Audre Lorde The Fourth Of July Analysis

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We have gained independence from Great Britain, discrimination and lack of equal rights still exist among the people . As shown in the article “The Fourth of July” by Audre Lorde contains about discrimination which occurred on the independence day in Washington D.C. Audre Lorde visits Washington, D.C. with her family where she comes across many things that she wasn’t aware of. Her family couldn’t stand up for themselves which made Lorde get frustrated about the situation. In the story Lorde was not allowed to do many things which shows that independence for Lorde, does not exist for everyone. As shown in the text, Lorde feels excluded from the crowd around her because her family was not allowed to be at specific place. In the railroad when …show more content…
Also they do not have enough independence where they can do whatever they feel to do. “My mother never mentioned that black people were not allowed into railroad dining cars headed south in 1947.” (Lorde, 240). Lorde understands that why she was not allowed to go on the dining car which makes her sad because it is unfair to her. Lorde does not have the right to go to the dining car. However, she finds out the reason that black people were not allowed to eat in the dining car. This shows that how everyone did not had the right to the freedom and they were seeking for their equal right. A person like Audre Lorde feels excluded from the people around her because of their race. Also, because the rules of the government differentiate African-American and white people. This clearly states that black people won’t have the positive feelings for the nation and might not feel proud on the independence …show more content…
For instance, Lorde feels everything around her in washington D.C. was so white than her hometown New York. “The waitress was white, and the counter was white, and the ice cream I never ate in Washington D.C., that summer I left childhood was white, and the white heat and the white pavement and the white stone monuments of my first washington summer made me sick to my stomach for the whole rest of that trip and it wasn 't much of the graduation present after all.” (Lorde 242). Lorde compare Washington D.C.to her hometown New York because she can feel the difference between the people, places and their perspective. In the text, Audre Lorde talks about how it, refers to how she felt everything was so white, because she thought everything was equal or simple as the color white but the reality was something different. Lorde feels the line between, compares to things near her which were white. This explains that the color of things and her skin makes her feel excluded from having independence and equal

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