A Feminist Approach to "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou

In English class, as we've continued to read Hamlet, we've also learned about various critical approaches to literature, such as the Marxist, new historical, psychoanalytic, and feminist perspectives. The feminist approach to literature particularly struck a chord with me, perhaps because I could relate to the issues as a young woman coming into my own.

As you all probably know by now, I'm a bit infatuated with the art of poetry, so I decided it'd be interesting to take a feminist approach to a poem. I chose to analyze Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman". Right off the bat, with a title like that, you'd probably expect the poem to be a gold mine for feminist issues, and it doesn't disappoint.

The first two lines are already fraught with feminist ideas, as Angelou writes, "Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. / I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size". Angelou is clearly alluding to our culture's connection between thinness and attractiveness in women. From a feminist perspective, I believe that this is a biased societal expectation because women are expected to almost starve themselves in order to be considered 'pretty', while a wider range of male body types are deemed attractive. Yet Angelou, a promoter of feminist themes, challenges this link between skinniness and sex appeal, as the speaker asserts that she is far from model-thin, but still beautiful in her own right. She goes on to claim that her attractiveness lies in "The span of my hips", among other features, and then closes the stanza with "I'm a woman / Phenomenally. / Phenomenal woman, / That's me." By declaring her own confidence in her more curvaceous body type, Angelou's writing serves as an inspiration to the majority of women who don't fall within the super model classification.

In the second stanza, she continues this tone of confidence and self-assuredness. She writes, "I walk into a room / Just as cool as you please, / And to a man, / The fellows stand or / Fall down on their knees." In this stanza, the feminist themes deepen, as Angelou begins to explore male and female gender identities. From these select lines, I gather that she believes females possess a sort of seductive power over men. Though some women may dismiss such a concept as petty, it is important to note that Angelou portrays the female figure as dominant, as she describes men falling to a submissive position in her presence. She even compares the men who "swarm" around the speaker to "a hive of honey bees". This dehumanization may have also been intended to conjure an image of men as less powerful creatures.

Angelou elaborates on these feminist ideas in the third stanza, as she writes, "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." These lines further support the dynamic she's constructing in which the speaker, the female figure, possesses more power than any man. By asserting that men cannot grasp her "inner mystery", she continues to elevate the female identity in comparison to that of the male, implying that there is a beauty or a magic to women that men are incapable of fully understanding.

In the final stanza, the lines that stood out to me were, "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." I especially liked the line about the speaker not bowing her head. Though the obvious meaning of holding her head high is a physical expression of her sense of pride, Angelou may also be suggesting that the speaker is not "bowing" to men, or, in simpler terms, refusing to submit to men's authority. When Angelou writes "It ought to make you proud", she directly appeals to the female gender as a whole, urging women to embrace their beauty and embody the speaker's quiet confidence.

I think "Phenomenal Woman" is an excellent example of the importance of feminist ideas. While the themes were perhaps more obvious in this poem than in many other literary works, I look forward to the challenge of identifying feminist concepts in everything I read, including Hamlet. I'll keep you posted!

The Philosophy and Theology of Hamlet

In English class, we just started reading Shakespeare's Hamlet. I must admit, Shakespeare has always thrown me for a loop. I often get so caught up in the frilly language that I miss the greater themes altogether. Despite this, I'm hoping to get as much out of Hamlet as possible, as I'm well aware of its prominence as a literary work.

In my quest to understand Hamlet, I came across this blog post that touches on several key philosophical and theological questions raised in the play, and I thought I'd highlight a few points made in the post.

First of all, the blogger introduces the conflict between Protestantism and Catholicism present throughout Hamlet. She states that Laertes and France represent the purely Catholic perspective in the play, while Hamlet straddles the line between the two doctrines. In addition to these two primary Christian sects, Hamlet incorporates elements of the Greco-Roman polytheistic theologies. It's interesting to think about how these differing theologies coexist within the structure of a single work, and I'm eager to see whether these varied belief systems will eventually clash.

Throughout the play, several critical Christian themes dominate the plot, such as divine right, crusading, and purgatory. As a Catholic, I found the play's take on the concept of purgatory particularly fascinating. In class, we discussed the role of purgatory in Hamlet in relation to the ghost of King Hamlet. A Catholic interpretation of the ghost would be that he represents a soul trapped between heaven and earth, in the in-between place where sins are atoned for. The blog post sheds further light on this idea, as it claims that, in order for the ghost to be listened to, Hamlet must accept Catholicism as a religion because purgatory, a distinctly Catholic belief, is the only logical explanation for the ghost's existence. This further exacerbates the conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism.

