It's the Subtle Things

When speaking of voices, some people are naturally loud while others are quiet. Just the same, every person also has a voice of influence, and it should be no secret that some people are naturally loud while others are quiet. Are these volumes set in stone? Not in my opinion, and since this is my blog post, my opinion is all that matters until I hit "Publish" at the top. That being said, I prefer reading the work of someone who knows how to use their loud influential voice to speak softly and in a subtle tone. I'm not big into having someone throw their views in my face, and I don't think I'm very alone in that. Another quick side-note is that I prefer written work that enhances or changes a mindset vs. personal poetry, but that's also just me and only relevant until that orange button at the top gets clicked.

So why say all this? Well, for this post, I'm going to compare two loudly influential voices in the poetry of Muriel Rukeyser and Maya Angelou, but I only prefer the poetry of Rukeyser, because of the two reasons stated above. Both Rukeyser and Angelou are considered feminist poets, but to me, Rukeyser's poem "Myth" kicks the tail of Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman", though most people have never heard of "Myth".

Rukeyser's "Myth" is a poetic enhancement of the well-known story of Oedipus. It reads:

Long afterword, Oedipus, old and blinded, walked the
roads. He smelled a familiar smell. It was
the Sphinx. Oedipus said, "I want to ask one question.
Why didn't I recognize my mother?" "You gave the
wrong answer," said the Sphinx. "But that was what
made everything possible," said Oedpius. "No," she said.
"When I asked, What walks on four legs in the morning,
two at noon, and three in the evening, you answered,
Man. You didn't say anything about woman."
"When you say Man," said Oedpius, "you include women
too. Everyone knows that." She said, "That's what
you think."

Wow. First of all, I love mythology, and second, I love twist endings that are good. This poem has both, and also, it speaks to the mindset programmed in people for thousands of years without throwing the idea in your face. That subtle end reply by the Sphinx shows the misconception of people throughout all of history, but does so in a quieter tone than you would expect one of the famous feminist writers to use, and I heavily respect that.

Keeping that in mind, let's turn our attention to the poem "Phenomenal Woman" by Angelou. Now, don't get me wrong, this is a good poem too, but I don't have as much respect for the poem. Over and over, the poem repeats the following lines:

I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

The rest of the poem is the description of what makes this woman so phenomenal compared to the other "pretty women", though the phenomenal woman claims not to be cute. I like this poem, and I can see how the poem can be very empowering, but the problem for me is that the poem is personal. I've heard this poem quoted by women many different times, each claiming to be this "Phenomenal woman", even though none of them are Maya Angelou. Personal poems can't be quoted easily, and are prone to be quoted incorrectly and out of context. Angelou echoes the subtle voice, though her influential voice is loud, but the personal pronouns take away from my respect for the poem.

Both these poems are as great as the poets themselves, but my preference definitely lies with Rukeyser. It's a personal preference, and that has been admitted plenty of times, but for me, it's the subtle things that transform good poetry into great poetry.


Suggested poetry site of the week: http://poetryhunter.com