Books are a uniquely portable magic
What to find on this page
This page is all about the author Audre Lorde. Audre Lorde is a wonderful author and writes loads of poems, particular about the black and gay community. It is an interesting topic, if you want to be more informed about these kinds op topics. On this page, analysis and summaries on Audre Lords poems can be found. Pleasures reading time!
The master tools will never dismantle the masters house
The master tools is an chapter from Audre Lorde as well. The assignment was to write an outline for this piece of text by first writing the outline itself and due to that writing the first two paragraph of the essay. However, we had to read someone else’s outline and write an essay for them. We did this two times, so the person had two paragraphs written by two different people. I cooperated with Femke Klemans and Lisa Vermeulen.
My essay by Lisa and Femke:
Writing plan for an essay (by Liza Saaed)
– Introduction:
State the thesis: The author, Audre Lorde, wants represent ‘women’ in a different perspective, making sure that women are different and that they should stand up for each other.
– Body:
Lorde states that women are different and explains why that is the case
Evidence: “Third women…is represented”
Explain evidence.
Support of lesbians and how women are being identified.
Evidence: “For example…women-identified women”
Explain evidence.
Explaining what has been told in the conference
Evidence: First paragraph
Explain evidence.
– Conclusion:
State thesis again.
Introduction;
By writing “MT” (1979) Audre Lorde wants to represent all women who are different. There are a lot of different women. Some are poor, lesbian or black. Lorde wants to emphasise that these differences do not make a woman weaker, but stronger. Women should not be ashamed because of the differences. So, in “MT” Lorde wants women, who feel bad because their differences, to feel more powerful.
-Lisa Vermeulen
Paragraph 2;
The first evidence for Audre Lorde’s statement is: ‘To read this program is to assume that lesbian and block women have nothing to say about existentialism, the erotic , women’s culture […]” ( second paragraph, MT). In this sentence Lorde explains that some women have no say in certain topics. This can refer to the fact that there is a lot of difference between women. To support this, Lorde later explains women have been thought to ignore these differences. This of course referees back to the fact difference do not make you weaker, but stronger. -Femke Klemans
The Master tools essay prep
In the upcoming assignment you will see an essay written on the Master Tools will never dismantle the Master’s house. I had made a writing plan for that and an outline, but before writing the essay I must explain what my thesis is.
The one-sentence question is: What is the intended audience. My one-sentence answer: The author, Audre Lorde, wants to represent ‘women’ in a different perspective and that they should stand up for themselves, so the intended audience shall be ‘those women’. Those women are women who must stand up for themselves for any type of women, lesbian, black, bisexual etc. Audre Lorde claims so arguments to prove her point. Firstly she names that differences between women doesn’t make women weaker, when women stand up it should only make them stronger and they won’t be ashamed of themselves. Furthermore, she says that women do not always have a say. Audre Lorde says that women have been thought to ignore these differences, however Audre Lorde do not want those women to feel ignored, she wants the opposite that they have a right and say, that being different shouldn’t make someone strange or weird, but that they are the same and should the same rights. Audre Lorde, is an author who frequently writes about such topics. In my opinion, Audre Lorde wanted to make a change and with these texts and poems she wanted the spread that message towards her aimed audience, ‘rare’ women and hoped that they would listen to her poems and that it should encourage them to stand up and make a change.
Comparison: Self definition and Zami
This analysis is about two different pieces of texts written by Audre Lorde. The first text Self-definition and my poetry (1975) and the other one is Zami. SDAMP is a piece of text to provide Zami, SDAMP is needed to write Zami.
In SDAMP, Audre Lorde describes at first what poets describe themselves as. She says that they can write out of anything, but she believes that is how they define themselves, but they in reality are not since time is the key to write something. She continues by defying herself. She says that she does not define herself the same way as the other poets. She cannot separate life and poetry from each other, therefor poetry is her life and her poems are based on her life and thoughts. Her life is about truths which she hopes comes across, bringing richness to other women beyond the differences. She defines herself as a poet basing on truths and facts and inspiring other women regards to the differences. However, her poems are not accepted by many, she is not accepted, since she is a black lesbian. She says that she became strong of doing whatever she needed to do to become strong, but she believes not all do this, they are afraid, ashamed. People always have their own assumptions and this has an effect on many black and lesbian women, that they are not allowed to define themselves. Audre Lorde wants to express the message that in whatever circumstance a women is in it shouldn’t stop them from defining themselves even though it is hard, but when women start to believe in themselves they will become stronger and human rights will become equal.
