Can you recall the times when you are being told that you are not good enough? “Coal” by Audre Lorde is a poetry that encourage self-appreciation. According to the speaker, words carry implicit meaning. Moreover, the speaker compares open words to a diamond while comparing others words to stapled wagers. It is understandable that positive words grant you power while negative words hurt your feeling. But what words are considering open and which are not open? With the use of imagery and simile, Lorde demonstrates the way we can control the meaning of the words but simply focus on the good more than the bad. This poem reveals that there is always a way to restore confidence and the choice is in our own hands.
Lorde initiates the poem with the …show more content…
An open word will bring you to a realization of your greatness and will boosts your confidence; therefore, a word with negative meaning will put someone down. For instance, the speaker recounts “Then there are words like stapled wagers/ In a perforated book- buy and sign and tear apart-/ And come whatever wills all chances” (11-13). The reference to stapled wagers depicts a perforated book being used. When you are using a perforated notebook, you can fold and tear along the dotted line, but the stub of the pages remains on the wire or on the edges (14). The “stub” is the torn part of something. When you tear out all the pages from the book, what’s left behind is the stubs. The perforated book with stub only is as when someone say hurtful things to you, they are leaving you a scar. The implied meaning of “stub” put an emphasis on the scary power of negative words. As previously stated, an open word allows you to express and embrace your true self. In contrast, a word that is not open are words that holds you back or leave you doubting yourself. These words put you down. As we know, some people often put the others down to make themselves look better. However, they didn’t realize the severity of their action. The speaker indicates that the impact of words is often greater than what we think. Besides, different people perceive things differently, some people might …show more content…
However, the speaker claims that there are words that is “Seeking like gypsies over my tongue/ To explode through my lips (18-19). The word “seeking like gypsies” suggests that these words are wandering around in the speaker’s mouth. The indication of wandering around illustrates that the speaker is waiting for a perfect timing to present his/her inner self. The words that are wondering in the mouth can be assumed as open words as when the speaker did not reject it. As a reader, we might ask if a word is open, why would the speaker need to wait for the right time to spit it out? Maybe the speaker still feel unconfident and needs more time to boost their self- confidence because they were once being forced to deny the expression of their true self. This hesitation is an implied message from Lorde to the unconfident people, she encourages them to take their time in building their confidence as she understands that it is easier to lose confidence than to gain
Lorde initiates the poem with the …show more content…
An open word will bring you to a realization of your greatness and will boosts your confidence; therefore, a word with negative meaning will put someone down. For instance, the speaker recounts “Then there are words like stapled wagers/ In a perforated book- buy and sign and tear apart-/ And come whatever wills all chances” (11-13). The reference to stapled wagers depicts a perforated book being used. When you are using a perforated notebook, you can fold and tear along the dotted line, but the stub of the pages remains on the wire or on the edges (14). The “stub” is the torn part of something. When you tear out all the pages from the book, what’s left behind is the stubs. The perforated book with stub only is as when someone say hurtful things to you, they are leaving you a scar. The implied meaning of “stub” put an emphasis on the scary power of negative words. As previously stated, an open word allows you to express and embrace your true self. In contrast, a word that is not open are words that holds you back or leave you doubting yourself. These words put you down. As we know, some people often put the others down to make themselves look better. However, they didn’t realize the severity of their action. The speaker indicates that the impact of words is often greater than what we think. Besides, different people perceive things differently, some people might …show more content…
However, the speaker claims that there are words that is “Seeking like gypsies over my tongue/ To explode through my lips (18-19). The word “seeking like gypsies” suggests that these words are wandering around in the speaker’s mouth. The indication of wandering around illustrates that the speaker is waiting for a perfect timing to present his/her inner self. The words that are wondering in the mouth can be assumed as open words as when the speaker did not reject it. As a reader, we might ask if a word is open, why would the speaker need to wait for the right time to spit it out? Maybe the speaker still feel unconfident and needs more time to boost their self- confidence because they were once being forced to deny the expression of their true self. This hesitation is an implied message from Lorde to the unconfident people, she encourages them to take their time in building their confidence as she understands that it is easier to lose confidence than to gain