Philosophy also shapes the course of the story. The blog post claims that Hamlet was a Stoic and goes on to outline the characteristics of the philosophic branch of Stoicism, chiefly that it involves the "relationship between cosmic determinism and human freedom, and the belief that it is virtuous to maintain a will that is in accord with nature". This adds another layer to the play. By the standards of Stoicism, which characters' actions would be considered virtuous? I aim to answer this question and many others as I continue my journey through Shakespeare's great work.

Five Favorites

A few days ago, I was snowed in and in search of something to occupy myself. As the world outside my window swiftly transformed into a whirling winter wonderland, I decided to sift through the contents of my poetry collection. Admittedly, my stack of poetry books is rather small, but it still brings me such happiness to know that the voices of all my favorite poets are sitting on my shelf, waiting to be listened to. This poetry perusal inspired me to comprise a list of my top five favorite poets. You should know that I have an odd fascination with ranking things, and I'm sure you're already aware that poetry is a passion of mine, so making a list of poets is naturally appealing to me. I'm actually surprised that I've never taken up this task before. Regardless, I thought I'd share my list of favorites in the hopes that you will be just as stirred by their poignant words. Here goes.

1. E. E. Cummings

Edward Estlin Cummings will forever be my favorite poet. A book of his is permanently placed at the top of my pile of poetry like a friendly face I pass by again and again.

Though I've known about E. E. Cummings for years, I previously identified him as nothing more than the "lower-case letters guy". But since purchasing a book of selected poems, I've come to appreciate him for who he is: a brilliant, revolutionary wordsmith. His poetry is so structurally simplistic, yet it contains more potent thoughts, feelings, and imagery than that of any other poet I've read. His poetry is also visually appealing; E. E. Cummings was an artist, in every sense of the word.

It's nearly impossible for me to pick a single favorite poem, but in my opinion, this is one of his best:

it is so long since my heart has been with yours

shut by our mingling arms through

a darkness where new lights begin and

increase,

since your mind has walked into

my kiss as a stranger

into the streets and colours of a town--

that i have perhaps forgotten

how,always(from

these hurrying crudities

of blood and flesh)Love

coins His most gradual gesture,

and whittles life to eternity

--after which our separating selves become museums

filled with skilfully stuffed memories

Cummings introduces so many captivating ideas, such as comparing a first kiss to an unfamiliar town and memories to artifacts in a museum. He somehow manages to convey the most universal ideas in such a freshly compelling manner, a feat I hope to accomplish in my own writing.

2. Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes is one of my favorite classic poets. I've always been enchanted by the Harlem Renaissance; I wrote a paper about the period for history class last year. Hughes beautifully captures the themes of the era in a way that affects people of all cultures and backgrounds, even though many of his poems specifically address exclusively African-American issues. Though you really can't go wrong with any of his work, I would recommend the following poem.

The Dream Keeper

Bring me all of your dreams,

You dreamer,

Bring me all of your

Heart melodies

That I may wrap them

In a blue cloud-cloth

Away from the too-rough fingers

Of the world.

3. Billy Collins

In my humble opinion, Billy Collins is one of the greatest contemporary poets in the world. As poet Stephen Dunn so thoughtfully put it, "We seem to always know where we are in a Billy Collins poem, but not necessarily where he is going. I love to arrive with him at his arrivals. He doesn't hide things from us, as I think lesser poets do. He allows us to overhear, clearly, what he himself has discovered." This is precisely the appeal of Collins' poetry: he invites the reader along for the ride. There is a certain closeness he manages to establish with the reader that is difficult to come by. My favorite poem of his is called "Forgetfulness", but it's too lengthy to include here.

4. Mary Oliver

A book by Mary Oliver was one of my very first poetry collections, so her poetry naturally holds a special place in my heart. Though I'll admit that I'm not quite as appreciative of nature as I'd like to be, her often nature-themed poetry is still profoundly moving to me. I'd recommend "The Journey", a poem about the importance of valuing yourself.

5. Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson is another writer worthy of recognition. I've always been especially drawn to her because she was known as a bit of a recluse, something I can relate to. In addition, she has an unparalleled way with words, as her poems have a sort of effortlessly graceful rhythm to them. My favorite poem of hers, perhaps also her most popular, is the following:

"Hope" is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I've heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

Dickinson's representation of hope as a sweet, singing bird is beautifully woven throughout the poem, as is a specific rhyming structure, revealing her genius craftsmanship.

Do any of you have recommendations of poets or specific poems that you'd like to share? I'd love to add to my collection!