maya angelou feminist essay

Maya Angelou

Poet, dancer, singer, activist, and scholar Maya Angelou was a world-famous author. She was best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style.

On April 4, 1928, Marguerite Ann Johnson, known to the world as Maya Angelou, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Due to her parents’ tumultuous marriage and subsequent divorce, Angelou went to live with her paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas at an early age. Her older brother, Bailey, gave Angelou her nickname “Maya.”

Returning to her mother’s care briefly at the age of seven, Angelou was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. He was later jailed and then killed when released from jail. Believing that her confession of the trauma had a hand in the man’s death, Angelou became mute for six years. During her mutism and into her teens, she again lived with her grandmother in Arkansas.

Angelou’s interest in the written word and the English language was evident from an early age. Throughout her childhood, she wrote essays, poetry, and kept a journal. When she returned to Arkansas, she took an interest in poetry and memorized works by Shakespeare and Poe.

Prior to the start of World War II, Angelou moved back in with her mother, who at this time was living in Oakland, California. She attended George Washington High School and took dance and drama courses at the California Labor School.

When war broke out, Angelou applied to join the Women’s Army Corps. However, her application was rejected because of her involvement in the California Labor School, which was said to have Communist ties. Determined to gain employment, despite being only 15 years old, she decided to apply for the position of a streetcar conductor. Many men had left their jobs to join the services, enabling women to fill them. However, Angelou was barred from applying at first because of her race. But she was undeterred. Every day for three weeks, she requested a job application, but was denied. Finally, the company relented and handed her an application. Because she was under the legal working age, she wrote that she was 19. She was accepted for the position and became the first African American woman to work as a streetcar conductor in San Francisco. Angelou was employed for a semester but then decided to return to school. She graduated from Mission High School in the summer of 1944 and soon after gave birth to her only child, Clyde Bailey (Guy) Johnson.

After graduation, Angelou undertook a series of odd jobs to support herself and her son. In 1949, she married Tosh Angelos, an electrician in the US Navy. She adopted a form of his surname and kept it throughout her life, though the marriage ended in divorce in 1952.

Angelou was also noted for her talents as a singer and dancer, particularly in the calypso and cabaret styles. In the 1950s, she performed professionally in the US, Europe, and northern Africa, and sold albums of her recordings.

In 1950, African American writers in New York City formed the Harlem Writers Guild to nurture and support the publication of Black authors. Angelou joined the Guild in 1959. She also became active in the Civil Rights Movement and served as the northern coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a prominent African American advocacy organization

In 1969, Angelou published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings , an autobiography of her early life. Her tale of personal strength amid childhood trauma and racism resonated with readers and was nominated for the National Book Award. Many schools sought to ban the book for its frank depiction of sexual abuse, but it is credited with helping other abuse survivors tell their stories.  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has been translated into numerous languages and has sold over a million copies worldwide. Angelou eventually published six more autobiographies, culminating in 2013’s Mom & Me & Mom.   

She wrote numerous poetry volumes, such as the Pulitzer Prize-nominated  Just Give me a Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie (1971), as well as several essay collections. She also recorded spoken albums of her poetry, including “On the Pulse of the Morning,” for which she won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album. The poem was originally written for and delivered at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. She also won a Grammy in 1995, and again in 2002, for her spoken albums of poetry.

Angelou carried out a wide variety of activities on stage and screen as a writer, actor, director, and producer. In 1972, she became the first African American woman to have her screen play turned into a film with the production of Georgia, Georgia . Angelou earned a Tony nomination in 1973 for her supporting role in Jerome Kitty’s play Look Away , and portrayed Kunta Kinte’s grandmother in the television miniseries Roots in 1977.

She was recognized by many organizations both nationally and internationally for her contributions to literature. In 1981, Wake Forest University offered Angelou the Reynolds Professorship of American Studies. President Clinton awarded Angelou the National Medal of Arts in 2000. In 2012, she was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Wake Forest University Writers Hall of Fame. The following year, she received the National Book Foundation’s Literarian Award for outstanding service to the American literary community. Angelou also gave many commencement speeches and was awarded more than 30 honorary degrees in her lifetime.

Angelou died on May 28, 2014. Several memorials were held in her honor, including ones at Wake Forest University and Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. To honor her legacy, the US Postal Service issued a stamp with her likeness on it in 2015. (The US Postal Service mistakenly included a quote on the stamp that has long been associated with Angelou but was actually first written by Joan Walsh Anglund .) 

