which more women should dare to do. She refers to herself as 'an inner mystery,' leaving her readers wondering, "What mystery could a woman possibly be?" The answers underlying the questions to this poem could possibly remain unanswered, seeing as she really only gives superficial and bias qualities.

    Rachel Hanchuruck period 5

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  7. When the poet wrote in the beginning of the poem, "/Pretty women wonder where my secret lies./ I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size/ But when I start to tell them,/ They think I'm telling lies." It struck my attention that the point of view in this poem is not from a pretty girls perspective, it is actually from a girl that is thinking of her appearance as plain, but she has confidence in her inner beauty that noone else can see except for herself so she is ok with looking plain. Then the Poet goes onto saying, “They say they still can't see./ I say,/ It's in the arch of my back,/ The sun of my smile,/ The ride of my breasts,/ The grace of my style./ I'm a woman.” Even though people may not believe in what she says, she still has the courage to stand up and say that she may not look like the girl society looks as being beautiful, but to her she is even more beautiful than the prettiest super model.
    -David travisano per. 7

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  8. I believe that Maya Angelou is saying that a woman doesn't haven't to be of a certain size or be extremely beautiful to have confidence in herself. If a woman believes that she is beautiful no matter any flaws she might have, others will think so too. Everyone has their own perception of beauty and just because someone doesn't fit the exact description of what the media defines it as, doesn't mean she is any less beautiful. Having self esteem and being beautiful on the inside can be just as good as physical attractiveness.
    -Brooke Dedushi P. 5

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