Summary Of A Woman Speaks By Audre Lorde

“Sister Citizen; Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America” is the title of the book because it reflects and expounds on the African American women’s position in the American society and political system, when it comes to race, gender, and stereotypes concerning African Women in the 21st century. Harris-Perry uses Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf to make her subtle Melissa V.

In Sojourner Truth’s most famous speech Ain’t I a Woman follows a story of an African American woman speaking at a Women’s Convention at Akron, Ohio in 1851. However at that time, African Americans had no right to speak to an audience, let alone women themselves. Sojourner uses the three rhetorical devices: ethos, pathos and logos in order for the participants of the women’s convention to have the feeling that they are not alone thinking that women should be treated as a human. When Truth uses her own experiences as evidence of social injustice, the audience automatically knows that she is an African American slave. Sojourner states out “ I have borne thirteen children, and seen them most sold off to slavery–”(Truth).

This denotation to the silent cries supports for an emotional appeal to an example of the silent cries in African American women. As stated in the title, Powell is aware that black women are merely being betrayed in the hip-hop industry and simply states that the choice of words that hip-hop artist chose to rap about is simply “the ghetto blues, urban folk art, a cry out for help.” (298) and it is rubbing off on almost every man in our American society and giving them a different perspective of women all because women refuse to speak out and speak up. “As a result, female rappers are often just as male-identified, violent, materialistic, and ignorant as their male peers.” (298). Over 100 years ago, women were not even allowed to vote, the closest they got to voting was sitting there and watching. They were not allowed to work, they were forced to be stay at home wives while their

Sojourner Truth encapsulates how the intersectionality of contracts interact to create a distinctive form of subordination for black women before the civil war. Black women are not seen exclusively through the lense of either the sexual or racial contract, but rather through an intersecting contract defined by the racial patriarchy. Sojourner Truth repeatedly asks “And ain’t I a women?” to emphasize her distinct inferior position in society in comparison to white women. Black women have a must deal with the duality of being labeled as irrational, as women are, and less human as black people are.

When you read a poem you can come from it with an overall feeling and figure out by context clues how the author’s feelings were of the subject as well. “It’s a Woman’s World” written by Eavan Boland goes through the struggles and restraints society hold to being a woman. The speaker had a complex with it being a “Women’s word” and you can see that through diction, imagery and symbolism.

The film Meet Me in St. Louis epitomizes the roles of women in early American history. This film was made in the 1940s but is set in the year of 1903. America in the 1900s was facing a large amount of change. As some were pushing west to gain new territory, the eastern cities were developing remarkably. The setting of the film is very important.

In Lorde’s keynote presentation at the National Women’s Studies Association Conference, she discussed anger as a response to racism. She expressed that women should not let their fear of anger hinder them from excavating honesty, because when anger us translated into action in order to achieve their goals and guarantee their future, it becomes a liberating act. This was the main inspiration for the poem Niña wrote. I wanted to tap into my anger and express it, resisting the normative belief of a quiet, submissive Asian woman and anger being unlady-like in general. I wanted to show my anger at being objectified by a racist, patriarchal society and Lorde definitely helped me do that.

“Zami: A New Spelling of My Name” by Audre Lorde is often seen as one of the most influential pieces of writing in terms of Black Feminism as well as LGBTQ community. Though it was intended as an autobiography, it covers a wide range of numerous topics, allowing the author to reflect on them from the perspective of her life. The book is filled with numerous details that may seem to be trivial, yet they represent an important aspect of then-contemporary society.

With the amount of complexity and militancy of her poetry, it is no doubt Audre Lorde had a massive effect on the roles of people, especially African American women, both politically and socially in the 1950’s - 1990’s. Audre tended to express the issues of social and civil Injustice as well as the importance of identity. She Published books such as, Cables to Rage (1970), The First Cities (1968), Zami (1982), Sister/Outsider (1984), and many more ("Audre Lorde." Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998). Where she confronted and challenged the crises of the American society, racism, homophobia, and sexism. Through her militant and complex poetry, she inspired others to explore their cultural and gender identity by setting an example of embracing her own, leading movements, challenging society’s beliefs, and exposing others to the new insights and ideas of intersectional identity.

“Still I Rise”, written by African-American writer Maya Angelou, includes a character who rises “Up from a past that’s rooted in pain.” No matter what words are said against her, lies are told about her, threats are made towards her, or words are written against her, she takes the past and uses it to fuel her confidence. The way she writes creates a deep sense of pride and feeling, while giving the poem life and helping the audience realise that they, too can rise. The diction, literary devices, and theme help the speaker portray her feelings about the topic of oppression in her experience.

The poems ‘Still I Rise’ and ‘Unknown Girl’ both explore the way women are expected to behave in specific societies. ‘Still I Rise’ focuses on Maya Angelou’s refusal to accept racism and to allow “them”, white oppressors, to push her down. ‘Unknown Girl’ focuses on Moniza Alvi’s want to be accepted in a society where she belongs, but can’t call her own.

In her essay “The Fourth of July”, Audre Lorde described the enlighteningly awful experience of the reality of racism she had during her first trip to Washington D.C. as a child. While Lorde’s older sister had been rejected by her high school from traveling with the rest of the graduating class because she was black, Lorde’s parents decided to take a family trip to the nation’s capital on their own to compensate for such an injustice. Nevertheless, the reality of racism and discrimination the family felt while on their trip foiled their attempt to ignore and overcome such oppression, and led Lorde to view the trip as a frustrating experience. By employing this personal anecdote of her family’s replacement graduation trip for her older sister, Lorde successfully conveyed the impossibility of pretending to live in ignorance of racism and discrimination, and powerfully presented her anger at her family, the black community, and all of American society at trying to do so instead of addressing these problems.

To begin with, the author’s implementation of short sentence fragments throughout the poem illustrates the exasperation and frustration bottled up in women in response to

This poem is written from the perspective of an African-American from a foreign country, who has come to America for the promise of equality,

In “In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens”, Alice Walker looks to educate us on the hardships that almost all black women face when trying to express themselves through things such as art. She delves into many sociological and psychological concepts that have affected black women throughout human history. These concepts and ideologies created a realm for mass exclusion, discrimination, and oppression of many African American women, including Alice Walker’s Mother, who Alice utilizes as one of her particular examples. The writing thematically aims to show how these concepts of sexism, racism, and even classism have contributed to black women’s lack of individuality, optimism, and fulfillment for generations. The author does a tremendous job of defending and expanding upon her arguments. She has a credible background, being a black woman that produces the art of literature herself. As well as being raised by one, Walker’s first-hand experience warrants high regard. Therefore, her use of abstract and introspective language is presented clearly and convincingly. Also, her use of evidence and support from sources like Jean Toomer, Virginia Woolf, and Phillis Wheatley, all produce more validity for her stance through poems, quotes, and even experiences. All these individuals have their own accounts pertaining to the oppression of black women and their individuality. Successfully arguing that the artistry plights of black women described in “In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens” are