3. STANZA 1
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.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a women
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal women,
That's me.
• Other women wonder what Anglou has that they are
missing, even though she lacks the traits that society
most often judges to be beautiful
• "They think I'm telling lies" - She intuits that the other
women are jealous of her; appeal lies in her arms,
hips and lips
• Angelou's voice reflects a sense of confidence - does
not hesitate to talk about the span of her hips or the
stride of her steps
• Angelou is satisfied with how her body is because
everyone is unique, she doesn't care about the
socalled "fashion"
• The last four lines of this stanza are repeated in the
following stanzas with slinght variations; they act as a
refrain that expresses Angelou's inner happiness for
being a "phenomenal women"
4. STANZA 2
• Moves away from discussing women and begins to
discuss the spell she seems to have over the men
she encounters
• Whenever Angelou walks into the room, the men
around either stand up or bend down to their knees,
she described this situation like they flock around
her like a flock of bees
• The passion in her eye, smiling teeth, swinging waist
and the joy in her feet that is making her attractive
• Her attractiveness goes beyond the physical – it is
something innate inside her that makes her so
irresistible to men; while women can change the
way they look, Angelou insinuates that they will
never be able to replicate what she naturally
possesses inside herself
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a women
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal Women,
That's me
5. STANZA 3
• Men cannot pinpoint what is about her that is so
irresistible, they try to find that secret but fail to
do so as they cannot touch her inner mystery
• Inner mystery – inner beauty (self-
confidence) ,can make any women beautiful and
charming
• When the more curios to her secret, she tells
them is her curved back, shining yet glorious
smile, rhyming motion of her breast and elegance
of her style
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.
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 women
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal women,
That's me.
6. STANZA 4
• Angelou explains that she does not need to draw
attention to herself; the attention naturally given
to her because she is a women
• She feel confidence and proud because of the
sound of her heels, style of her hair, palm of her
hand and man desires to care for her
• All these qualities make her a women, the secret
of her beauty, her confidence and her attractive
figure
• She has the confidence and pride to walk with
her head held high
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 say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
Cause I'm a women
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal women,
That's me.
7. SUMMARY
• Maya Angelou describes the allure that she has and celebrate her
identity as a women
• Each stanza, Angelou exposes the attributes she possesses that
deem her irresistable to others, particularly to those of the
opposite sex, despite the fact that she does not fit into society's
definition of what makes a women beautiful
• The poem defies the stereotypes women often faced with and
proposes an alternative perspective on what defines real beauty
8. THEME
• Womanhood – is celebrated throughout the whole poem
The line, "I'm a women" propogates her self-confidence in being a women; She celebrates not only
her bodily beauty but also her inner glow
• Identity & Pride – is explored from the perspective of gender
Angelou does not talk about her racial identity. Rather her voice expresses her pride for
being an attractive women, not physically but mentally
• Self- love & Self- acceptance
In the last stanza, Angelou says that her head is unbowed as she accepts how she is. She
is happy with it and takes pride in the way her body radiates her inner beauty
9. Point of View – First person (Maya Angelou)
Persona – Poetic persona, a representation of Angelou, “phenomenal” for the qualities she
already has as a women. She loves how she is and her head is never bowed. For this reason,
she is an extraordinary women for her inner beauty and courage
Mood – Celebratory, uplifting, inspirational, confidence, self-love and cheerful
Metaphor – A hive of bees (men), fire in my eyes (power & passion in my eyes), inner mystery
(self- confidence), sun of my smile (sun= energy & self- sufficiency = her smile is energetic like
the sunlight)
Imagery – The curl of my lips, the swing of my waist, the ride of my breast, the stride of my
steps, the flash of my teeth & the palm of my hand (to describe the body of a women, to
visualize the personality of a strong women)
