Phenomenal Woman

“Phenomenal Woman” is a 60-line lyric poem that is divided into four stanzas of unequal length, all of which end with the same refrain in which the speaker restates her confidence in herself. The lines of the poem themselves are irregular and do not employ a consistent meter. The poem is instead, as Carol E. Neubauer states, driven by “even, provocative rhythm that resounds with underlying confidence” (missing citation). This sense of command is achieved by a cadence that is borrowed from call-and-response preaching and black spirituals, a fact that can be seen in Angelou’s recorded readings of the poem. Effective use of rhyme and rhetorical pauses enhance the feeling that the audience is engaged in the discussion. The use of contrast between what others believe about the speaker and what the speaker believes about herself seem to be repetitive at first, but there are subtle changes in emphasis as the poem progresses, leading us to see how the speaker is indeed “phenomenal” physically, emotionally, and spiritually.