In 2010, President Barack Obama awarded Angelou the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. It was a fitting recognition for Angelou’s remarkable and inspiring career in the arts.

Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. (New York: Random House, 1969). Angelou, Maya. Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration. (New York: Doubleday, 2008).

“Poet – Maya Angelou.” Academy of American Poets. Accessed August 8, 2017. https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/maya-angelou

Brown, Emma. “Maya Angelou, Writer and Poet, dies at age 86.” The Washington Post, May 28, 2014. Accessed August 8, 2017. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/maya-angelou-writer-and-poet-dies-at-age-86/2014/05/28/2948ef5e-c5da-11df-94e1-c5afa35a9e59_story.html?utm_term=.408fffb9a82c

Brown , DeNeen L. “Maya Angelou honored for her first job as a street car conductor in San Francisco.” The Washington Post, March 12, 2014. Accessed August 8, 2017. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2014/03/12/maya-angelou-honored-for-her-first-job-as-a-street-car-conductor-in-san-francisco/?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.92c836957f2f

“About Harlem Writers Guild.” Harlem Writers Guild. Accessed August 10, 2017. http://theharlemwritersguild.org/about.html

Moore, Lucinda. “Growing Up Maya Angelou.” Smithsonian.com, April 2013. Accessed August 8, 2017. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/growing-up-maya-angelou-79582387/

Nixon, Ron. “Postal Service Won’t Reissue Maya Angelou Stamp.” The New York Times, April 8, 2017. Accessed August 8, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/us/postal-service-wont-reissue-maya-angelou-stamp.html

“History.” Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Accessed August 10, 2017. http://nationalsclc.org/about-us/history/

Thursby, Jacqueline S. "Angelou, Maya (4 Apr. 1928–28 May 2014), writer, performer, and activist." American National Biography. 29 Nov. 2018; Accessed 7 Dec. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.013.00700

“Dr. Maya Angelou.” National Book Foundation. Accessed December 7, 2021. https://www.nationalbook.org/people/dr-maya-angelou/#fullBio

MLA - Spring, Kelly. “Maya Angelou." National Women's History Museum. National Women's History Museum, 2017. Date accessed.

Chicago - Spring, Kelly. "Maya Angelou." National Women's History Museum. 2017. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/maya-angelou.

Photo Credit:  MAYA ANGELOU, circa 1976. Courtesy: CSU Archives / Everett Collection. 

Angelou, Maya. Just Give me a Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie . (New York: Bantam, 1976).

Angelou, Maya. Mom & Me & Mom . (London: Virago, 2013).

“THE INAUGURATION; Maya Angelou: 'On the Pulse of Morning’.” The New York Times, January 21 1993.  http://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/21/us/the-inauguration-maya-angelou-on-the-pulse-of-morning.html Classroom Posters:

• Maya Angelou Classroom Poster (11x17 in) | Maya Angelou Classroom Poster (24x36 in)

Related Biographies

Stacey Abrams

Abigail Smith Adams

Jane Addams

Toshiko Akiyoshi

Related background, mary church terrell , belva lockwood and the precedents she set for women’s rights, faith ringgold and her fabulous quilts, women’s rights lab: black women’s clubs.

• Our patron – Nawal El Saadawi
• Commenter Guidelines
• WVoN Writers
• International

subscribe: Posts | Comments

search the site

Maya Angelou on feminism

Posted by Staff Writer on Jun 3, 2014 in International

Since the death of Maya Angelou last week, the scale of tributes pouring in shows just how much of a cultural idol she had become, but she did not stand for idolisation.

Her whole purpose was to express her own vulnerable humanity through a series of painfully honest autobiographies so that others would feel empowered to express their own.

Poet, activist and writer, Maya Angelou was probably best known for her first memoir, Why the Caged Bird Sings, published in 1969, for delivering the inaugural poem at Bill Clinton’s swearing-in ceremony in 1993 and for receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honour, from President Obama in 2011.

She did not shy away from politics throughout her life, seeking out friendships with prominent activists such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.

Indeed she did not shy away from anything.

Her death last week has led to an outpouring of collective grief and tributes from many prominent names – among them Barack Obama, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison – but equally from thousands of less well-known names who have taken to social media to mourn her passing.

The scale and depth of the tributes from the great many whom Angelou’s words touched is testament to how well her own indomitable stance against racism, injustice and rape resonated with people from all walks of life.

