Preview

Maya Angelou

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
491 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Maya Angelou
As a woman you are created with a special gift, it’s like little extra ingredients that all women have within them. The poem “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou, she speaks about the elegance of a woman, her inner being the way she glow without saying a word Maya expressed how men are amazed by her presence “men themselves have wondered what they see in me” (line 31-32).It’s hard to put your finger on it all women were born with the power. In the poem “Still I rise” by Maya Angelou she described the struggles of life trials and tribulations you face in society and the way people may judge you. As if she was writing about a woman “does my sassiness upset you?”She also wrote in another stanza “does my sexiness upset you?”She used this comparison to show she is a sexy woman who demands respect. Maya’s attitude in this poem is portraying a confident black African American woman. She is really laughing at men challenging them. They cannot stop her from rising above all expectation. This poem gives you not only inspiration encouragement to be fearless; to the end of it all you must believe you still rise above it all. The title gives a sense of entity and power. This masterpiece the poem “phenomenal woman” has also empowered women to get more in touch with their inner beauty. Maya describes in great detail the mystery of women and the behavior of men and their reaction. It shows women to not only love your-self but to embrace every aspect of your mind, body and soul. Maya show that sexuality isn’t only related to outer beauty, or by the way you dress it more about how you feel within your own skin .she shows you instead of hating your body love it from the crown of your head to the sole of your feet. In society today women enhances their body by doing plastic surgery to feel accepted. She feels inferior clearly stating that every part of a woman is beauty. In comparisons to “Phenomenal Woman” and “Still I Rise” both poems Maya speaks about not bowing to

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Maya Angelou has become widely known for her poetry and literary works. She has written several autobiographies and numerous volumes of poetry. One volume of poetry was And Still I Rise, in this collection of poems the poem “Still I Rise” is a famously known one.…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Maya Angelou did a poem that inspire many women and she recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning", for president Bill Clinton . Her poem was about the significant of the rock, river, and tree, which stands for what the people have done. In her poem she’s telling people to not be afraid and live with courage. She also describes how many people have been ignored, hurt, and treated bad. But than people had the courage to speak up and say something about it without hiding anything.…

    • 265 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dr. Maya Angelou is one of the most renounced and influential voices of our time. She played a big part in the global Renaissance and is a poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Dr. Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4th, 1928. Her parents divorced when she was three years old and she and her brother, Bailey were sent to live with her grandmother, Annie Henderson for most of her teenaged years. Maya Angelou spent her childhood in California, Arkansas, and St. Louis.…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    ''When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time'' says marguerite Annie Johnson also known as Maya Angelou. Known for her inspiring appearances as an author, screen writer, dancer, actress and of course a poet. There were many ways Maya was born in St. Louis Missouri in 1928. She experienced racial prejudices and discrimination after moving with her grandmother when her parents split. She experienced harsh events in her life that made her the strong woman she is that led her on till her death in 2014. The spirit in her work still lives on today by those who admire her work. Using her biography as a resource, Her parents split when Maya was just a very young girl. Not only did she get raped as a child by her mother's boyfriend, She also got pregnant at the early age of 16 in a short high school relationship that left her with a handsome boy named Guy Johnson. Maya's importance was based on her 1969 memoir ''I know why the caged birds sing.'' Maya's life experiences are revealed in her work continuously. Throughout her poems of ''Phenomenal woman'', ''Touched by an Angel'', and ''Harlem Hopscotch'' her poetic language is shaped by her experiences.…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Angelou, Maya. And Still I Rise. New York: Random House, 1978. Print. This is a book which originally published two of Maya Angelou's infamous poems, "Phenomenal Woman" and, "Still I Rise". This book is strong and powerful, filled with many other well-known works done by Maya Angelou.…

