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The Fourth Of July Summary

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Hunger, Katie SR “The Fourth of July”

Background
Audre Lorde was a New York born, self described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.” A lot of her work addressed issues with racism, sexism, and homophobia. Not only did Lorde write a lot of poetry, but from a young age she replied to people by quoting poetry that she had memorized. Lorde’s nickname is “Gamba Adisa” which means “Warrior: she who makes her meaning clear.” She took the name in an African naming ceremony.

Summary “I always hated the Fourth of July, even before I came to realize the travesty such a celebration was for Black people in this country” (10). In her piece, “The Fourth of July,” author Audre Lorde and her family took a trip to visit the nation’s capital over the Fourth of July holiday. The Lorde family traveled from their home to Washington, D.C. by train. Lorde wanted to eat food from the dining car, but her mother said it was too expensive when in reality Blacks were not allowed to eat in dining cars on a south bound train in …show more content…

This was one of the most thoughtfully constructed pieces we have read. Obviously, I can not relate to race issues, but Lorde’s writing style is so personal it makes it easy to read and imagine being in her shoes. Her point of view was refreshing. Craft This was the first piece of Lorde’s writing that I have read. She used several rhetorical devices throughout “The Fourth of July,” but imagery was the most prevalent. Lorde emphasized colors such as the “violently yellow” cupcakes and the “white mottled marble counter” (p. 139). Also, the repetition of the word white in paragraph 20 caused me to stop and pay attention to exactly what she was saying. A lot of this appealed to the reader’s pathos. The details made Lorde’s narrative seem more real and more reliable which supports her

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