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Compare And Contrast Power And South Carolina At War

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While Audre Lorde's "Power" and Jacqueline Woodson's "South Carolina at War" differ greatly in their use of form, tone, and imagery, both poems convey powerful themes of injustice and the ongoing struggle against oppression. In "Power", Lorde adopts a cynical and graphic tone to highlight the visceral imagery of police brutality and a rigged justice system. She suggests that in the face of such a corrupt system, the only way to achieve justice is through reciprocal violence. In contrast, Woodson adopts a more optimistic tone in "South Carolina at War" to convey the metaphor of protest as a war through the inspiring voice of the grandfather.

In the first poem, "Power", Lorde adopts a cynical and graphic tone to highlight the visceral imagery of police brutality and a rigged justice system. She writes, "I am trapped on a desert of raw gunshot wounds/ and a dead child dragging his shattered black/ face off the edge of my sleep". The disturbing imagery of "raw gunshot wounds" and a "dead child" dragging his "shattered black/ face" portrays the violence of racism and lack of accountability for white officers …show more content…

This contrast highlights their differing views on the methods necessary to fight oppression, with Lorde conveying the need for reciprocal violence and Woodson advocating for nonviolent protest. However, both poems use the metaphor of protest as a war to convey the profound injustice of racism and the immense sacrifices required to overcome it. Through their shared metaphorical theme of protest as a war, Audre Lorde's "Power" and Jacqueline Woodson's "South Carolina at War" highlight the violence of racism in America and the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality. While they differ in their views on the methods necessary for change, both poems stand as a powerful call to action against oppression and

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