In Zami, Audre Lorde states an example of Zami finding herself and defining herself by several events. Zami has different relationships which all made her look at herself differently the one more than the other this led to Zami defining herself more. The perspective in both texts are similar. In SDAMP, Audre Lorde wants to explain how define yourself and be strong in whatever circumstance. In Zami, Zami has an influence on the author since is shows a story and has more impact and that leads to Zami having an influence on the way people can define themselves. Furthermore, is culture the same in the texts. Cultures could be the cause of many women not finding their true selves. Since there are many people with different cultures who believe black, lesbian etc. Are no good or not acceptability, which is understandable but that shouldn’t lead that they are not respected well to have a right as well, because in this way they will never find their identity to define themself.
To sum up, the two texts have most things in common. In my opinion the SDAMP is the base to write Zami, Zami could have been other story, however SDAMP couldn’t since Audre Lorde describes how people are affected in their everyday life for them not to find their identity.
Are you able to write a piece of text based on these photos??
Zami
Zami is one of the chapters in Audre Lordes book. Zami is a biomythography chapter by Audre Lorde. I have summarized the three chapters together with Femke Klemans and Lisa Vermeulen.
Chapter 1: Audre Lords parents fled from Carriacou to America. Their aim was to get employed, they succeed but one day Linda the mom was fired due to her dark skin tone. Linda had a gift, she had knowledge about everything, the way people looked at her, why certain things were the way they are, anything. In 1929 they had children and here is were it started. Linda started to rattle stories about her time in Carriacou, she missed it there: from the trees to the fruits to the people. In her new country black women had no power, but back home they were powerful. They survived the absence of their sea-faring men. She dreamt about Carriacou, and wanted me to dream of Grenada when the time was there, however where Audre is now is the place the mom describes her peaceful time.
Chapter 2: Audre Lorde’s mom was a powerful woman, which was unusual at that time. However, her mom was always different; even in a crowd with black women. Audre Lorde’s father and mother would discuss everything, which was also very different at that time. However, Audre Lorde realises now that her mother didn’t have a lot of power, because of her dark skin. Her family lived a poor life in which they were treated differently, and they were not allowed to do certain things.
Chapter 3: In chapter three you get to know more about the life of Audre Lorde, or as it used to be Audrey Lorde, as she didn’t like the “y” hanging there after her name. Audre Lorde went to a public school, where you either fight or get beaten up, in contrary of her two older sister, who went to a catholic school. Beside this, the chapter is about how she learned to read, with the help of Mrs. Augusta Baker and that this saved her life. This all ended up with her mother being genuinely happy, her child is in fact not dump, which she was actually afraid of.
My biomythography story
I believe a very common story, Aladdin. A Disney story we have all seen and read, but this time it isn’t the usual Disney story, it actually is a myth. It is my myth, the myth from my birth. Making use of this myth and describe my birth on this earth. However, the myth has a twist on the main story, but it is a myth and eventually you could make the correlation.
TO WHOM DO I OWE the power of being a life? There once was a poor tailor, who had a son called Aladdin, a careless, idle boy who would do nothing but play all day long in the streets. One day, when he was playing a stranger came up to him and asked if he was the son of Mustafa. Aladdin replied:’ Yes I am, sir.’ ” I am your uncle go tell your parents”. That made Aladdin run home and tell the wonderful news to his parents. It appeared that his uncle was dead. His family made peace with it a couple of years ago, that is the reason why the mom was so suprised, but happy at the same time. The next couple of days the ‘stranger’ made time for Aladdin every hour of the day. They went from shopping to swimming, until that day. The day the stranger was waiting for. He wanted Aladdin to find the treasure inside the rocky mountain. Aladdin was polite and so he did. He fought his way through the cave. Suddenly the stranger was trying to compel Aladdin. How was that possible? Only magician could do that, and that is what he appeared to be, a magician. He was trying to take the treasures lamp from Aladdin and leave with it. But it was too late, Aladdin already opened the lamp and there is where it happened… A giantic blue Genie came out of it, me.
