There are myriad ways in which 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 known for her iconic refusal to give up her seat as a stand against racism. The two poems this essay will explore are “Phenomenal Woman” and “Still I Rise.” These two particular poems focus on society's attitudes towards black people, especially black women, and how they faced a different kind of discrimination since they were not only women but also black. The focus of this essay will be to evaluate how Angelou presents power through a feminist lens. Overall Angelou presents power by showing a determination that has been cultivated due to the prejudices she has faced due to her gender and taking responsibility for her gender. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay One way Angelou presents power through a feminist lens is when she shows determination in the face of society's difficulties. There is a recurring theme in “Still I Rise”: she still “gets back up” no matter what she faces. Throughout the progress of human civilization, women have only recently managed to achieve equality within society and in the private sphere. However, Angelou herself faced severe gender bias; this is exemplified when he boldly states that "you can shoot me with your words, you can cut me with your eyes, you can kill me with your hate." These quotes illustrate extreme gender bias and can be linked to the idea that men typically view women in a sexual manner and essentially objectify women only as sexual objects rather than human beings. The use of the phrase "cut me with your eyes" is important as it further supports this idea and shows how the way men look at women can be threatening and often highly denigrating. Angelou follows this barrage of disparaging remarks by saying that “But still, like the air, I will rise.” During this passage of the poem, Angelou's choice of words is strong and powerful; this semantic field of violence is significant as words like “cut”, “kill” and “shoot” are particularly aggressive and sharp. Alternatively, such words may be associated with male violence rather than the way a man looks at women. Angelou's reaction to these words showcases her inner strength and overall is a way in which she presents power through a feminist lens. Furthermore, the fact that she increases her own power within the poem by reiterating that like the air “still I rise”. Therefore, it is clear that Angelou presents power effectively through a feminist lens in one of her poems. Another way 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 has a strong impact as it highlights the speaker's uniqueness and the fact that he does not correspond to society's typical ideas about beauty. Regardless of whether she lacks traditional beauty, she conveys power by proudly stating that "that's me" and once again reiterates the fact that she is proud to be the woman she is. Angelou goes against society's idealistic perception of a woman's beauty and creates her own type of beauty, which she says makes her a "phenomenal woman". Furthermore, this phrase “that I amI” can be interpreted to mean that here she exercises 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 it to others. This theme continues throughout the poem as Angelou repeatedly ends each stanza in the same manner, increasing the effectiveness of this particular phrase and making itself even more powerful within the poem. It is also important to note the fact that she so boldly claims her genre and asserts herself in poetry is something that many women would have been shocked by and would have gone against the norms of the corrupt society that she had to endure. This means that, despite the internal belief 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 been transmitted to different strata of society, both in the public and private sectors. ball. Another way Maya Angelou presents power through a feminist lens in her poem is the reference to slavery and how she managed, similar to the poem's title, to rise above it all. For example, Angelou moves away from colloquial terms such as “cheekiness,” the poet begins to move to terms that have a more insightful meaning; she refers to herself as "a black ocean, wide and rushing, bearing the tide that swells and swells." This quote is significant as she refers to herself as an ocean which illustrates her as this great force that cannot be stopped. The use of words like “welling” and “swelling” can be linked to feminist works of the past and how feminists had to experience different ups and downs, giant strides to achieve equality in society. Furthermore, this quote is a clear presentation of Angelou's power as a woman as she considers herself as powerful as an ocean. While this quote is not literal, it still has significant undertones and is a clear representation of power through a feminist lens in this poem. Finally, Angelou reinforces her power in the poem with the recurring theme of her overcoming every difficulty she faces. This trend continues until the end of the poem where he repeats “I Rise, I Rise, I Rise” 3 times. The importance of this ending cannot be understated as it highlights the key message behind the poem that no matter what happens, Angelou will rise again. The word “risе” is crucial as it accurately conveys power through a feminist lens within the poem as women have had to “rise” against male oppression for centuries and are still struggling to do so today. Overall, Angelou presents power within the poem through a feminist lens in several ways. A 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 inevitably have to face. When reading one of Angelou's poems, it is crucial that, as a reader, you recognize the harsh racist society in which Angelou had to live. For example, Angelou says that "Beautiful women wonder what my secret is. I'm not pretty or made to fit a model's size, but when I start telling them they think I'm telling lies." This quote clearly criticizes Angelou's 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 begin to think that she is "telling lies" connects to the famous feminist Belle Hooke and her idea that although the.