Poetry Critique

1. Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/maya_angelou/poems/492

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.

2. I selected this poem because I have always enjoyed reading Maya Angelou's poetry. I found her voice and tone in this poem very interesting because she portrayed the 'phenomenal woman' as someone who is confident in themselves and their personality, even if they aren't completely confident in the their appearance. I think this is a great poem for any girl or woman to read because so many people find it hard to focus on the positive aspects of their personality, instead of just their appearance.

3. The title fits the poem perfectly because 'phenomenal women' is exactly what the subject and tone is.

4. Maya Angelou used a metaphor when she described the men surrounding her, like bees to a honey hive. She also used rhyming techniques to make the rhythm of the poem smooth and flowing. When she talked about he way the aspects of the 'phenomenal woman' it created a sense of imagery in the reader's mind.

5. The tone portrays a very confident, happy, and distinguished person. The author did this by describing her mannerisms in front of other men and women and the way she felt about herself. The words she used to do this also helped portray a sense of imagery and rhythm.

Travel

When I was 5 years old, my mom and I moved to France for 10 months so that she could participate in a foreign exchange program through the University of Minnesota. During that time, while my mom attended classes at the University of Nantes, I attended the local kindergarden school. Even though I did not know the language at first, I quickly grew accustomed to it after my long school days with French locals. Because I was so young, I did not realize it at the time, but that experience would affect the outcome of the rest of my life. After experiencing a culture and lifestyle so different from my own, I often think about the other countries and cultures I want to visit and explore at some time in my life. Places I'd like to visit include Australia, Brazil, England, Italy, Germany, Monaco, and several countries in Africa.

One of the reasons I am so enthusiastic about going to college is because I will be attending Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia this fall. I look forward to this experience everyday because I cannot wait to leave Minnesota, a place so familiar to me, and explore a whole new way of life. The town, the lifestyle, and the people are all so different from how we are in Minnesota. I don't know where I want to live when I'm older- if I want to return to Minnesota and resume the familiar lifestyle I have lived for so long- or if I want to live in a completely new city where I'm out of my own element. Only time will tell.

Mrs. B's Blog #1

1. During the summer and in my spare time, I really enjoy reading novels by Sarah Dessen. I have a collection of her writing in my closet which includes That Summer, Someone Like You, This Lullaby, Dreamland, and a few more. For me, every sentence in her novels make it worth the read. Her writing style is casual, funny, and reflective. I used to really like books like Gossip Girl and the A-List, but I've recently drifted away from them. I think this is because I just got sick of the whole "rich kid can buy everything she wants and is really unhappy" thing. A couple years ago, I tried writing my own short story, but I found that it was too similar to The A-List and so I decided to stop. I would love to someday write my own novel, but I'll need to take more writing courses before I am able to accomplish that successfully. I usually don't write anything unless it's a school assignment, even though I would like to. Since enrolling in this course, I have rediscovered my love for creative writing. When Mr. Miles asked us to write a page of dialogue involving two people on a blind date, I found a lot of inspiration in the characters I created. When I got home that night, I continued the assignment, this time just for fun, and molded the page of dialogue into a "mini" short story. I really enjoyed doing so and would like to continue to write creatively for fun.

3. Audrey felt a finger softly tap her shoulder. It was George. Again. Could he not see that she was trying to meditate? She was beginning to wonder why she had invited him along with her in the first place; she definitely didn't need anymore stress. Sure, he had been her best friend since preschool but sometimes he could just be so.. George.
Suddenly she felt another tap on her shoulder. This time, she removed her sleeping mask and earphones and glared at George. "What?" she asked coldly.
"Do the flight attendants still hand out pretzels? I'm getting hungry."
"Are you serious? They just finished serving lunch!"
"Audrey. We've been over this. You know I need my snacks, otherwise I get really cranky."
"This is so typical of you, George. Couldn't you just have packed some from home like I told you? And I'm sorry but I guess you're going to have to wait."
"Fine."
"Now, I'm going to put my headphones and my sleeping mask back on, and I would really appreciate it if you could just entertain yourself for a while. I mean, I haven't seen my mom in 8 years. I need to relax."
"Explain to me why your mom moved to Australia again?"
"It's a long story. After the divorce, she wanted to be as far away from my dad as possible. And that meant she couldn't see me either."
"Huh."
Audrey put her sleeping mask back on and imagined seeing her mom at the airport: what she would look like, what she would say, if she still smelled like Chanel No. 5. After about fifteen minutes, Audrey fell asleep to the sounds of Coldplay.