Feminist Strength In Maya Angelou's Poem

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Several people regard women as inferior figures in this global world. Women have challenged the traditional female roles and have gradually climbed up the ladder of equality. They portray a distinct perspective that proves that womanhood can accomplish anything they set their mind to and search for equal gender status. The poems celebrate femininity and highlights the traits necessary for a women to be successful. The ladies in the poems are female-figures that carry themselves with high self-esteem and fearlessness. This essay identifies various literary techniques that describe feminine strength in Angelou and Clifton. Maya Angelou conveys a spirit of self-esteem through her images of acceptance. She embraces who she is and revels in her …show more content…

She projects self-assurance toward the male-figures and the other people. The metaphors present the remarkable attention she receives from the men due to her attractiveness. Angelou (2014) stated “Then they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees.I say, It 's the fire in my eyes”. There are two metaphoric phrases in this lines of the poem. One line explains that the multiple men gathering toward she is a direct comparison of the adoring men to a hive of honey bees. She is the queen bee and the men are the bees that have attachment toward her. The other line uses fire to represent a symbol to indicate how much drive and influence she has and results in people having attraction towards the woman. She is manipulative to seduce any man. Explanation of: "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou. (2000) stated “She is also "phenomenal," extraordinary, beyond any attempt of men to constrain her” (pg. …show more content…

In “Homage to Hips”, the hips are critically important because they are a reference to the author and other females that have dreams as well. In the following lines Clifton (2014) stated “these hips are free hips. They don’t like to be held back”. It proclaims that if women have the confidence in themselves then the hips are not bound to one place but free to travel to new destinations. It is obivous that the woman has a high self-image. The hips have opportunities, other options, and nothing hinders them from success and that is a strong reference that woman have the power to forge ahead. The personification is that women (the hips) have the accessible freedom to do what they want without anybody’s interference. Overview: "homage to my hips"(2009) stated “In the second half of line 5, Clifton attaches the notion of freedom to her hips” (pg.

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