ELA Blog Post Week of 9-26

I am analyzing the theme of "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou. I believe the message she wishes to convey in this poem is that beauty is more than skin deep. She talks about "them", and how "they" wonder how she's so beautiful without being a perfect model of what is considered physically attractive. For example, when she says "Men themselves have wondered/ What they see in me" she's saying even she doesn't fit what men consider good looking, but they are still drawn to her by her other traits. These other traits that are mostly more than just what is traditionally considered attractive, and she lists them in the four lines after every line that says "I say,". Most aren't physical at all, like "The need for my care" and "The fire in my eyes". There are a few physical ones, like "The arch of my back" and "the curl of my lips", but they could also be results of a good attitude. Either way, I believe it's clear the theme of the poem is that true beauty is more than meets the eye.