This quote is significant as she refers to herself as an ocean which illustrates her as this great magnitude of force that cannot be stopped. For example, Angelou shifts away from the colloquial terms such as “sassiness” the poet begins to move on to terms that bear greater insightful meaning she refers to herself as “a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide”. One other way Maya Angelou presents power through a feminist lens in her poetry is the reference to slavery and how she has managed to, similar to the poems title, rise above it all. What this means is that despite inner beliefs that being a woman is a positive thing, society has made women seemingly inferior to men in a variety of aspects and this attitude has relayed into the several layers of society, whether that be in the public or private sphere. It’s also important to note that the fact she so boldly claims her gender and asserts herself in the poem is something that many women would have been shocked by and would have gone against the norms of the corrupt society she had to endure. This theme continues throughout the poem as Angelou repeatedly ends each stanza in the same way, increasing the effectiveness of this particular phrase and makes herself even more powerful within the poem. The phrase “that’s me” is bold and carries the simple message that she feels powerful within herself and is happy to exclaim this to others. Furthermore, this phrase “that’s me” can be interpreted in a way that here she is exerting power within the poem. Angelou goes against society’s idealistic perception of a woman’s beauty and creates her own type of beauty, which she believes makes her a “phenomenal woman”. Regardless of the fact that she lacks in traditional beauty, she conveys power by proudly stating that “that’s mе” and again reiterates the fact that she is proud to be the woman that she is. Angelou uses the titular word “phenomenal” to describe herself although simple, the use of this word is impactful as it emphasises the speaker’s uniqueness and the fact that she does not match up to society’s typical ideas on beauty. Therefore, it’s clear that Angelou presents power effectively through a feminist lens in one of her poems.Īnother way in which Angelou presents power through a feminist lens in her poetry is the use of imagery in “Phenomenal Woman”. Furthermore, the fact that she enhances her own power within the poem by reiterating that like air “still I rise”. Angelou’s reaction to these words showcases her internal strength and overall is one way she presents power through a feminist lens. Alternatively, such words can be associated with male violence rather than the way a man looks at women. During this passage of the poem, Angelou’s choice of words are strong and powerful this semantic field of violence is significant as words such as “cut”, “kill” and “shoot” are particularly aggressive and sharp. Angelou follows up this barrage of disparaging phrases by saying that ‘But still, like air, I’ll rise’. The use of the phrase “cut me with your eyes” is important as it further supports this idea and showcases how the way men look upon women can be threatening and is often highly disparaging. These quotes illustrate extreme gender prejudice and can be linked with the idea that men typically look upon women in a sexual manner and in essence objectify women as only sexual objects rather than a human being. Nonetheless, Angelou herself faced severe gender prejudice this is exemplified when she boldly states that ‘You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness’. Across the progression of human civilisation, only recently have women been able to gain equality within society and within the private sphere. There is a recurring theme in “Still I Rise” is that she “still rises” no matter what she’s faced with. One way Angelou presents power through a feminist lens is when she displays determination when faced with difficulties from society.
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