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!

Literature: The Strand That Unites Us

For my final assignment in my English class last semester, I explored the purposes of literature, eventually settling on literature as a source of empathy. I wrote an essay centered on this purpose, as I reflected on several books I've read that have especially enabled me to understand others' perspectives and experiences. Not only do I think these titles are worth sharing as book recommendations, but I also believe it's valuable to note the techniques the authors utilize in order to inspire empathy in their readers.

The first book I touched on in my essay was The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. It's both a collection of short stories and a fictional memoir rooted in the traumatic experiences of Vietnam veterans. Prior to reading the book as a summer assignment, I admittedly had low expectations of the novel's impact. I doubted my own ability to relate to and appreciate the suffering of individuals with such startlingly different narratives from my own. Yet O'Brien successfully shatters the barrier between his readers and characters by fusing alien military experiences with universal concepts, such as unrequited love and devastating loss. The following quote from the novel perfectly sums up this idea.

"And in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war. It's about sunlight. It's about the special way that dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do. It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow. It's about sisters who never write back and people who never listen."

As this excerpt demonstrates, the shared emotions O'Brien weaves throughout his storytelling establish closeness between the reader and the characters. Because of this brilliance on O'Brien's part, The Things They Carried became one of the most meaningful books I've ever read, despite the unfamiliar events it documents.

Another novel that profoundly affected me is The Scarlet Letter, a classic by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story's protagonist, Hester Prynne, is an unconventional heroine, to say the least; she's a seventeenth-century adulteress exiled from her community for her immoral actions. To establish a relationship with this woman stamped 'adulteress', to pity her, to eventually admire her, was the last thing I expected. Yet, through the progression of Hawthorne's flawless writing, Hester evolves throughout the story to become a character not only deserving of sympathy but also praise.

The novel Beloved by Toni Morrison poses an even greater challenge to its readers' empathetic capacities, and in my experience, it ultimately succeeds. SPOILER ALERT: Halfway through the story, it's revealed that Sethe, a primary character, is guilty of murdering several of her children. It may seem unfeasible that a reader could ever understand what could compel a person to commit such an act, yet Morrison develops Sethe into such a complex, relatable character that you can't help but connect to her situation. Morrison eventually discloses Sethe's motivations, explaining that she felt it necessary for her children to die in order to escape slavery. Morrison's passionate use of language allowed me to understand Sethe's thought process, and therefore, I believe Beloved is a testament to literature's power to encourage empathy in even the most foreign circumstances.

What works of literature have inspired empathy in you? Do you agree that understanding others' experiences is the fundamental objective of literature, or can you think of a larger purpose? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Book Review: Little Bee

This winter break, my greatest gift was copious amounts of time to myself--time to reflect, time to write, time to read. (And oh yeah, time to watch an entire season of True Blood, but I suppose that's irrelevant)

I was especially grateful for the privilege to read books of my choice. While I mostly indulged in several poetry collections I checked out from the local library, I did finish one full-length book worthy of recommendation. The book is called Little Bee, a novel by Chris Cleave. It's the story of two strikingly different women whose clashing worlds collide. The first, known simply as Little Bee, is a Nigerian refugee who ends up in an immigration detention center in the UK. The second is Sarah O'Rourke, a young British mother and magazine editor struggling to repair a withering marriage. The story is divided into chapters which alternate between Little Bee's and Sarah's perspectives. At first, it seems that the two women's stories are unrelated, but the overlap between their lives slowly unravels as it's revealed that the two shared a haunting experience on a Nigerian beach.

For fear of revealing too much, I think it's best not to delve further into any more plot developments. Even the description on the back cover is sparse for that very reason. But please, rest assured that Little Bee will hold your interest--if not for its plot, for Cleave's brilliant writing style. One of the story's strong points is undoubtedly its richly imagined characters. In addition to the tortured but lovable Little Bee and the highly complex Sarah, there is Sarah's son, Charlie, a three-year-old who not only refuses to wear anything but his Batman suit, but also views the entire world as Batman would, dividing all the characters of his life into "baddies" and "goodies". This blissfully simplistic point of view is unbelievably endearing, but more importantly, it forces us to challenge our own conceptions of morality.

In fact, that is exactly what's occurring on every page of the book. Any preconceived ideas or hastily drawn conclusions are challenged by the startling truth that dominates Cleave's carefully crafted fiction. Throughout Little Bee, Cleave beautifully explores themes of identity, loss, fidelity, guilt, responsibility, and fulfillment. Despite the cultural differences that potentially distance the reader from Little Bee's characters, the raw humanness of the story makes it not only universally relevant, but universally moving. If you're not deeply affected by this story, I question your capacity for compassion.

Here's an example of one of the most stirring passages, written in the voice of Little Bee:

"I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I surivived."

This is a perfect example of Cleave's ability to draw you in, to engage the reader in a way I never thought possible. To Little Bee, who has faced more horrors than most of us, a scar probably means a physical disfigurement, or else a tragic event like the witness of a killing. To many of us, a scar may be comparatively smaller-- a lost job, a broken heart, a skinned knee. But our ability to be resilient, to march on despite our scars, whatever they may be--this is the single strand that connects us, the essence of our humanity.

If you're still not convinced that Little Bee is worth reading, check out this Washington Post review or a similar one from the New York Times. Both writers do an excellent job pointing out the intricacies that make Little Bee such a masterpiece.

If you have any recommendations of your own, please share! Happy reading!

