32 Studying Audre Lorde – Rilen Bell
Studying Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde was a New York native born in 1934 to a Caribbean immigrant mother (Ridinger). She was a poet and prose writer, but more importantly a Black lesbian woman. These different, overlapping identities created the fuel for her writing. Lorde channeled her anger at the unfairness of her treatment into her creative words. Her words create an insight into her experience, and it provides representation for the coming generations. This makes it incredibly important to recognize her when studying intersectionality and poetry, especially at the college level. Audre Lorde was an important part of the Black, feminist, and LGBT+ communities, and her contributions deserve attention to this day.
This paper will be following the classical argument structure. In this structure, the explanation of the argument and a presentation of claims will begin the essay. The opposing viewpoint will be covered towards the end of the paper, and a summarization will conclude the paper. It will also be an evaluation type of argument. The paper will be evaluating the importance of Audre Lorde and her accomplishments.
Beginning an overview of some of her accomplishments, Lorde received a nomination for the National Book Award for one of her poetry collections, which spread knowledge about her voice in the feminist and Black communities (Ridinger). In 1975 she was given the Broadside Poets Award as well as named Woman of the Year for Staten Island Community College (“Audre (Geraldine) Lorde”). She also founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press and acted as a poetry editor to help the “rising generations of women writers who would follow her” (Ridinger). Lastly, she was named New York State’s poet laureate in 1991, a year before she lost her battle with cancer (Ridinger). It is evident from this information that Lorde had an influence that was publicly acknowledged during her lifetime.
Other than what she publicly achieved, there are many reasons why her voice was impactful. As a Black lesbian woman, her face is not typically at the forefront of liberation movements. This can be seen in how “white middle class women have tended to speak for all women, black middle class men for all blacks, white middle class gay men for all gays and lesbians” (Carr). Lorde did not fit into any of these boxes, making her voice so special and important to listen to. She specifically believed in “breaking silences” in self-identifying with her intersectionality and building communities from that (Carr). When self-identifying, Lorde often began with her race. She believed that part of her identity to be the part that introduced her to prejudice from a young age. She used her voice as a Black person to raise awareness of the way the world devalues Black lives; this is something that inspired much of her writing (Morris).
Lorde was also a fighter of cancer. She wrote openly about her struggles with the condition and how it related to her gender, race, and sexuality (Ridinger). This makes her view on the topic very sacred and one that needs to be heard. Her voice was such a unique one, and because Lorde refused to “confine herself, even temporarily, to any one aspect of her heterogeneous identity” her voice remained honest. She was not one to try to fit into boxes to make others comfortable or “to support a political program” (Morris). This is something that many people in her communities have struggled with, and she set an example of being confident and true in her work.
In the poem “Who Said It Was Simple,” Lorde discusses her overlapping identities of Black and woman. She says that “There are so many roots to the tree of anger / that sometimes the branches shatter / before they bear” (Lorde 1-3). This metaphor places Lorde in the place of a tree with “so many roots,” meaning she existed with so many intersecting identities. She goes on to describe a scene where women are served before a Black man (it is implied they are white women, but not clearly stated). The women do not seem to pay this any mind, but Lorde states that she is bound to see the challenges of race and gender. She is left to “sit here wondering / which me will survive / all these liberations” (Lorde 16-18). This is one example of how her work remains honest, regardless of the fact she could be seen as a “problematic girl,” which is mentioned in this poem as well on line 6. She refuses to sit and ignore the privileges others have in the world, and even calls for attention to what that puts her through.
Then, in “Sisters in Arms,” Lorde describes a relationship she had with a South African woman. In this poem, Lorde mentions how it made it on the news that a white South African child was killed in the unrest, but it does not mention the children of color who were also lost. Again, Lorde used her intersecting identities to create a meaningful picture for those who read her work. This poem primarily tells of the last night between the lovers before the South African woman returns home to her country. Lorde describes it as “the last ritual of healing” (Lorde 36). She describes touching the other woman and tasting rage on her fingers from the world they are living in. It is a beautiful way to tell of such heavy emotions. The two have dealt with the civil unrest and police killing children, and yet they found this last moment together to heal from it. This is a genuine telling of her experience as a woman who loves other women, which is impactful in and of itself. Not only that, but she does so in a way that continues to bring awareness to the tribulations of being specifically a Black lesbian.
Lorde’s impactful voice is the most important reason she should be studied at the college level. She used language as a means to discuss many systemic inequalities in the world (Carr). She “presents a particularly complex picture due to the wide variety of causes and environments she has experienced” (Ridinger). This opens the minds of people who read her work. Her view on the world as a Black woman made her aware of the differences in power between Black men and Black women. She wrote on this, which is something not many people of different races or genders may be aware of. She even stated that not bringing attention to these issues is “essentially doing the enemy’s work” (Morris).