Angelou wrote about her experience of rape as a child and the years of horrified muteness she adopted when naming her rapist led to his death.

She wrote about that experience over 40 years ago – despite an even deeper culture of silence and shame around rape than we have today – when she came to realise that she could not let herself, or others, be reduced by the experience.

Angelou was quoted both on her support for a woman’s right to choose on matters of abortion and on the strength she found in choosing to keep her own teenage pregnancy and raise her son, Guy, against all the odds.

In Gather Together in My Name, published in 1974, she wrote about living as a single mother in California and spending two years working alternately as a pimp and as a prostitute. She managed to capture both the dissatisfaction she herself gained from the work and the fact that sex workers are not necessarily powerless victims, but can and sometimes do make choices to enter that line of work of their own accord.

In short, she had that most human of gifts: the ability to see all sides of an issue.

She spoke out about how her own challenges helped her grow stronger because she believed she owed that honesty to the world.

“Too many people tell young folks, ‘I never did anything wrong … I have no skeletons in my closet’,” she explained, a falsehood which she felt disallowed young people to forgive themselves and go on with their lives.

Angelou did not even shy away from critiquing Anglo-American feminism.

“The sadness of the women’s movement is that they don’t allow the necessity of love,” she said , “I don’t personally trust any revolution where love is not allowed.”

Instead, she spoke about a kind of “womanism” – a set of qualities including strength, commitment, sexual fulfilment and a profound understanding of gender equality – which she saw especially among black women.

However, fixating on one aspect of identity was not her game.

“I speak to the black experience,” she said , “but I am always talking about the human condition — about what we can endure, dream, fail at and survive.”

In a 2008 interview for Feminist.com, Angelou was asked what her wish would be for the children of the future, and she said: “I wish that we could look into each other’s faces, in each other’s eyes, and see our own selves.

“I hope that the children have not been so scarred by their upbringing that they only think fear when they see someone else who looks separate from them.”

In that lies her true legacy, and the lesson feminism should learn from Maya Angelou.

As Lauren Davidson so rightly points out, too many people who call themselves feminists argue over what other women should and should not be doing with their clothes, their bodies, their careers, their families and their lifestyles, and in those divisions we lose the core sense of what feminism is fighting for: to let the world see and accept women from all walks of life and all manner of backgrounds as equally human.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail

NOTE: we do not accept paid advertising, paid/sponsored guest posts or product placement blogs.

Subscribe to WVoN by email

Women's Views on News is a not-for-profit blog which generates no revenue from advertising and accepts no money from corporate or political interests. The only source of revenue is the donate via Paypal box at the top of the home page. If you could afford to make a donation to help keep the site going, it would be massively appreciated.

Contact: [email protected]

Compilation ©2009-2018 Women’s Views on News All rights reserved.

Powered by WordPress | Designed by Elegant Themes

Join Now to View Premium Content

GradeSaver provides access to 2360 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11007 literature essays, 2767 sample college application essays, 926 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.

Maya Angelou: Poems

A feminist study of maya angelou's poem, "men" aaisha mumtaz college.

“On the day when it will be possible for woman to love not in her weakness but in her strength, not to escape herself but to find herself, not to abase herself but to assert herself--on that day love will become for her, as for man, a source of life and not of mortal danger.” Simone de Beauvoir

Maya Angelou's poem, "Men" is an exceptional example of power V/S powerlessness and it skilfully takes us into the mindset of a woman who has doubtlessly been a victim of the male dominating society. The poem communicates to us very conveniently, the intricate complication of our vulnerable need for men as well as the stark divergence in our characters. The subject matter and her dealing with it confirm the height of the maturity of the poet and her remarkable ability to portray her body's thoughts as well as her mind's working. She has tried to reveal the unfeeling, bitter and ruthless nature of men through a hidden contract which portrays the delicacy, innocence and patience of women. The "non-significant other" of the first stanza seems to be fully exposed to the bitterness of life by the end of the poem.

Keeping in mind Lacan's concept that the "entry into the Symbolic Order, the structure of language, is different for boys and...

GradeSaver provides access to 2312 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 10989 literature essays, 2751 sample college application essays, 911 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.

Already a member? Log in

“Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou Essay

Introduction, works cited.

