By: Helen Reddy

1
I am Woman

• By Helen Reddy

2
I am Woman Lyrics

• I am woman, hear me roarIn numbers too big to
  ignoreAnd I know too much to go back an'
  pretend'cause I've heard it all beforeAnd I've
  been down there on the floorNo one's ever gonna
  keep me down againCHORUSOh yes I am wiseBut
  it's wisdom born of painYes, I've paid the
  priceBut look how much I gainedIf I have to, I
  can do anythingI am strong (strong)I am
  invincible (invincible)I am woman

3

• You can bend but never break me'cause it only
  serves to make meMore determined to achieve my
  final goalAnd I come back even strongerNot a
  novice any longer'cause you've deepened the
  conviction in my soulCHORUSI am woman watch me
  growSee me standing toe to toeAs I spread my
  lovin' arms across the landBut I'm still an
  embryoWith a long long way to goUntil I make my
  brother understand

4

• Oh yes I am wiseBut it's wisdom born of
  painYes, I've paid the priceBut look how much I
  gainedIf I have to I can face anythingI am
  strong (strong)I am invincible (invincible)I am
  womanOh, I am womanI am invincibleI am
  strongFADEI am womanI am invincibleI am
  strongI am woman

5
Literary Criticism

• Hyperbole
• A Hyperbole is an exaggeration or overstatement.
• I am women, hear me roar Helen is not actually
  saying that she is going to roar like a lion she
  is saying, Hey, Im a women listen to what I have
  to say

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6
Anaphora

• The deliberate repetition of words at the
  beginning of several successful verses or clauses
  or paragraphs.

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7
Personification

• Giving human like qualities to animals or
  objects.
• But its wisdom born of pain this phrase is
  personification because wisdom cant be born

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8
Metaphor

• the comparison of two UNLIKE things
• But I'm still an embryo, With a long long way to
  go
• This phrase is a metaphor because when Helen
  wrote this she was a woman, but by saying she is
  an embryo she means that women were still young
  and did not have all the knowledge and wisdom
  that men had

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9
Theme

• I think Helen wants us to understand that just
  because we are women does not mean that we cant
  do anything we put our minds to.

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10
Point of View

• I am Women was written from a womens point of
  view, therefore it talks about the struggle and
  hardships that women had to endure in the 1960s.
  However I bet the point of view and whole theme
  of this song would be different if it was written
  from a mans point of view

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11
Rhyme Scheme

• The Rhyme Scheme is A,A,B,C,C,B
• You can bend but never break me'cause it only
  serves to make meMore determined to achieve my
  final goalAnd I come back even strongerNot a
  novice any longer'cause you've deepened the
  conviction in my soul

Back
12
Historical Reference

• And Ive been down there on the floor
• This phrase in the song makes a reference towards
  how women were always in a lower class than men.
  Men thought that Women did not belong in politics

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13
Historical Reference

• I come back stronger, Not a novice any longer
  This phrase is basically stating how women are
  stronger now because of the Womens Movement and
  how back then they had less and unfair rights
  than men did.

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14
Historical Reference

• If I have to, I can do anything this phrase
  relates to The 19th Amendment when women gained
  the right to vote. They wanted the right to vote
  so they put their minds to it and achieve that
  goal.

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15
Historical Reference

• In numbers too big to ignore
• Makes a reference towards the 19th amendment
  about how they were thousands of women fighting
  for equal rights and the right to vote

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16
Historical Reference

• I've paid the price, But look how much I gained
  Women paid the price by going on strikes and
  petitions, meeting all together and speaking and
  by doing that they gained the Right to Vote.

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17
Historical Reference

• I am woman watch me growSee me standing toe to
  toe
• Watch me grow and standing toe to toe is relating
  to how there were so many women that they seemed
  to grow in numbers and they stood next to each
  other and didnt back down.

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18
Biography

• Helen Reddy was born in Melbourne, Australia.
  She grew up with a rich life style with both of
  her parents in the show business. She married a
  mailroom assistant boy named Jeff Wald. Her first
  song was I Dont Know How To Love Him she never
  really liked it but her husband thought
  differently. So using only a telephone and a
  credit card, he worked day after day, phoning in
  radio stations trying to get air play for her
  song. After many days of hard work his effort
  finally paid off and he got the song to become a
  top 20 hit in 1971. After that her songs became
  even more popular and her career hit its climax
  with a song called I am Woman. She was the
  first Australian to win an award in Germany for
  the song I am Women. As she reached the climax
  of her career disaster struck, both of her
  parents died and she was diagnosed with an
  incurable disease. But with the help of her song
  I am Woman she realized that she can achieve
  anything that blocks her path. One of the awards
  that Helen achieved was a tulip was named after
  her in Holland. In 2002 Helen retired from the
  live audience and became a clinical
  hypnotherapist and a motivational speaker.