Small Steps

The other day began as a lazy Saturday morning spent at my computer, counting the minutes until my brother came home from college for winter break. I decided blog-surfing was the perfect pastime, and I ended up discovering quite the gem: a blog called Writer Unboxed, self-described as focusing on "the craft and business of genre fiction". I spent a considerable portion of my morning scrolling through its posts, perusing its contents for inspiration for my own blog. The post I found most stirring was entitled "Lettuce and Gold".

The gist of the post was the importance of self-discovery in literature, and how this self-discovery can occur at any moment, in an infinite number of ways. It's about the profound meaning that can be found in the most trivial of details, if you just take the time to look for it. My favorite part of the post is the ending:

"Is it too much to pack personal insight into every scene? I'd say to leave it out is to do too little. Small steps add up to a journey. There's even meaning in lettuce if you look for it. When you find it, it's gold. Pick it up. Give it away. The journey is for sharing."

As an aspiring writer, this blog post came as a sort of comfort to me. So often, I set out to write a poem or a story, but I get too caught up in the abstract idea I'm trying to convey that the dreaded state of writer's block hits me. I want to write about love, about heartbreak, about happiness...but perhaps, instead, I should be writing about lettuce. I think the point that Donald Maass, the author, is trying to make is that it's often the simplest moments that carry the most profundity. This is an important message for both writers and readers to keep in mind, but I think it's also applicable on a universal level to life in general. I believe it's a natural human tendency to define our own life narratives by the "milestones" of our lives, the moments that are largest, loudest, flashiest. As Maass points out, it's equally important to appreciate the quieter pleasures, such as purchasing lettuce.

The message behind "Lettuce and Gold" instantly reminded me of the following poem by William Carlos Williams, one that is deceptively simple with seemingly insignificant subject matter.

This is Just to Say

I have eaten

the plums

that were in

the icebox

and which

you were probably

saving

for breakfast

Forgive me

they were delicious

so sweet

and so cold

Perhaps Williams intended for this poem to merely illustrate the speaker's guilt coupled with his enjoyment of the delicious plums he took. Other interpretations claim that the poem was meant to serve as a commentary on the speaker's relationship with his wife, or relationships in general. To some, the speaker seems to sincerely regret taking the plums; to others, he seems satisfied, happy even. Regardless, the poem illustrates how even the most ordinary circumstances have layers of complexity. Essentially, even lettuce and plums carry meaning. You just have to look for it.

Spotlight on Poetry Therapy

A week or so ago, I wrote an essay for a college application that involved designing my own interdisciplinary college course. I decided that the best approach was to try to fuse two of my passions, and so I settled on a class focused on the relationship between poetry and psychology. As I was investigating the overlap between the two subjects, I stumbled across the field of poetry therapy. You may be skeptical at this point, and truthfully, I wouldn't blame you. At first it sounded like a bit of a hoax to me too. But as I researched the topic further, it amazed me just how defined the field has become.

Essentially, poetry therapy refers to a process by which a client's psychological health is improved through the reading and/or writing of poetry. A certified poetry therapist encourages this emotional growth and healing by selecting specific poems to focus on and creating an environment in which patients feel comfortable opening up and expressing themselves. A more in-depth overview of poetry therapy can be found here.

On poetrytherapy.org, I learned about the history of the field. To my surprise, I discovered that the roots of poetry therapy date back to primitive societies. Some ancient cultures featured shamans or witchdoctors who recited poetry, as this was thought to have a positive effect on the people's spirits. Another interesting anecdote is that Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the United States, encouraged patients to write and publish poetry as a form of treatment.

Though poetry therapy isn't especially widely known yet, recently, several important steps have been made toward legitimizing the field of poetry therapy. The National Association for Poetry Therapy (NAPT) was established in 1981, and it now sponsors an official publication, the Journal of Poetry Therapy. Poetry therapy also has defined objectives, which I found on this website.

The goals are as follows:

1. To develop accuracy and understanding in perceiving self and others

2. To develop creativity, self-expression, and greater self-esteem

3. To strengthen interpersonal skills and communication skills

4. To ventilate overpowering emotions and release tension

5. To find new meaning through new ideas, insights, and information

6. To promote change and increase coping skills and adaptive functions

Upon doing further research, I discovered real-life examples of people who put poetry therapy to use for the purpose of attaining these goals. This article describes a New Jersey Hospital that supports the use of poetry therapy for medical patients. Patients at University Hospital in Newark are encouraged to read poems related to their struggles and even write original poetry. I also came across the article "Opening the Door to Poetry Therapy" by a pioneer in poetry therapy. I'd highly recommend reading it; not only does it offer firsthand knowledge regarding the evolution of the field, but it's incredibly eloquently written. My favorite part is a quote by poet Stanley Kunitz that the author ends with: "Through the years I have found this gift of poetry to be life-sustaining, life-enhancing, and absolutely unpredictable. Does one live for the sake of poetry? No, the reverse is true: poetry is for the sake of life."

This quote especially resonates with me because I've always used poetry as a coping mechanism in my own life, but I wasn't aware of the extent to which this was true for others. Now I feel validated in my belief in the healing power of poetry, and I hope that you all also have the opportunity to experience this spiritual renewal and recovery. As a side note, I'm encouraged by the fact that therapy is becoming a more flexible term. Since I've been involved in several types of therapy and counseling throughout my life, I'm fascinated by new developments in the field.

While reflecting on poetry therapy, I couldn't help but be reminded of Azar Nafisi and Reading Lolita in Tehran. Just as literature is a therapeutic tool for the persecuted women of Iran, poetry can provide healing and growth for those who seek it.