Phenomenal Woman In The Yellow Wallpaper By Maya Angelou

However, it can also be argued that both the female voice in The Yellow Wallpaper or the Still I Rise collection cannot be admired by the reader. In the poem ´Phenomenal Woman´, Angelou exposes the attributes that the titular woman possesses that deem her irresistible to others, particularly to those of the opposite sex, although she does not conform to societies definition of ´beautiful´. Although Maya Angelou´s is regarded as an advocate for both racial and gender equality, it can be argued that Phenomenal Woman generates an undertone of arrogance and female superiority. ´And to a man, The fellows stand or, Fall down on their knees.´ is a physical representation of female superiority in which men are subservient. Supporting the notion of female supremacy is the use of the metaphor ´Then they swarm around me.
A hive of honey bees´ indicating the female´s belief in that she is irresistible to the male gaze; the bees have an innate, uncontrollable desire to be near honey, likewise men cannot help but flock towards her.
The use of the verb ´swarm´ analogises men to insects, a derogatory comparison which may warrant a sense of hostility within the reader. The Guardian obituary states 'Angelou was an outspoken advocate of "womanism", a quality which she ascribed to black women, and included their strength, commitment, sexual understanding and their complete equality with men'. However, from the very title ´Phenonemal Woman´ and the continuous repetition of the adjective throughout the poem, the female voice appears to revel in her superior status, phenomenal being synonymous with something extraordinary, as opposed to ´complete equality´. In addition, the poem Caged Bird utilises the metaphysical conceit, a complex device which draws a comparison between the human and natural world almost to the point of exhaustion. The laboured parallel drawn between human and bird in the poem suggests Maya Angelou potentially exaggerates in order to evoke empathy within the
reader. Likewise, the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper falls short of admiration as she is unable to fully rebel and is trapped by the patriarchy inflicted upon her through mental illness. At the beginning of the journal, the narrator appears sane and believable, yet as the plot progresses, the narrator´s fallibility, as she withholds and confuses information, merely dissatisfies the reader. Towards the end of the novella, the structure- short paragraphs, fragmented and disjointed thought patterns- reflects the narrator´s mental

disorder and illustrates the failure of the believed treatment of the time. This is also highlighted through Gilman´s use of deep irony as through the development of the narrator´s fate, she gains power and insight only by losing her self-control and reason. Significantly, the author of The Yellow Wallpaper- Charlotte Perkins-Gilman- channels her personal experience of mental illness through the female protagonist in the novella. Weir Mitchell was Perkins-Gilman´s doctor whom later retracted his ideology of the ´rest cure´ through the intimate insight provided by the narrative, demonstrating its detrimental effects. The ambiguous ending of The Yellow Wallpaper solidifies the reader´s sense of disappointment for the female voice as she is diminished by her inevitable fate; her only option being a mental institution. As a result, the narrator can no longer fulfil her role as a dutiful mother and wife due to her unappreciative nature for her husband and country home. As a result, this ultimately weakens the narrator as a character whilst Angelou, although perhaps conceited, remains an unwavering beacon of