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Phenomenal Woman
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Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou (1978)
The title poem of the collection in which “Phenomenal Woman” appears harbors many of the same themes. However, while “Phenomenal Woman” celebrates differences, “Still I Rise” addresses the difficulties of disparagement, and promotes the courage necessary to defeat it. The speaker hopes that by “[b]ringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, / I am the dream and the hope of the slave” (Lines 39-40). Here, the speaker admonishes those who may feel that a Black woman had no right to speak with “sass” (Line 5). In both poems, Angelou’s speaker privileges self-esteem over others’ judgments.
“Kin” by Maya Angelou (1978)
In this poem from And Still I Rise, Angelou discusses her complex feelings of love and abandonment for her brother Bailey, to whom the poem is dedicated. While she regrets Bailey’s self-destructive belief that “[i]n destruction lies the seed of birth” (Lines 16), she does acknowledge that transformation might be imperative to Bailey regaining his dignity. This difficult process also allows for a return to innocence and a time before Bailey felt weighted down. Like “Phenomenal Woman,” the poem upholds valuing the self; only through this can there again be a celebratory return of “fireflies / Bursting tiny explosions in / An Arkansas twilight” (Lines 27-29).
“Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou (1983)
This poem’s title is a reference to Black poet Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “Sympathy” (1899), which also inspired the title of Angelou’s first memoir volume, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969). In the poem, Angelou contrasts the free bird that “dares to claim the sky” (Line 7) with the caged bird that can only use “his throat to sing” (Line 14). The idea is that even in captivity, one must advocate for dignity. The caged bird’s song is “heard on the distant hill” (Line 36), a reference to the biblical ideal of the city on a hill—the goal of enlightened, cruelty-free civilization. Like the “Phenomenal Woman,” the caged bird thus rejects external oppression and clings to the hope of a transformational perspective.
Further Literary Resources
In her eulogy for Angelou’s memorial service in 2014, First Lady Michelle Obama contextualizes Angelou as a source of inspiration for all women, and Black women in particular. Addressing the poem “Phenomenal Woman,” Obama points out that Angelou “celebrated black women's beauty like no one had ever dared to before […] Maya Angelou spoke to the essence of black women, but she also graced us with an anthem for all women—a call for all of us to embrace our God-given beauty.” Obama describes Angelou’s words as a powerful alternative to external disparagement: “She reminded us that we must each find our own voice, decide our own value, and then announce it to the world with all the pride and joy that is our birthright.” (A transcript of her remarks can be found in the electronic Obama White House archives.)
Maya Angelou by Harold Bloom (2002)
This volume is part of Bloom’s Major Poets series, which give biographical and critical information on individual authors. Analyzing “Phenomenal Women,” Bloom discusses the poem’s lists, noting how the speaker “catalogues her strengths” in “this hymn-like poem to woman’s beauty” (44). The speaker’s confidence makes her “self-image full of glory, inner pride, and innate individuality” (45). Excerpts from other critics include a passage from Lyman B. Hagen, who points out Angelou’s universality: While “Angelou makes a special effort to dispel false impressions about African Americans, [she] does not use this as her sole motivation” (46), rather “[h]er topics of simple universal concerns embrace the breadth of everyday worldly encounters and, through poetic presentation, uplift those ordinary experiences” (47).
“Maya Angelou’s Poetry Creates Hope” by Carol E. Neubauer (1997)
In the article “Maya Angelou: Self and a Song of Freedom in Southern Tradition” (1990), Neubauer gives an overview of Angelou’s work. She praises “Phenomenal Woman” for its “even, provocative rhythm that resounds with underlying confidence” (140). She notes that the speaker’s concentration on “each alluring part adds up to a phenomenal woman who need not ‘bow’ her head but can walk tall with a quiet pride that beckons those in her presence” (141). Neubauer emphasizes that Angelou’s poetry tries to suggest that only “hope and strength will overcome defeated dreams” (144).
Listen to Poem
This performance was filmed on September 7, 1995, for Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, California. Angelou was a long time member of this nondenominational, liberal church well known for its social service programs, particularly for those facing poverty and homelessness. This event honored Japanese American poet Janice Mirikitani’s for 30 years of service as the church’s program director, manager, and founding president. Angelou discusses the poem before she reads it, specifying that she “wrote it for Black Women” before noting she wrote it for “all women.” Her reading includes additional lines to connect the poem with women’s history.
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By Maya Angelou