In the famous poem “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou the author demonstrates the living principles of a strong woman who is confident about herself and about her success in life. Angelou emphasizes the significance of women’s self-identity and ability to understand that they have equal rights with men, and consequently, equal prospects in life, making family or career. It is evident that the author, as well as the heroine of her poem, is a strong, or phenomenal, woman herself and this allows her to say what she says in her poem not from other people’s experiences but from the life she lived and experiences she had growing from a little African American girl to one of the most famous writers, poets and social activists of today.

The contrast of sexes is also present in the poem by Maya Angelou, as the author wants to demonstrate that belonging to females does not mean anything negative for a person and can even turn out to be an advantage in some cases if only the person knows what she wants and what she strives for. Angelou, who is considered to be the embodiment of the phenomenal woman described in her poem, is a strong and confident woman and she proves in the following lines that express one of the main ideas of her poem – the equality and, sometimes, even superiority of women:

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

(Angelou, 2000)

The poem is clear manifestation of Maya Angelou’s view of life which is based on her own experiences and the things she managed to achieve directed by this very view of life. The heroine of the poem states from the beginning that she is not the role model for other women in respect of beauty or nice figure but her phenomenon lies in more important things such as inner strength and confidence that allows to reach much more than physical perfection. It is not important for the author what others think or say, her heroine is proud of being a woman which is phenomenal in the very definition of the word:

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

The character of the phenomenal woman, whose prototype may be Maya Angelou herself, can be applied to any other woman living on the Earth, as far as the ideas expressed in the poem do not demand any special knowledge to understand them and any special skills from women to implement them in practice. The only thing needed, according to Angelou, is the confidence and absence of fear to show it to the surrounding world. This point of view was also reflected by literary critics that studied the poetry by Angelou. For example, Stepto singles out the prefect imagery of the poem “Phenomenal Woman” that allows the wide circle of readers to understand the main idea of this work and apply to their own personal experiences. “Angelou uses imagery to give the reader a sense of what the persona looks like. She then lists characteristics to help further the reader’s sense of the persona.” (Stepto, 313) The style in which the poem is written is rather literary but it is at the same time understandable for an average reader and proves the point that the directed audience is every ordinary woman who wants to bring change in her life or needs support in some difficult moments.

As long as the heritage of Maya Angelou is African American, she realizes quite well all the problems that are faced by women on the whole and black women in particular, the poem under consideration can also be considered as a protest against racial discrimination. Angelou experienced the most violence aspects of such discrimination and this made her a stronger personality. She expressed this in “Phenomenal Woman” and thus gave all women a sign that they are not destined to stay at home and obey in the society that is considered to be created by men and for men. The ideas expressed by Angelou in her poem can be applied to any other woman who either lives according to these ideas or only tries to put them into practice. Angelou’s heroine stresses the features that are common to every woman and differ from one woman to another but she states that these points are the most important factors that predetermine a woman’s being phenomenal not because she possesses certain exclusive features, but just because she lives:

It’s in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

Another aspect of the poem that deserves much attention is the concept of dignity and women’s self-esteem. This is one of the prominent concepts in all works by Angelou, and as noticed by Stepto (319), it finds it bright reflection in the poem “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou. The whole poem is built in a logical manner, when all aspects of woman’s life are described and discussed and the last, third, verse serves as the summary of the first two verses. In these lines, Angelou summarizes what she said in the poem and states that she is proud of being a woman, a black woman. At the same time she emphasizes that all other women must be proud of their being women, and furthermore all men must be proud that they are allowed to watch such perfect God’s creatures as women. Angelou’s heroine is a rather majestic woman but it does not prevent her from noticing and recognizing that she is an ordinary woman:

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.

To make a logical conclusion, I would like to say that the poem “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou is a rather skillful literary work that catches attention of readers at once they take a look at it. It touches such significant topics as women identity, their rights and success in this life. Certain feminist motives can be found in the poem, as well as a simple attempt to give people hope and trust in themselves. The main idea of the poem by Angelou is the dignity that every woman should possess or struggle for in case she is deprived of it. The heroine of the poem is a rather strong, confident and proud woman, as well as the author herself, and this allows her to state that every other woman can be so successful if only she understands that she is phenomenal irrespective of her appearance just because she is unique.

Angelou, M. Phenomenal Woman. Random House; 1 edition, 2000.

Gloria Mason Henderson, Bill Day, and Sandra Stevenson Waller. Study book is Literature and Ourselves. 5th ed. Ed. New York: Longman, 2006.