    • 1129 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Maya Angelou was born with the name of Marguerite Johnson. Maya Angelou got her name from her brother, Bailey, who called her "Mya sister" and her first husband, Tosh Angelo. She was born on the fourth in April of 1928, in St. Louis, Mo. Maya Angelou is a poet, historian, author, actress, play-write, civil rights activist, a publisher, director, a mother, and a survivor. She is one of the most influential African Americans in American history. When her parents divorced she was sent to Stamps, Arkansas to live with her grandmother, Annie Henderson. Marguerite and Bailey Jr. are raised by their grandmother, who they call Momma. Momma showed Maya's sweet youthful heart a lesson or two about living deferentially and being regarded. She teaches…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Maya Angelou is another example of a woman who expresses the power that females possess in a male-dominated society. In her poem “Phenomenal Woman,” she speaks about how the “span of [her] hips/ [and] the stride of [her] step” (Angelou 7-8) makes her a phenomenal woman who, like Clifton, uses imagery of female features to express the pride of being a woman. They both use the same simple words such as “hips” to express the strong nature of a woman and how these hips can even “put a spell on a man and/ spin him like a top” (Clifton14-15). Stating that her hips can even place a spell on a male and spin him like a top is giving the impression that by only moving her hips in a certain way like the stride in Angelou’s step, can make that male or any male, do whatever she wants him to…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Maya Angelou 5

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Maya Angelou is a phenomenal woman. She was born into a devastating decade, that suffered numerous tragedies. Not only had society shaped her as a woman, she has also shaped our society and influenced many lives. She is still living today, yet I believe her legend will never die. Furthermore I will share with you what motivated her and some of her gratifying experiences. How she was effected by society, and what she did about it. Also how the time period she was born into made her the extraordinary woman she is today.…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    What is considered the feminine ideal? What can be said about a woman’s personality, physical beauty, the way she presents herself, the way she is treated, etc, that makes her uniquely…

    • 2062 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Maya Angelou: A True Hero

    • 1401 Words
    • 6 Pages

    As Maya Angelou had said, "I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place."(Angelou). Saint John Paul II was just that. Throughout his life he had felt his call to priesthood and continued sharing his gifts with others. Many others had experienced his blessings and help. Children were also a wonderful gift, whom he had much love for. His Five Loves set an impression on how the world could be a better place. Several people can tell you how much of a hero he had been for the human rights and how he had a great possession of love for others throughout his lifetime.…

    • 1401 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Maya Angelou Influences

    • 1555 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Maya Angelou spreading an attachment to honesty, civil rights, savoring life and writing the experiences, a dominating woman became a motivation to all. Maya Angelou’s words were always destined for honor and praise for centuries yet to come. Her writings continue to promote equality, soul-searching and friendship. Maya created a way to express herself freely and instill character and integrity in people by doing so. She found happiness and a way out through her writings and commanded her voice to be heard by them.…

    • 1555 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    © Maya Angelou in whose name Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. has granted permission. © The Sheffield College, 2006…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    BP3: Maya Angelou uses similes in “Still I Rise” to create atmosphere for the reader by giving inquisitive wording to express her ideas.“You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I’ll rise” (Angelou 3-4) Maya expressing that , though she has been hurt ; treated like dirt, she is above that and will be forgiving of those past mistakes. Maya goes on to others sentences with “I’ll rise” an example of this is “Like air, I’ll rise”(Angelou 4) again saying despite life's hardships she will pick herself up and carry on…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Still I Rise

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “Still I Rise” is a powerful poem written by Maya Angelou addressing her pride in herself and in her African American ancestor’s ability to rise above racism and segregation. The tone of the poem is strong and expresses different hardships that Maya Angelou has been faced with overcame. Angelou uses a wide range of similes and metaphors in her poem comparing herself to various natural elements such as the moon, sun and ocean to represent how she approached each circumstance. In numerous works by Maya Angelou, her writing style incorporates numerous symbols, similes, and various emotions. In “Still I Rise” Maya Angelou is the speaker and the audience is the white race who has oppressed her in the past and doubted her future. The poem reflects on the history of slaves and African Americans when she says in lines 39-40, “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, / I am the dream and the hope of the slave”. Due to her history, she wants to be powerful and successful in her future. She refers to herself in stanza eight as a “black ocean” which represents her strength and power. Angelou also shows her self-confidence in the beginning of stanzas two, four, five, and seven, by posing several rhetorical questions which are used to prove to the reader never to doubt her in her future endeavors. Angelou incorporates her past experiences, powerful views expressed in the tone regarding her pride, feministic values, strong confidence, and close ties with African American ancestry to create a timeline of events that have allowed her to push forward in life despite obstacles from her and her ancestor’s past and face future challenges with zero fear.…

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mizukisudo. "Maya Angelou 's "Still I Rise" Poem Analysis"Wordpress.com. Wordpress.com, 25 Nov., 2011. Web. 26 Jul. 2012.…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays