How is personification used in the poem, Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou?

Angelou’s poems often feature a powerful female figure, and this poem is no exception. In this case, the continent of Africa is personified as a woman—beautiful and vulnerable, sad and powerful. While Angelou describes the plight of all African people—both male and female—she interestingly chooses to describe the continent as a woman. This is likely a reference to the idea of a “motherland,” as well as a nod to the strength of the female spirit. As a woman births a child, a land births its people and traditions. And just as a woman defends and protects her child, a land defends and protects its people and way of life.