Stepto, R.B. “The Phenomenal Woman and the Severed Daughter.” Parnassus: Poetry in Review 8.1 (2006): 312-20.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, November 1). “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou. https://ivypanda.com/essays/phenomenal-woman-by-maya-angelou/

"“Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou." IvyPanda , 1 Nov. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/phenomenal-woman-by-maya-angelou/.

IvyPanda . (2023) '“Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou'. 1 November.

IvyPanda . 2023. "“Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou." November 1, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/phenomenal-woman-by-maya-angelou/.

1. IvyPanda . "“Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou." November 1, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/phenomenal-woman-by-maya-angelou/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "“Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou." November 1, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/phenomenal-woman-by-maya-angelou/.

• Perception of Female Beauty in Literature
• Maya Angelou Deserves a Monument
• Black Spirit in the "Still I Rise" Poem by Maya Angelou
• The Theme in Maya Angelou’s Poems
• Maya Angelou’s Journey Towards Acceptance of Self
• Dr. Maya Angelou and Her Leadership Abilities
• Skewed Perceptions in Maya Angelou’s Novel “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”
• Theme in “Still I Rise” Poem by Maya Angelou
• The Poem "Still, I Rise" by Maya Angelou
• “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou
• Gothic Features in “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor
• "Black Venus" by Angela Carter
• Jury Defense and “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Coming of Age in “Reunion” by John Cheever
• Connie’s Character in Joyce Carol Oates’ Story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Afro-American Feminism in Maya Angelou’s Poems: A Study of “Caged Bird” and “Phenomenal Woman”

2022, International journal of english, literature and social science

Related Papers

International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change

Hasan Hadi Ali

Being an African-American female poet, dramatist, novelist and critic, Maya Angelou made use of her poetry and literary writing as a means to direct her own feeling toward the racial secularism and injustice of the American society. In addition, she displayed the strength aspects of black women in resisting these stereotypes institutions and supporting their self-confidence and dignity. Thus, many critics and writers indicated that Angelou's poems concentrate on her own self-image and regarded her works as a reflection of the African-American womanhood. Therefore, this paper aims to examine Angelou's poems that apparently mirror the female voice and identity in Woman Work, Phenomenal Woman, Still I Rise and Equality. In each of these poems, the poet used a persona to speak out about the personal experience of the poet with racism and oppression against black women. The feminist theory was adopted to analyse the feminist voice in Angelou's selected poems. The findings indicated that specific facts and literary devices of Angelou's utilisation of feminist inefficacy and silence were effective to stand against the racial discrimination and state of marginalisation. Thus, this paper implies that the reader can recognise Angelou's effort in emerging her own voice to speak about certain strategies used by the black women to sustain their self-respect, selfconsciousness and identity.

SAIKAT GUHA

saima Perveen

In this research paper, the researcher has tried to find out the image of black female depicted in Maya Angelou's poems. This research has been conducted by qualitative and analytical method because this research has not numerical data. After collecting data, the researcher has analyzed poems and supported by particular idea of feminist Sara Mills. The researcher has chosen only three poems of ‘Still I Rise’, ‘Phenomenal Woman’ and ‘Caged Bird’. This study has been conducted by the use of black feminism. This research gives rise to enhance the argument in literature studies particularly Black Feminism self-esteem. The analysis has explained that black woman’s different images are depicted in Maya Angelou's poems. In the first poem ‘Still I Rise’, Maya Angelou presents black female as a leader of the movement and challenges the society arrangement about black people. In the second poem, ‘Phenomenal Woman’, Maya Angelou describes a standard of beauty that beauty is not having beautiful face and slim smart body and thin lip. She says that a black woman can be phenomenal woman through her confidence and good personality and proud herself being black woman. In last poem ‘Caged Bird’, Maya Angelou shows underdevelopment of black woman due to tradition. As a coloured woman Maya Angelou raises her voice and says that soon, black people will be free. The present research concludes that author is presenting theme of hope in all above poems and she is a courageous black woman. Keywords: black feminism, Maya Angelou, identity and coloured women

International Journal online of Humanities

Birhan Assefie

The aim of this article is to discover unnoted experiences of African-American women by taking Angelou’s novel in focus. Experiences of marginalized women in African American haven’t got sufficient attention. Their literature hasn’t accorded the level it deserves. Specifically, autobiographies of black women have been ignored more severely than those of Americans. Maya Angelou, who won Pulitzer Prize for her first volume of autobiography-I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, is one of the significant authors who wrote in addressing American subalterns’life. This article applies text based analysis and Black feminist literary theory. As a theoretical framework, it enables one to interrogate the relationships between self and selves of black women in America. Hence, race, gender and class issues were the general brands of black women’s oppression. Racial prejudices against black women and the response to the injustices have been discussed based on the nature of resistance from helpless ang...

