Power Through a Feminist Lens in Maya Angelou's Poems

There is a myriad of ways that Maya Angelou presents power through a feminist lens within her poetry. Maya Angelou is best known for her exploits as a poet and is well renowned for her iconic refusal to give up her seat as a stand against racism. The two poems that this essay will explore are “Phenomenal Woman” and “Still I Rise”. These two particular poems focus on societies attitudes towards black people, specifically black women and how they faced a different type of discrimination as they were not only women but black too. The focal point of this essay will be to assess how Angelou presents power through a feminist lens. Overall Angelou presents power by displaying a determination that's been cultivated because of prejudices she's faced because of her gender and by taking ownership of her gender.

One way Angelou presents power through a feminist lens is when she displays determination when faced with difficulties from society. There is a recurring theme in “Still I Rise” is that she “still rises” no matter what she's faced with. Across the progression of human civilisation, only recently have women been able to gain equality within society and within the private sphere. 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'. 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. 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. Angelou follows up this barrage of disparaging phrases by saying that 'But still, like air, I'll rise'. 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. Alternatively, such words can be associated with male violence rather than the way a man looks at women. Angelou's reaction to these words showcases her internal strength and overall is one way she presents power through a feminist lens. Furthermore, the fact that she enhances her own power within the poem by reiterating that like air “still I rise”. Therefore, it's clear that Angelou presents power effectively through a feminist lens in one of her poems.

Another way in which Angelou presents power through a feminist lens in her poetry is the use of imagery in “Phenomenal Woman”. 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. 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 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”. Furthermore, this phrase “that's me” can be interpreted in a way that here she is exerting power 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. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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”. 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. The use of words such as “welling” and “swelling” can be linked to the works of feminist in the past and how feminists have had to experience several ups downs, leaps and bounds to achieve equality in society. In addition, this quotation is a clear presentation of Angelou's power as a woman as she views herself as powerful as an ocean. Although this quote isn't literal, it still has significant undertones and is a clear representation of power through a feminist lens in this poem. Lastly, Angelou reinforces her power in the poem with the recurring theme of her rising above any difficulties she faces. This trend continues all the way to the end of the poem where she repeats 3 times “I Rise , I Rise , I Rise”. The importance of this ending cannot be understated as it emphasises the key message behind the poem that no matter what, Angelou shall rise. The word “risе” is crucial as it accurately conveys power through a feminist lens within the poem as women have had to “rise” for centuries against male oppression and are still struggling to do so today. Overall, Angelou presents power within the poem through a feminist lens in a number of ways.

One final way that Maya Angelou presents power in her poetry through a feminist lens is at the beginning of “Phenomenal Woman” where she addresses a specific type of inequality that a black woman would have inevitbaley faced. When reading one of Angelou's poems, it's paramount that, as a reader, it is recognised the harsh racist society Angelou had to live through. For example, Angelou says that “Pretty women wonder where my secret lies I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size but when I start to tell them they think I'm telling lies”. This quote clearly criticises Angelou's own beauty and suggests that despite her lacking what society perceives as traditional beauty, women still wonder why men are attracted to her. Angelou's inclusion of the fact that women then begin to think that she is “telling lies” links to renowned feminist Belle Hooke and her idea that although feminism is the fight for equality in society for women, this equality is seemingly restricted to only white middle class women and women from minority groups are restricted and cannot experience the same equality as other women. The fact that Angelou's skin colour makes other women feel as if she's lying supports this idea and again is a show of power in this poem as she is inadvertently demonstrating that she possesses something that other women do not and it's clear that they are envious. Moreover, Angelou continues to present power through a feminist lens effectively as she says “it's the fire in my eyes And the flash of my teeth the swing in my waist And the joy in my feet I'm a woman”. All these things that were listed by the poet are things that she believes makes her more powerful; for example, the use of the phrase “fire in my eyes” is evocative as it illustrates a physical fire in her eyes. Despite this not being possible, it is a clear example of power presented through the feminist lens in this poem and showcases that even though she is a woman she is equal to men. This idea is even further reinforced by the fact she proudly exclaims “I am a woman”. This ownership of her gender demonstrates clearly that she is proud of who she is and will not let the injustices imposed on her by others bring her down and similarly to her other poems she will 'rise'.

To conclude, Angelou has presented power through a feminist lens in a number of ways in these two pieces of poetry. Even though these poems do link quite closely to the struggle against racism, it can be associated with the oppression that women faced through the 20th century. Overall, the poet presents power through a feminist lens well in these two particular poems.