The novel Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, Audre Lorde describes her exploration and self-refection as a woman coming of age in the 50s, and life from then on. Throughout her journey she encountered numerous women who would change who she was as a person as well as her thoughts about the world in which she lived. They unknowingly forced self-growth and self-reflection on Audre, molding into this woman she had always hoped to become. With each woman she’d care for, came a piece of them that Lorde
In Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling Of My Name, Audre, a Black Lesbian Poet, narrates her life story as unfair. This novel is under the unique genre that Lorde came up with called biomythography, which combines real life and myth. Moreover, Zami takes place in the 1950’s, which is still considered a critical time in America history for civil rights. In her quest for “fairness,” Audre often rebels against the status quo. This is due to the feeling she gets through the erotic, or what she describes
Silent Speech in Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name Even though, she was born on February 18 1934 as Audrey Geraldine Lorde, her name quickly changed to Audre Lorde; “I did not like the tail of the Y hanging down below the line in Audrey” (Lorde 24). She was only 4 years old when she made this decision, already marking her head-strong character, which Audre Lorde possessed throughout her turbulent life. Not only was Audre Lorde a fervent civil rights activist, but also a devout feminist
Silent Speech in Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name Even though, she was born on February 18 1934 as Audrey Geraldine Lorde, her name quickly changed to Audre Lorde; “I did not like the tail of the Y hanging down below the line in Audrey” (Lorde 24). She was only 4 years old when she made this decision, already marking her head-strong character, which Audre Lorde possessed throughout her turbulent life. Not only was Audre Lorde a fervent civil rights activist, but also a devout feminist
are meant to protect us actually inhibit the growth of our society, and thus prevent us from ending discrimination. Zami, a New Spelling
Lorde’s closet friendships were developed from within the lesbian community. In Barbara Dibernard’s analysis of Zami she points out that Gennie’s friendship helps Lorde sustain herself as a woman. I totally agree. The relationship between the two helped Lorde escape her everyday realities. She tells us “Gennie was the first person in my life that I was ever conscious of loving. She was my first true friend.” Although, Lorde never directly tells us that Gennie was gay, she does make hints at it. They
Zami by Audre Lorde and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson both complicate the traditional "coming out" narrative by exploring the complexities of identity formation. While both novels deal with themes of sexuality, they also challenge the idea that sexual identity is the only defining aspect of a person's identity. In Zami, Lorde presents a complex portrait of her own identity as a Black, lesbian, feminist writer. The novel explores the intersections of these identities, as well
political consequences that are placed on an individual. These four writers are Anne McClintock, Dean Spade, Margaret Sanger, and Audre Lorde; respectively, they wrote “Imperial Leather”, “Administrating Gender”, “Free Motherhood”, and ‘Zami: A New Spelling of My Name”. These four used their readings to express the hardships women and
Critical Analysis The word discrimination can be used in many ways as the contrast between groups of people, neither good nor bad. In todays society racial discrimination has more of a negative description. It can be defined as the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially over ethnical background and color. Over time discrimination has been viewed by many people and is considered unjust. The Fourth of July, The Blind Side, and The Help all share some type
Mobility What is Mobility? This word has numerous meanings: mobility means the ability to move. I think of African Americans and their mobility when I think of this word, for example, the movement of enslaved Africans to the Americas, the movement of African Americans in society and the struggles they face throughout history? We learned in class about the diverse ways African Americans show mobility, for example, flight, fugitive, passing, and many more. The one that resonated with me the most
lesbians, cross-dressers as well as women stood up to the police, at the Stonewall Inn, located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. This event became the single most important event leading to gay liberation movement and fight for LGBT rights in the US. Back in that time, the Stonewall Inn was the only gay club left in the New York City that allowed dancing for its patrons. Police had raided many other gay clubs with the intent to kill such spaces for they felt that the
Ntozake Shange is a black female artist and feminist. According to Neal A. Luster’s introduction in At the Heart of Shange’s Feminism: An Interview, she has a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Barnard College and a master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Southern California. As an artist, she has written poetry collections, novels, novellas, critical essays, plays, and “choreopoems,” a genre she developed herself (Luster, “At the Heart”). A true hybrid form, the choreopoem