Shiva Amelirad_Shafiei , Leila Naderi

Abstract: The black female writers who have made a significant contribution to African American Literature knew that it was necessary to tell their stories which were influential in their struggle against the forces of domination in the American canon. Although Angelou’s poetry has a large public, it does not have the deserved esteem. This article explores the fact that Angelou, through her outstanding poems, illustrates the black female voice and expresses her criticism of discrimination and injustice. Meanwhile, she tries to create a culture to celebrate the notion that Black subject is beautiful and unique.

Nathaniel Sunday

This work focuses on the struggle for Black identity formation by African-Americas which has always been a continuous task, despite their constant state of repression. This research, aims at revealing the excruciating ordeals of African-Americans in the hands of not just racist Whites but in the hands of black males as well. This research goes further to show how the black female character is struggling to assert herself from patriarchal subjugation. This research uses both primary and secondary sources of data to carry out a detailed exploration of the text under study. For the primary sources, a study of selected poems of Maya Angelou will be used. While the secondary sources consist studies that other researchers have made, concerning this research. This research adopts two theoretical criticisms the Feminist literary theory and the Marxist literary criticism. These theories have been able to promote the status of subjugated black females, by portraying them in positive light, ma...

Snoor Ismael

isara solutions

International Res Jour Managt Socio Human

Maya Angelou is always remembered for her bold expression and the dare that she has. She has endured a lot during her life and that is the reason behind her open expression. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the first part of the series of five autobiographical works where she has productively showcased his anguishes of being a black woman in a whitish male overriding civilization, yet, she finds her method to undertake this condition and by that fascinating lots of individuals and families to wrestle against racial discrimination.

Sayed M. Mousa

Maya Angelou had often been identified with the "Caged Bird" of her poems. A victim of male patriarchal society and belonging to the racially, marginalised black community, her life had been one of pain; and suffering. Angelou's flair for poetry became her saving grace and gave her the much needed therapeutic support. According to Greek mythology, the Philomela or the nightingale is a song bird that sings of woes and anguish in full throated melody. As the legend goes this rather nondescript bird had been a beautiful girl by name, Philomela.

pragati jasrotia

Aesthetics lies in its form, content and idea of presentation. It is the critical examination of aesthetics terms and theories for male bias, woman-centered accounts of art, its creation and its effects. Black writers attempted to define Black identity and Black humanity in the unjust society of America where aesthetics was started as a new literary discipline. Maya Angelou as a representative of her race African-American has written many poems and autobiographies about their conditions. Autobiographical works offers a unique fusion of history and discourse, of verifiable fact and aesthetic fabulation. The analysis of the first volume of Angelou's autobiography I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is set against an overview of black women in America. This paper deals with Maya's identity since the very beginning when she was a little girl, insecure and ashamed of her physical appearance, and how this identity started to be formed especially after an event that tore her apart (being raped) and how she, through literature and with other people's help, continued working on the building of her identity and the growth of her self-esteem. Due to issues of aesthetic order, as well as social, historic and cultural issues, women writers from the 60s onwards, created an environment in their fictional universes from which it was possible to define and to explore their search for identity.

RELATED PAPERS

Anais Do Congresso Sul Brasileiro De Medicina De Familia E Comunidade

Marciele Guimarães Fagundes

IEEE Access

Zygmunt J . Haas

Elena Duque Sánchez

Community Development Journal : Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat

Sentot J. Raharjo

Vincenzo Leronni

Annals of Tropical Paediatrics

A. Anagnostara

Jukka Ilomäki

VIMS JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

Pradnya Ghadage

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry

gaelle catanante

Revista de Direito da Cidade

Luigi Bonizzato

Nihal Fernando

2009 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium

Mohsin Hafeez

riwandi riwandi

CECIL OKUBOR

William Holben

Revista Bioética

Michelle Clos

Journal of Physics: Conference Series

ASHUTOSH MISHRA

Acta Scientiarum. Animal Sciences

Luciano De O. Garcia

Lakshman Naik

Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education

Estelle Desjarlais

Journal of Molecular Liquids

Dr. Kashif Raees

JIMEKA (Jurnal Ilmiah Mahasiswa Ekonomi Akuntansi)

putri nabilah

Taiikugaku kenkyu (Japan Journal of Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences)

