A Feminist study of Maya Angelou's poem, "Men" Aaisha Mumtaz College

“On the day when it will be possible for woman to love not in her weakness but in her strength, not to escape herself but to find herself, not to abase herself but to assert herself--on that day love will become for her, as for man, a source of life and not of mortal danger.” Simone de Beauvoir

Maya Angelou's poem, "Men" is an exceptional example of power V/S powerlessness and it skilfully takes us into the mindset of a woman who has doubtlessly been a victim of the male dominating society. The poem communicates to us very conveniently, the intricate complication of our vulnerable need for men as well as the stark divergence in our characters. The subject matter and her dealing with it confirm the height of the maturity of the poet and her remarkable ability to portray her body's thoughts as well as her mind's working. She has tried to reveal the unfeeling, bitter and ruthless nature of men through a hidden contract which portrays the delicacy, innocence and patience of women. The "non-significant other" of the first stanza seems to be fully exposed to the bitterness of life by the end of the poem.

Keeping in mind Lacan's concept that the "entry into the Symbolic Order, the structure of language, is different for boys and...