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19
Works Cited

• Exploring Constitutional Conflicts. Womens
  fight to vote The 19th Amendment. N.p., n.d.
  Web. 26 May 2010. lthttp//www.law.umkc.edu/?facult
  y/?projects/?ftrials/?conlaw/?nineteentham.htmgt.
• Cleveland Clinic. clinical hypnotherapist. The
  Cleveland Clinic , 1995. Web. 21 May 2010.
  lthttp//my.clevelandclinic.org/?services/?clinical
  _hypnotherapy/?hic_clinical_hypnotherapy.aspxgt.
• Australian Explorer. The City of Melbourne,
  Australia. Australian Explorer Pty Ltd, 2000.
  Web. 21 May 2010. lthttp//www.australianexplorer.c
  om/?melbourne_information.htmgt.
• The 1960s United States. Funding Dulcinea.
  Dulcinea Media, Inc., 2010. Web. 21 May 2010.
  lthttp//www.findingdulcinea.com/?guides/?Education
  /?US-History/?1960s.htmlgt.
• What happened in the 1960s. Spiritus Temporis.
  N.p., 2005. Web. 21 May 2010. lthttp//www.spiritus
  -temporis.com/?1960/gt.
• Literary Terms. Literary Terms. N.p., n.d. Web.
  14 May 2010. lthttp//www.tnellen.com/?cybereng/?li
  t_terms/gt.
• Reddy, Helen. The Official Helen Reddy Websit
  Biography. The Official Helen Reddy Website.
  Helen Reddy, n.d. Web. 14 May 2010.
  lthttp//www.helenreddy.com/?flash.htmlgt.
• Reddy, Helen, perf. Lyrics Depot. Lyrics Depot.
  Lyricsdepot.com, 2010. Web. 12 May 2010.
  lthttp//www.lyricsdepot.com/?helen-reddy/?i-am-wom
  an.htmlgt.

20
Pictures Cited

• Chainging the Roles Of Women. N.d. Chainging the
  roles of Women . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2010.
  lthttp//www.google.com/?imgres?imgurlhttp//www.t
  ustin.k12.ca.us/?cyberseminar/?suffrage/?ladies25
  20marching.jpgimgrefurlhttp//www.tustin.k12.ca.
  us/?cyberseminar/?suffrage/?suffrage.htmusg__I-1
  45-xU_Pbs36RqHYjdMs4l2iwh484w700sz88hlen
  start4um1itbs1tbnid3qgacnDwlbYgnMtbnh97
  tbnw140prev/?images3Fq3DWomen2527s2Bright2
  Bto2Bvote26um3D126hl3Den26safe3Dactive26rl
  s3Dcom.microsoften-us26tbs3Disch1gt.
• Gave Sufferage. N.d. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2010.
  lthttp//www.usps.com/?images/?stamps/?98/?19thamen
  d.jpggt.
• Helen Reddy. N.d. Helen Reddy. N.p., n.d. Web. 27
  May 2010. lthttp//www.google.com/?imgres?imgurlht
  tp//www.nndb.com/?people/?102/?000023033/?helen-s
  ized.jpgimgrefurlhttp//www.nndb.com/?people/?10
  2/?000023033/?usg__bnvErs9bgjUbycd6UlqaHPabuc4
  h246w248sz17hlenstart18um1itbs1tbnid
  IOmZmCDFiXwRyMtbnh110tbnw111prev/?images3
  Fq3DI2Bam2BWoman2Bby2Bhelen2Breddy26um3D1
  26hl3Den26safe3Dactive26rls3Dcom.microsoften
  -us26tbs3Disch1gt.
• Nineteenth Amendment. N.d. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May
  2010. lthttp//www.google.com/?imgres?imgurlhttp/
  /www.elcivics.com/?19th_amendment.jpgimgrefurlht
  tp//www.elcivics.com/?nineteenth_amendment.htmlu
  sg__dc-i1sGXp7G9pI_qfsiSNxW6tggh925w568sz1
  64hlenstart18um1itbs1tbnidPDnc3O9_xr3IJM
  tbnh147tbnw90prev/?images3Fq3DThe2B19th
  2BAmendment2BWomen2527s2Bright2Bto2Bvote26u
  m3D126hl3Den26safe3Dactive26rls3Dcom.micros
  often-us26tbs3Disch1gt.

21
Pictures Cited cont.

• Rogers, Lou. Women do not belong in politics.
  N.d. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2010.
  lthttp//questgarden.com/?47/?84/?3/?070313092526/?
  images/?USAsuffrage4.jpggt.
• Suffrage petition. N.d. Womens suffrage
  petition. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2010.
  lthttp//www.twainquotes.com/?suffrage2.gifgt.
• We can do it. N.d. google, n.d. Web. 27 May 2010.
  lthttp//www.uthscsa.edu/?opa/?issues/?new33-14/?im
  ages/?rosie.jpggt.
• Womens Movement. N.d. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May
  2010. lthttp//home.vicnet.net.au/?women/?Images/?
  b5375520suffragette20london.jpggt.
• The Womens Movement. The Womens Movement. U.S.
  Department of State, n.d. Web. 14 May 2010.
  lthttp//countrystudies.us/?united-states/?history-
  131.htmgt.