“Phenomenal Woman” By Maya Angelou

Analysis of Literary Devices:

 Metaphor: There are two metaphors in the poem. The first is used in the
second stanza, where it is stated, “Then they swarm around me, / A hive of
honey bees.” Maya compares the admiring men with honey bees. The men
surround her, as they are attracted to her. The second one is used in the
eighth line of the second stanza, where it is stated, “it’s the fire in my eyes,”
and here she compares her confidence and passion with fire.
 Hyperbole: Hyperbole is used to exaggerate a particular condition or situation.
Maya has used hyperbole in the start of the second stanza, “I walk into a room
just as cool as you please, / and to a man, / The fellows stand or fall down on
their knees.” Through this hyperbole, she shows her superiority over men.
 Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers feel things through their five
senses. Maya Angelou has skillfully created a visual description of a
phenomenal woman who enjoys her beauty and loves being a woman. The
images in this poem are plenty. Examples of images are: “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”, “and the palm of my hand.” The poet has used
powerful imagery to describe the body of a woman. These images help
readers to visualize the personality of a strong woman.
 Irony: Irony is a figure of speech that states the opposite meanings of the
situation being discussed. Similarly, the poet presents the image of a woman
according to her perception in contrast with the opinion of the world. She
beautifully mocks at the concept of beauty held by most people in society
which is primarily concerned with external beauty. Hence, she emphasizes
that real beauty comes with inner strength and poise.
 Personification: Maya has used personification which means to use emotions
for inanimate objects. She has personified joy in the third stanza of the poem,
where it is stated, “the joy in my feet” as if feet are human, and that they
rejoice while dancing or walking.
 Alliteration: An alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in
the same lines of the poetry such as the use of /f/ in “fall”, “fire” and “flash.”
This use has enhanced the musical quality of the lines.
 Assonance: An assonance is a repetition of the vowel sounds in the same line
such as the sounds of /i/ in “its fire in my eyes”.