Another reason it is so integral to study her work is her view on life and death as a victim of cancer. She wrote her Cancer Journals that touch on her experience with it. There is a focus on youth in our American culture, which tends to block out “the subjects of aging, disease, and dying” outside of psychological, medical, and/or religious contexts (Morris). Allowing students to study such a topic could lead to some feeling comforted in not being alone, as well as opening the minds of many others who might not relate. Lorde’s purpose was to open up conversation on topics and bring about change. This is something that could prove beneficial in the classroom for students and professors alike.
However, on the other side some could call Audre Lorde objectionable. Controversy in the classroom has led to the banning of many other authors’ writing. This could be a decent part of the reason that Lorde is not always studied in current day courses. Some fear the backlash in certain areas of the country for studying such a person. Lorde was very forward in her writing about who she was, and she was always completely honest with her identities that some call inappropriate or controversial. The argument that can be made from this is that often the most controversial voices make the biggest strides forward for our society. Limiting or silencing them will not lead to any benefits for anyone. Denying that an important figure in many people’s history should be ignored simply because some find them objectionable is unfair. It also shows the privilege of those making these claims. Claiming that a Black lesbian woman’s voice is too controversial or inappropriate to be heard only implies that the one making the claim does not need representation such as Lorde. Black people, queer individuals, and women do not always get to see themselves in the work they study in the classroom. To deny them this is to deny them the chance of having their own voice heard. It is beyond important that these minorities have the opportunity to study someone from their own community. As stated before, it could lead to a sense of comfort in not feeling alone. Those who have faced similar struggles to Lorde will relate with her work and maybe even draw inspiration from it. To deem Lorde’s voice as controversial or objectionable in turn silences the voices of students who could relate to her. This is deeming their voices as too controversial to be heard as well, which is problematic and sets us back as a society. Not only that, but Lorde made impacts on the world that cannot be ignored regardless of personal biases. She is a historical figure in the field of English, and students in this field should not be denied education on such figures.
Audre Lorde lived a full life, but one of many struggles. She was aware of the injustices she faced due to her relationship with her intersecting identities. She saw the differences between men and women, Black people and white people, and heterosexual people and homosexual people. She used language as an outlet for her rage at these differences and injustices. She expressed her experiences as a Black lesbian woman in an impactful, yet beautiful way. Lorde should be studied at the college level, if not as early as high school. To study such a voice is important. Representation matters so much. Lorde represents three minority groups, and those who will relate to her work should be able to draw comfort or solidarity in her words. To say she is too controversial to study proves that one cannot set personal biases aside in order to further education and in turn our society. It also shows the privilege of not needing to hear a voice like the one of Audre Lorde. She was an important historical figure, and those in the field of English should study Lorde. There should be diversity in the classroom, not only because it makes for a more well-rounded education but because some students do not always see themselves in their studies.
Works Cited
“Audre (Geraldine) Lorde.” Contemporary Authors, Gale, 2001. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1000061348/LitRC?u=iulib_east&sid=LitRC&xid=bc96b83d. Accessed 17 Mar. 2021.
Carr, Brenda. “‘A Woman Speaks … I Am Woman and Not White’: Politics of Voice, Tactical Essentialism, and Cultural Intervention in Audre Lorde’s Activist Poetics and Practice.” College Literature, vol. 20, no. 2, 1993. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A14443925/LitRC?u=iulib_east&sid=LitRC&xid=4e490904. Accessed 17 Mar. 2021.
Lorde, Audre. “Sisters in Arms.” Poetry Foundation, W. W. Norton and Company Inc., 28 Feb. 2018, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42588/sisters-in-arms. Accessed 9 April 2021.
Lorde, Audre. “Who Said It Was Simple.” Poetry Foundation, W. W. Norton and Company Inc., 28 Feb. 2018, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42587/who-said-it-was-simple. Accessed 9 April 2021.
Morris, Margaret Kissam. “Audre Lorde: Textual Authority and the Embodied Self.” Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies, vol. 23, no. 1, 2002. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A92036081/LitRC?u=iulib_east&sid=LitRC&xid=199794ff. Accessed 17 Mar. 2021.
Ridinger, Robert B. Marks. “Audre Lorde: Overview.” Gay & Lesbian Literature, vol. 1, Gale, 1994. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420005073/LitRC?u=iulib_east&sid=LitRC&xid=f5dbcec3. Accessed 17 Mar. 2021.