Springer eBooks

József Dombi

Current Developments in Nutrition

Sudhir Sastry

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Maya Angelou — A Feminist Discourse in Men by Maya Angelou

A Feminist Discourse in Men by Maya Angelou

• Categories: Maya Angelou

About this sample

Words: 1405 |

Published: Jun 29, 2018

Words: 1405 | Pages: 3 | 8 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Karlyna PhD

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

5 pages / 2450 words

1 pages / 423 words

6.5 pages / 3030 words

2 pages / 887 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Mrs. Flowers by Maya Angelou is a compelling piece of literature that delves into the complexities of human relationships and the transformative power of mentorship. The story is set in the segregated South of the 1930s and is [...]

Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” can be understood as the narrative of a woman who was discarded and hampered by the world and its cruel definition of beauty and success. You can discern the story of a young girl who once felt [...]

Maya Angelou was a prominent figure in American literature and civil rights activism. Throughout her life, she achieved numerous accomplishments that have left a lasting impact on society. From her groundbreaking autobiographies [...]

“Champion of the World” is a chapter from a piece called I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. It tells a story of a boxing event and describes what being African American in the early 1900’s was like. The nineteenth [...]

On Aging a poem by Maya Angelou, the poet describes feelings as an aging person, who is growing older and tired. Sharing how the elderly shouldn’t be pitied or secluded just because one is growing older and gets tired easier. [...]

Maya Angelou is one of the greatest African American Autobiographers. She is known as a ‘Global renaissance woman’. Her writing, dance career, political activism, acting career and speaking engagements have made her a national [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

English Literature

• _American Literature
• _English Literature
• _Asian Literature
• __Short Stories
• _Books & Pdfs
• _Admissions
• _Research Papers
• _Psycholinguistics
• _Translation Studies
• _Phonetics and Phonology
• _Grammar and Syntax
• Gen. Articles
• _Test Preparation
• _Legal Help
• _Technology
• Who We Are!
• _About CEO & Founder
• _Top Contributors
• _Our Services
• _Guest Posts
• _Content Policy
• _Write for Us

Feminist Analysis of the Poem ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou

Feminist Criticism: 

Feminist Criticism is the application of feminist principles on a literary text highlighting the social construction of women and the role of the women highlighted in the text.

Interpretation of the poem: 

The poem starts with highlighting  misogyny : the hatred towards women which dominated the writings of many great names. The women from the start were presented like “dust”. One can say that the women (not being male), were considered as “ others ”.

In the second stanza, the  social construction  of women as “a sassy lady” or in extremity as a devil incarnate is highlighted. Another extreme is highlighted in the fourth stanza in which the social construction of women as  “broken, bowed head, lowered eyes, and weak creature”  is highlighted. The women from the start were either presented as devils as highlighted in the second stanza or as weak dim-witted creatures. This  stereotyping  of women was done since men begin writing and is dominant till now.

The feminists believe that the  ideological construction  of women as meek and submissive entities should be avoided which is also highlighted by the poet/ poetess. The poetess highlights this misogyny by questing the society that “ shoots me (women) with (their) words ”. The society which cute women with their eyes, kill them with their hate.

Another notion pointed out by the poetess is the  objectification  of women. The women are treated as dancing dolls as hinted by the poetess. One of the most significant aspects of feminist criticism is the use  of chronological phases of feminis m which are incorporated by the poetess in structuring the poem. The chronological phases include the feminine phase, the feminist phase, and the female phase. The first phase i.e. the  feminine phase deals  with the sufferings of women from the patriarchy and the male dominance which suggests the need for a  feminist phase  dealing with the need for female discourse. And after which finally comes the  female phase  suggesting the rise of the women  “I rise”  while fully accepting themselves.

In conclusion, one may say that upon closely analyzing the text one can feel the need for  female discourse  that highlights the  psyche of  the women as well as the  cultural role  that they had been given till now.

You may like these posts

Post a comment, contact form, search this blog.

Our Motives

• Our Services
• Advertise with Us
• We are hiring!

Contact form