The Definition of Womanhood through Five Poems

Paper Summary:

This paper is an anthology analysis: a collection of poems bound together by a common theme---womanhood. The five poems are womanhood poems written by Erica Jong, Maya Angelou, Anne Sexton, Genny Lim and Elma Mitchell. All the poems talk about womanhood and the differing perspectives of what a woman really is. After selecting these poems, the author analyzes them and relates the common threads they share as well as the differences.

From the Paper:

"The first poem is "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou. "Phenomenal Woman" explores the enigma of womanhood at the most basic level---- a woman's natural charm. After all, this continues to be a puzzle for all of us. What makes a woman click? What makes her so special? Angelou pieces the puzzle together through her poem. Her view on this puzzle is this: the appeal of women does not necessarily come from appearances. It goes deeper than that. In the first stanza, she says, "Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. / I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size." With these lines, she contradicts the age-old myth that women have to be externally beautifully to have that certain factor. "It's in the reach of my arms," she says, "The span of my hips, / The stride of my step, / The curl of my lips." If you think about it, these are universal attributes of women. What makes the difference, however, is the confidence that all these features present. The "stride," the "span" of the hips: these are all features of confidence."

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