Essay Questions

For Audre Lorde, what is the purpose of poetry?

For Audre Lorde, poetry was a method through which to challenge various forms of discrimination, notably patriarchy and racism. Having published her first poem whilst still at school, it is obvious that poetry was in her veins from the very beginning. Audre Lorde's poetry is fiercely political and channels opposition to misogyny, sexism, homophobia, and racism. For example, in her poem 'A Woman Speaks, she challenges the subjugation and silencing of women throughout history. As Lorde herself wrote famously, 'poetry is not a luxury', and she made sure to use it to help others in precarious and less-privileged positions in society.

Examine the theme of collective action and effort in 'A Litany for Survival'.

A group, collective consciousness and action is at the forefront of Lorde's poem 'A Litany for Survival', first published in 1978. The repeated phrase 'For those of us' indicates a unity, through the use of the first-person plural pronoun 'us'. The poem is written in the plural 'we' voice, inviting the reader to identify or empathize with the struggles of those outlined in the poem. The image of 'those of us who live at the shoreline' could possibly be interpreted as those who live on the edge of society, in unstable and perhaps unsafe places. The poem's final line - 'we were never meant to survive' - describes the staying power and ingenuity of the people evoked by the poet, showing that they have defied fate and the wishes of more powerful groups in society to keep on living.

Is sisterhood a prominent motif in the poetry of Audre Lorde?

The idea of sisterhood and collective feminine action against patriarchal control and oppression is a key motif in the poetry of Audre Lorde. Advocating an intersectional struggle to liberate under-privileged people, Lorde places great emphasis on the role of women to engage in the struggle for liberation for themselves and others. In her poem "Sisters in Arms", for example, Lorde shines a spotlight on the struggles of black women in apartheid South Africa. Indeed, away from her poetry, Lorde was a key figure in the establishment of the campaign called Sisterhood in Support of Sisters in South Africa, which supported the activism of black South African women against the racist apartheid state. In this way, we see that Lorde viewed ties of sisterhood as extending beyond country borders, and more concerned with racial unity.

Discuss the theme of racial violence in the poem "Power" by Audre Lorde.

The power displayed in Audre Lorde's poem "Power" is clear to see and is most visible through the description of racial violence. The brutal and unsparing portrayal of police violence towards a young African-American boy, who is symbolic of the African-American population at large, where a police officer 'said "Die you little mother****er"' to the boy he has just killed. The poem also touches on legacy of injustice brought about by abuse of power, what is described as 'four centuries of white male approval'. Therefore, the content of the poem explains and justifies its title, showing that the famous adage that "power corrupts" is present in all social settings and circumstances.