By: Helen Reddy

I am woman, hear me roarIn numbers too big to ignore

And I know too much to go back an' pretend'cause I've heard it all before

And I've been down there on the floorNo one's ever gonna keep me down again

CHORUSOh yes I am wise

But it's wisdom born of painYes, I've paid the priceBut look how much I gained

If I have to, I can do anythingI am strong (strong)

I am invincible (invincible)I am woman

You can bend but never break me'cause it only serves to make me

More determined to achieve my final goalAnd I come back even strongerNot a novice any longer

'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul

CHORUSI am woman watch me growSee me standing toe to toe

As I spread my lovin' arms across the landBut I'm still an embryoWith a long long way to go

Until I make my brother understand

Oh yes I am wiseBut it's wisdom born of pain

Yes, I've paid the priceBut look how much I gained

If I have to I can face anythingI am strong (strong)

I am invincible (invincible)I am woman

Oh, I am womanI am invincible

I am strong

FADEI am womanI am invincibleI am strongI am woman

HyperboleA 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, I’m a women listen to what I have to say

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

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Giving human like qualities to animals or objects.

“But its wisdom born of pain” this phrase is personification because wisdom can’t be born

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the comparison of two UNLIKE thingsBut I'm still an embryo, With a long long way

to goThis 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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I think Helen wants us to understand that just because we are women does not mean that we can’t do anything we put our minds to.

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

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The Rhyme Scheme is A,A,B,C,C,B

You can bend but never break me'cause it only serves to make me

More determined to achieve my final goalAnd I come back even stronger

Not a novice any longer'cause you've deepened the conviction in

my soul

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“And I’ve 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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“I come back stronger, Not a novice any longer” This phrase is basically stating how women are stronger now because of the Women’s Movement and how back then they had less and unfair rights than men did.

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“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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“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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“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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“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 didn’t back down.

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• 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 Don’t 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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