TO WHOM DO I OWN obeying the person opening the lamp? I am what I am. I am the genie inside the magical lamp. The lamp Aladdin opened and made my life start again. The smell of fresh air. The visions my eyes were making. The fascinating sounds of my ears. Everything was new and I loved it. My memory has faded, nor can I remember what I was doing in that lamp, is that the way of birth? Those were my first thoughts. The chaos in my mind made me feel sick, so many unanswered problems. On the bright sight I am here on Earth out of that lamp and I will have the eternity to life, until my man has used all his wishes. Only then I will die and fade a way, my ashes will stay in the lamp. The next time a person opens that lamp a new genie will be born. This makes me being triggered about my time on this earth and I will obey the lucky person who opened the lamp and give him the three wishes he wants.
I will obey Aladdin for anything, because he made birth to my life.
A whole new world, that’s where we’ll be, a thrilling chase, a wonderous place for you and me
Reflection on Biomythography
I have written an autobiomythography story based on my birth, I incorporated my favorite Disney Story Aladdin. I opened my story with the Zami opening. I found this way of starting a text and even using it during a text very interesting. Furthermore, this way of writing made my story seem more clear, I did not really think it through how I would have written my myth by use of Hesiod.
I believe my story is creative, I am the genie in the lamp and because of Aladdin opening the lamp I was being born. As a genie I have to obey Aladdin and have to make his wishes come true. However, when he has used all his attempts I will unfortunately die.
I liked my story, it is fun and I believe when someone reads it it will be very clear, because I have a chosen a fun topic to write about.
Reflection on Biomythography: Identity
I have not used this key concept yet, so this time I will be making use of the concept Identity. I believe I have shown my identity in the myth. I have explained that I am the genie and how that made my life start.
I found the assignment a bit confusing at first, however when reading the PowerPoint again it was not that hard as I expected it to be. I had great fun writing the story. I believe it had to do with the topic I had chosen. I have always been a big fan of Aladdin, writing about it makes it even easier, because I can get into character and that helps me with finding the identity for the story. This time I had to be a genie, so I tried to imagine what is was like to be a genie. So I tried to identify how it was like and I believe I did great, because the story is interesting to read.
This assignment was a lot of fun and very interesting. In class it may have been a bit unclear and vague however after some research I got some results and I am happy with it.
When did you last let your heart decide?
Other poems by Audre Lorde
Poetry is not a luxury: In 1977 Audre Lorde published ‘Poetry Is Not a Luxury’ for Chrysalis: A Magazine of Female Culture. In it, she expresses a special affection to poetry, but most of all she wants to convince the reader that poetry is more than just sterile wordplay. She mentions that it is a ‘revelatory distillation of experience’ (page 3). She also keeps mentioning that ‘poetry is not a luxury’ (title, page 3, several other places). She gives repeated examples: being black or being gay. For neither communities it is easy to live. Many white people judge you from you visions or from your personality. She wants the reader to know that it is your poetry you express that makes you who you are and wants to give us the feeling that we do not need to listen to the people who think those people are unfamiliar in their ‘perfect’ community. Whatever community you belong to is the one you feel your poetry is being expressed.
A woman speaks: When in public, Audre Lorde’s poetry is not seen, but when the tides turn she is remembered, as can be derived from the first sentence. When the tights come out of her unwritten magic speaks. She might also think if something is perfect, it might well be too good to be true. Moon marked and touched by sun my magic is unwritten. When the moon is marked it is dark and when sun is touched her blackness visible. Her blackness is entitled by day and night. That is what we thought of that sentence. Her magic is unwritten, you say words so magic is spoken things happen just like spells.
With ‘I do not mix love with pity’, we think she means that she doesn’t want people to feel sorry for her, she just wants them to love her for who she is. She doesn’t want to be seen as a different ‘type’ of person, but she thinks that the feeling against ‘different’ people will never disappear. With Witches in Dahomey she refers to Dahomey, which is an iconic piece by Audre Lorde herself and in this case, by calling them witches she wants to show that their strength is seen as evil. For example, the lesbians and the black community. However, despite them being seen as evil, she still wants to join them.
With the third stanza, she could want to show that together, the communities have the power to change things, and that could lead to the ‘wide futures’ she mentions. The way she puts down ‘I am woman and not white’ makes it look/sound to us that she is very confident about it. About being a black woman, and she is not ashamed
Liza Saaed' Blog 