RADICAL FEMINISM IN POETIC UPRISING: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MAYA ANGELOU’S STILL I RISE AND IJEOMA UMEBINYUO’S CONVERSATIONS WITH BROKEN GIRLS
Abstract
This paper examines the radical feminist aesthetics of Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise and Ijeoma Umebinyuo’s Conversations with Broken Girls, focusing on how both poets articulate resistance to patriarchal structures through poetic form, language, and subjectivity. Drawing on radical feminist theory, the study situates the two poems within a tradition of feminist literary activism that foregrounds the personal as political. Angelou’s poem represents bold defiance and collective triumph over historical and racial oppression, using affirming diction, rhythmic repetition, and celebratory tone to assert female agency and resilience. In contrast, Umebinyuo’s piece, employing minimalist structure, confessional tone, and fragmented imagery to reveal the inner world of female pain and survival, portrays the intimate trauma of women living in patriarchal silence. Despite their different stylistic approaches, both poets transform poetry into a space of healing, resistance, and reclamation. The findings highlight the convergence of form and feminist politics, demonstrating that poetic structure itself can be a radical tool of empowerment. Ultimately, the study affirms that Angelou and Umebinyuo centre the female voice not only to confront systems of domination but also to construct alternative narratives of identity, survival, and power
Keywords:
radical feminism, female voice, poetic resistance, patriarchy, trauma and survivalDownloads
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References
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