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Pettinger, Tejvan. "Maya Angelou Biography -." Biography Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

Plimpton, Interviewed By George. "Maya Angelou, The Art of Fiction No. 119." The Paris Review. N.p., 20 Nov. 2016. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

Angelou, Maya. "Alone." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 02 May 2015. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

Angelou, Maya. "Phenomenal Woman." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

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"Alone" by Maya Angelou explains the importance of people sticking by one another to survive in this "rough, cruel world". She talks about the rich and how no matter how many expensive material possessions they own, they need companions, too. Their money will not save them from the feeling of being alone. The theme of this poem is to influence readers that no one can handle being alone for long and that if we keep going the way we are, we won't be able to "make it" in society or life. No one can "successfully face life alone", no matter how tough you think you are, you'll always need someone. This is why it is important for each of to stick together and help each other go through this journey we call life. We only live once and we should get the best experience we can out of it because it doesn't last forever. Life is always more enjoyable when you have people to share your moments with.

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repetition - repeating of a word or phrase.
"Alone."  This word is repeated at the end of each stanza to reinforce the theme of the poem of how you cannot make it in the world alone.
hyperbole - exaggeration or overstatement.
"To cure their hearts of stone."  This shows an exaggeration of someone who doesn't have a heart, comparing it to stone because a stone is cold and hard, which is the complete opposite of an actual heart.
simile - compares two things using the words "like" or "as".
"Their wives run round like banshees"  This shows a comparison between a wife and a banshee because of how much a wife can panic.
imagery - relating to sight, taste, touch, hearing, or smell.
"Their children sing the blues"  This is a good line of imagery because the reader can picture children singing blues while the wives run crazy.
point of view - perspective from which a story is told.
"Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone."  This shows that the author is sharing a first person point of view as she comes off as an expert about the problems of being alone.
rhyme - when sounds of accented vowels and all succeeding sounds are identical.
"How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone"  This shows an off rhyme because it isn't an exact end rhyme but it's approximate.

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Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

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"Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou has a
lot of lines that has to do with the different stereotypes of women. Women often want to know the secret of her success without the feminine traits of having an "hourglass figure" or an "cute face". She describes her secret as having an "expression of womanliness". Throughout the poem she declares herself as a 'phenomenal woman' which phrases as an "double-edged sword". The word 'phenomenal woman' signifies her remarkable strength to overcome all the stereotypes she faces throughout her life as well as her towering personality. The repeated proud assertion of being a phenomenal woman is a celebration of womanhood. Since she knows she is phenomenal, she celebrates her unique traits that attract men to her, in spite of not having the "no-so-feminine beauty". She also includes that she doesn't need to do anything loud to snatch the attention of others,  the sound of her heels, the curve in her hair, and the palm of her hand does that for her.

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repetition - repeating of a word or phrase.
"I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me."  She repeats these lines at the end of each stanza to bring attention to being a phenomenal woman.
metaphor - comparison of two unlike things.
"Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees." There is a comparison here between men and a hive of bees.
hyperbole - exaggeration or overstatement.
"It's the fire in my eyes" This shows an exaggeration of her anxiousness since no one an actually live with fire in their eyes.
imagery - relating to sight, taste, touch, hearing or smell.
"The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet." This shows imagery because the reader can picture the narrator dancing with the word choice used.
point of view - perspective from which a story is told.
"Pretty women wonder where my secret lies."  The author is sharing a first person point of view because she is the character in the work.
rhyme - when sounds of accented vowels and all succeeding sounds are identical.
"I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud."  This shows an off rhyme because it isn't an exact end rhyme but it's approximate.

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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 for my care.

’Cause I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

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Marguerite Johnson, know as Maya Angelou, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. She grew up in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. Maya was known as a author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. She was nominated for the National Book Award for one of her seven famously known autobiographical books, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1959 at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1974, she was appointed by Gerald Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and later by Jimmy Carter to the Commission for International Woman of the Year. The first black woman director in Hollywood, Angelou wrote, produced, directed, and starred in productions for stage, film, and television, and was twice nominated for a Tony award for acting. On May 28, 2014 Maya Angelou died at the age of 86 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she had served as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University since 1982.