Present Books To Poems
| Original Title: | The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou |
| ISBN: | 0553255762 (ISBN13: 9780553255768) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Maya Angelou
Paperback | Pages: 224 pages Rating: 4.4 | 12181 Users | 454 Reviews
Point About Books Poems
| Title | : | Poems |
| Author | : | Maya Angelou |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 224 pages |
| Published | : | January 1st 1996 by Bantam (first published February 1st 1994) |
| Categories | : | Poetry. Classics. Feminism. Cultural. African American. Nonfiction |
Interpretation Supposing Books Poems
What is it like to be a woman of colour with brilliant intellectual and linguistic power? Is it a blessing, is it a curse, is it both at the same time? Isn't it just being human, in the end?Maya Angelou's poems have accompanied my teaching for a very long time. Her direct, honest words fit any human rights discussions, any debates on racism and misogyny, any reflections on the distribution of wealth and power, privilege and entitlement. Her hopes and fears, her dreams and nightmares are the stuff that humans are made on. She gives everyday life an artistically powerful voice, speaking loudly and confidently from the corner of society that unfortunately still remains invisible or indifferent to those in power.
But Maya Angelou is more than just a writer speaking for those without words of their own. She celebrates love, anger, sadness, community and loneliness from the perspective of individual experience, putting a specific, unique person in focus rather than an underprivileged group. She finds beauty in self-confidence rather than prettiness, in effort rather than accomplishment, in dreams rather than status. Hers is a world that CAN BE - if you believe in yourself.
I will let her speak for herself, and hope her words help those of us who turned out a bit shy, or short, or insecure, or invisible, or overlooked, to grow an inch while reading:
"Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me."
That's her. She's phenomenal.
Rating About Books Poems
Ratings: 4.4 From 12181 Users | 454 ReviewsCriticize About Books Poems
Maya Angelou writes with rhythm, verve, anger, celebration, sexiness. Her poetry is measured, balanced, and rhymed, and it carries the music of her spirit. Whether defiant, empowering, confrontational, sensual, or accepting, each poem is an anthem.Personal favourites include Caged Bird, Preacher Don't Send Me, On Working White Liberals, Still I Rise, and Equality. EqualityYou declare you see me dimly through a glass which will not shine,though I stand before you boldly, trim in rank and markingSuch a beautiful and heartfelt read. My favorite poem had to be Still I Rise, my favorite line being: "You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise." Maya is such an inspirational and captivating woman and I'm so happy to have read her some of her work. I plan to read more soon and have more of Maya in my life. :)
Sacrilegious to give this less than 5 stars, I know, but the problem is that the collection is a little too complete. It ranges from stunningly insightful, the hauntingly melodic, to the embarrassingly adolescent. And unfortunately, not all the adolescent stuff is that early:GreydayThe day hangs heavyloose and greywhen you're away.A crown of thornsa shirt of hairis what I wear.No one knowsmy lonely heartwhen we're apart.I don't care if this is about mooning over a missing lover or a loss of
This is truly a wonderful book that is good for the soul. I had read many of Maya Angelou's books before, so had read many of the poems before. Yet, as I read through them all with this reading -- in less than a day -- I found myself once again inspired, moved, touched, and so much more. I am sure I will return and read this book a few more times.
This book is a collection of poems by Maya Angelou. I am reviewing the poem "Phenomenal Woman".This is a poem that states how phenomenal women are. It describes how powerful women can appear to those around them. We can catch a man's attention by the way we walk into the room or the way we stand. It reminds us that we are phenomenal because we are strong, able to take care of so many other people, take care of our homes, our families yet able to have careers. Women are phenomenal because we can
With the passing of Maya Angelou, I decided to read some of her work which somehow I had missed previously. I finished I Know Why a Caged Bird Sings earlier this summer and now I have finished The Complete Collected Poems. Like any collection of poems, there are some that I like better than others. Some of my favorites include:Pickin Em Up and Layin Em DownPoor GirlPrisonerSong for the Old OnesPhenomenal WomanMenOne More RoundAmoebaean for DaddyHuman FamilyWhen Old Folks LaughWhile Angelou will
This is beautiful. Having read 'I know why the caged bird sings', I was interested in picking up some of Angelou's poetry, and chose this collection on the recommendation of my mother. Angelou's use of language and form is refreshing and striking, and her boldness in addressing topics such as race and sexism is admirable. My favourite poems came early on in the collection, and were mostly shorter pieces that seemed to give a snippet into Angelou's mind in a very relatable, lovely way, but the
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