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Apr 3, 2024

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Running head: AUDRE LORDE POEMS 1 Audre Lorde Poems Audre Lorde's poems focus on the issue of racism to critique what was happening in the 20 th century. Some of the powerful race-based poems are Power, Coal, and Who Said It Was Simple. In Power, Lorde outlines issues of justice, racism, and prejudice. A boy gets shot and killed, and the police responsible get away with the murder. In the same way, Lorde in Who Said It Was Simple advocates for people to understand the challenges black women face in society instead of being judgmental. Regardless of the misunderstanding, Lorde celebrates blacks in the poem Coal to suggest that black people should not worry about ongoing racism but focus on loving selves. Drawing from Lorde's experience as a black woman, the three poems are rich in imagery to expound on details that can enable readers to understand the injustices racism fosters on black people and how to cope with it.
AUDRE LORDE POEMS 2 The Power poem is narrative, employing imagery to capture scenes of a ten-year-old boy being short and denied justice. The speaker claims the police defended himself in court by saying, "I didn't notice the size nor nothing else, only the color," showcasing his racist remarks (Lorde, 1997, l. 26-27). The police are unempathetic for what he did but proud to have killed a black person. Readers build such an image of an inhuman person out to kill blacks to prove his racist ideas. It is the same case in Who Said It Was Simple, where Lorde criticizes feminists for their lack of commitment to worthy courses of fighting against racism by narrating what they do behind closed doors. The speaker laments, "and the ladies neither notice nor reject/ the slighter pleasures of their slavery" to mean despite witnessing racist behavior, the feminists do not even recognize it (Lorde, 1997, l. 10-11). Lorde chooses to celebrate the black color through the poem Coal when the speaker claims, "I am black because I come from the earth's inside/Take my word for jewel in your open light” to motivate fellow blacks to value their color (Lorde, 1997, l. 25- 26). It also serves as a warning to racist people that all people are important regardless of their color. The poems are free from any consistent rhyme, employing a free-verse style essential in expressing the poet’s thoughts and enhancing creativity. Lorde uses her experiences and voice in poetry to advocate for eradicating racism and embracing diversity. Black people get killed for being black, discriminated for their color, and marginalized due to being black. Thus, through the poems, Lorde hopes that society can change its stereotyping behavior and practice empathy and understanding of diversity.
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