Phenomenal Women
... however she does not let this bring her self-esteem to rock bottom. Instead, she sees herself as a phenomenal woman because she takes pride in herself that creates an explosive inner beauty in which she then reflects on the outside. Men can see her confidence and esteem though her body language so consequently they extremely desire her. Her appeal is an attention that isn’t obnoxious, immoral, egotistical, or “big-headed.” Her joy, smiles, and stride are contagious to those in need of a boost. The structural elements in this poem are quite different from most poems. There isn’t an exact aabb, abab rhyme scheme. Instead she uses constant end and slant rhyme in each stanza such as: “size- lies (end), hips-lips (end), me-mystery (slant).” Onomatopoeia can be found in her body descriptions, “It’s the click of my heels.” “A hive of honey bees” is a metaphor portraying how the men quickly gather and become anxious in her presence. The imagery accentuates the jazzy and upbeat flow of Phenomenal Woman. Maya’s specific use of positive diction and imagery creates a mood of joy and pride within a woman. She uses imaging phrases such as, “the fire in my eyes, the flash of my teeth,” that create an empowering and somewhat intimidating thought of a woman’s confidence and esteem. Fire and flash can also represent symbolism. Fire creates a warm, hot, and intense feeling within us, just as a phenomenal woman’s eyes would. Flash is something appealing to our eyes that alwa...