Aside from the three major assignments, this was the very last topic of the discussion posts. I knew this was my last chance to prove myself in terms of digging deeper than just settling on a surface level assessment of the rhetoric. I took to this assignment with intrigue and patience. I did not want to bullet list my ideas, but rather fuse them into one cohesive body of words. I can honestly say that I can efficiently extract the quotes that would be most useful and critical to developing my own thesis. I am more mindful in terms of organization, and while remaining respectful to the author and audience, still able to state my own point of view. Not only have I learned to include the “me” element, but I know that in order to be a good writer, its more about listening than writing. I cannot grow as a writer, as a person, if I rely on the same tactics I always have. I need to look at writing as a sport, something to constantly be improved upon, with no limits or constraints. This takes me back to the piece i did, “The Power Of Language”, and though that was in reference to black english, I feel like it relates to all forms of language, communication and writing. Words are meant to be manipulated and used regardless of the wielder. All that should matter is the message and how it translates to the intended audience. I hope that as I continue to venture down the path to becoming a good writer, that I am always faced with new challenges that force me to evolve.
AUDRE LORDE, “THE USES OF ANGER: WOMEN RESPONDING TO RACISM”
Audre Lorde’s speech, “The Uses of Anger: Women Responding To Racism”, spoke on the various ways a powerful emotion such as anger could be potentially manifested in order to bring about necessary change. Though this speech was delivered in 1981, its message is still relevant in modern society and relatable to not just women of color, but all women. She described the correlation between racism and the burden that all women of color are forced to carry inside of them. I would like to point out a few quotes from Lorde such as, “My anger is a response to racist attitudes and to the actions and presumptions that arise out of those attitudes”, and “I have seen situations where white women hear a racist remark, resent what has been said, become filled with fury, and remain silent because they are afraid. That unexpressed anger lies within them like an undetonated device, usually to be hurled at the first woman of Color who talks about racism.”
I found it so interesting that the “anger” that Lorde speaks on as a direct result of racism has been felt not just by colored women, but white women as well. Since the abolition of slavery in 1865 within the United States, a never ending amount of ill-harbored prejudices have been placed upon the backs of colors. Instead of whips, black people were punished with racist remarks, discrimination and a lack of opportunities. However, due to the already set patriarchal society, women of all color faced exclusion from an equal life like that of a male counterpart. This is where her speech begins to bury it’s roots and produce fruit. White women faced oppression just as the blacks in regards to equal access to education, the job market and the freedom to choose a life that she saw fit. In the other corner, black women faced the same as white women, with the exception of also being rejected by society simply for the color of their skin. During those times, ALL women were forced to live under some type of constraint that provoked anger and fury.
However, instead of women banding together and respond to oppression regardless of the form it took such as race, sexuality, and poverty, they were unable to overcome their guilt. Women of color were forced to play their role in the systematic structures of racism but evolved to be the reason for racism, as believed by white women. Even I myself felt provoked and irritated upon reading her speech, especially at the bullet points she made light of. The reactions of the white women when asked a direct question by Lorde, were to be expected seeing as they all shared a similar ignorance, if not a willingness to turn a blind eye to the issue at hand. Rather than acknowledge that racism destroys the identity of a colored woman and formulate a solution, the average white woman expected Lorde to instead focus on their rage, fury and anger.
Lorde’s argument required very little opinion due to how much it pertains to society and the control that have been placed upon everyone operating within that society. I did not need to read Lorde’s speech to feel or be convinced, seeing as I already know of and believe the struggles and harsh realities women of color faced in the past. That being said, I do agree with Lorde, but not out of anger or fury. I agree with her out of compassion, wisdom, the desire to understand and reach for the betterment of all people, not only women. History has taught us that the most natural response from the oppressed to their oppressors is anger and eventually a full scale rebellion. Under the context Lorde describes, rebellion is not something to fear on either parties, but it represents the motion of change. Anger may be the first step but action cannot take place on it’s own. We can all feel anger, but if we all choose to remain inept, we can expect to live with that anger forever.
Do you agree with Lorde? Why?
