The readings this week are “Poetry is not a Luxury” by Audrey Lorde and James T. Stewart’s “The Development of the Black Revolutionary War”. In the text, Audrey Lorde discusses poetry. Not poetry in terms of rhyming words or specific stanzas, as white literature frames it, but poetry as a mode of communicating and accessing our emotions. Stewart discusses the revolution of black arts. Not in general terms but in a way that African-Americans saw themselves and clearly understood that this new model must originate within the Black community. According to the Lorde and Stewart, both of their stories support the narrative that blacks should follow their own models, support each other and able to produce quality work that is not reflecting of the
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For women of color, poetry is vital for survival and for thinking of new ways of being and striving for justice in the world. For example, the text states “For each of us women, there is a dark place within, where hidden and grown our true spirit rises, “beautiful/and tough as a chestnut/stanchions against (y)our nightmare/” and of importance. (Lorde644)” She’s expressing that women get put into a box that they shouldn’t be in. Women have to constantly prove themselves, this narrative is still prevalent in modern society from job pay to credibility in certain industries. Lorde also elaborated on how she felt that the definition of poetry is different for white and blacks. “The white fathers distorted the word poetry to mean --- in order to cover a despite wish for imagination without sight. (Lorde 644)” Lorde explains that she does not feel as though poetry is a play on words, but it tells a story and is a revolutionary distillation of an experience. Poetry can help name these often intangible feelings and yearnings and bring them into being. Poetry, helps bring a name to a persons pain and joys, which are meant to be destroyed in a capitalist society. “For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is vitally necessary for our existence. It forms the quality of light within which we predicate our hope and dreams toward survival and change, …show more content…
The text states “…models should be nonwhite…. (Stewart 906)” the style of the African American community should be consistent with a black style, the natural aesthetic styles, moral and spiritual styles. Stewart feels as though one should follow the natural demands of the culture and not follow what the “white-man” tell them to. He feels as though when it comes to the white American culture the African culture gets suppressed because the American people want things to be perceived and done a certain type of way. Likewise, stated with Lorde stereotypes upon African Americans is still an issue. One doesn’t know another’s culture entirely because they do not live their everyday struggles and vice versa. Also, cultural appropriation is prevalent during this time period as well, for example, “the white scholar had us believe that he “rescues” these “valuable” pieces. He “saves” them from their creators, those “ignorant” colored people that could destroy them. (Stewart907)” When reading this quote from the text it can steer a reader in different directions but the one thought that stood out the most was how during the slavery days’ white people would take the Africans ideas and make it their own. Also, how Elvis Presley was clearly inspired by blues and jazz but the people he was influenced by did not receive the
For women of color, poetry is vital for survival and for thinking of new ways of being and striving for justice in the world. For example, the text states “For each of us women, there is a dark place within, where hidden and grown our true spirit rises, “beautiful/and tough as a chestnut/stanchions against (y)our nightmare/” and of importance. (Lorde644)” She’s expressing that women get put into a box that they shouldn’t be in. Women have to constantly prove themselves, this narrative is still prevalent in modern society from job pay to credibility in certain industries. Lorde also elaborated on how she felt that the definition of poetry is different for white and blacks. “The white fathers distorted the word poetry to mean --- in order to cover a despite wish for imagination without sight. (Lorde 644)” Lorde explains that she does not feel as though poetry is a play on words, but it tells a story and is a revolutionary distillation of an experience. Poetry can help name these often intangible feelings and yearnings and bring them into being. Poetry, helps bring a name to a persons pain and joys, which are meant to be destroyed in a capitalist society. “For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is vitally necessary for our existence. It forms the quality of light within which we predicate our hope and dreams toward survival and change, …show more content…
The text states “…models should be nonwhite…. (Stewart 906)” the style of the African American community should be consistent with a black style, the natural aesthetic styles, moral and spiritual styles. Stewart feels as though one should follow the natural demands of the culture and not follow what the “white-man” tell them to. He feels as though when it comes to the white American culture the African culture gets suppressed because the American people want things to be perceived and done a certain type of way. Likewise, stated with Lorde stereotypes upon African Americans is still an issue. One doesn’t know another’s culture entirely because they do not live their everyday struggles and vice versa. Also, cultural appropriation is prevalent during this time period as well, for example, “the white scholar had us believe that he “rescues” these “valuable” pieces. He “saves” them from their creators, those “ignorant” colored people that could destroy them. (Stewart907)” When reading this quote from the text it can steer a reader in different directions but the one thought that stood out the most was how during the slavery days’ white people would take the Africans ideas and make it their own. Also, how Elvis Presley was clearly inspired by blues and jazz but the people he was influenced by did not receive the