Being A Strong Black Woman
Both Maya Angelou in Phenomenal Woman and Rosie Bourget in Being a Strong Black Woman both explore different aspects of what it takes to be a woman in society today.
Maya Angelou uses repetition in the last stanza when writing, “Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me.” She emphasises how proud she is to be a remarkable and extraordinary woman, a woman who can do all things if she sets her mind to it. This technique engraves the words in the readers mind causing them to begin to think and feel just like her. Depict how it is one of the challenges women face in society because they lack the inner independence, that no one is present to reassure women they are amazing. This is to encourage women that they are phenomenal even though they may …show more content…
Through the use of personification in, “ And to a man /Then they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees.” she refers to men as bees hoarding around women, uses imagery in, “I walk into a room /The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees.” and hyperbole in, “Fire in my eyes, flash of my teeth, swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet.” to exaggerate her physical features. She creates an illusion throughout the poem on how men surround her as a result of her self confidence, but this does not apply in real life. She does this to portray her opinion on how men should be enticed to how a woman can be confident in their own shoes. Helping them develop a sense of independence and self love which in return gains the attention of men. Women get a chance to better themselves, something they have to do in order to be distinguished in a high manner. Making the reader feel empowered that they can have such an effect on others by being themselves. Similarly, Bourget highlights the same idea of how men have an impact what it takes to be a woman in, “When it’s their turn /To receive love, They get played as a yo-yo in return.” Demonstrating how men meddle with women’s feelings. All women want is to be treated the same way they treat others, instead men take advantage of what they have to offer leaving them feeling neglected and empty. Utilising similes and imagery such as,
Maya Angelou uses repetition in the last stanza when writing, “Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me.” She emphasises how proud she is to be a remarkable and extraordinary woman, a woman who can do all things if she sets her mind to it. This technique engraves the words in the readers mind causing them to begin to think and feel just like her. Depict how it is one of the challenges women face in society because they lack the inner independence, that no one is present to reassure women they are amazing. This is to encourage women that they are phenomenal even though they may …show more content…
Through the use of personification in, “ And to a man /Then they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees.” she refers to men as bees hoarding around women, uses imagery in, “I walk into a room /The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees.” and hyperbole in, “Fire in my eyes, flash of my teeth, swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet.” to exaggerate her physical features. She creates an illusion throughout the poem on how men surround her as a result of her self confidence, but this does not apply in real life. She does this to portray her opinion on how men should be enticed to how a woman can be confident in their own shoes. Helping them develop a sense of independence and self love which in return gains the attention of men. Women get a chance to better themselves, something they have to do in order to be distinguished in a high manner. Making the reader feel empowered that they can have such an effect on others by being themselves. Similarly, Bourget highlights the same idea of how men have an impact what it takes to be a woman in, “When it’s their turn /To receive love, They get played as a yo-yo in return.” Demonstrating how men meddle with women’s feelings. All women want is to be treated the same way they treat others, instead men take advantage of what they have to offer leaving them feeling neglected and empty. Utilising similes and imagery such as,