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Lorde implies that protecting and providing for them the best that one can should be a priority that is acted on, not just talked about. Speaking about putting them first and doing it are two very different things as are "...poetry and rhetoric...." (1030) Poetry is metrical composition in verse that uses figurative language, symbols, metaphors to help express aspects of internal and external realities in some meaningful way. The key is the meaningful way. Poets, as well as all artists, want to be heard and seen because they feel they have a meaningful point to be made, whatever the point may be. The creator has created for a purpose and many times it is to speak out against wrongs and tragedies caused by hatred. Rhetoric is only the art of writing and speaking effectively while poetry is the art of speaking emotionally and freely. In this first stanza Lorde expresses her natural woman instinct that children must come first in a curt and short poetic
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In line one she talks of how she has "...not been able to touch the destruction within me...." (1030) The destruction may represent her own hatred for the corruptness of white politics. That corruption that she has not given in to, yet. In line two and three she talks again of using the difference she finds in poetry versus rhetoric. This difference is meaningfully doing something against these type of injustices. Line four of this stanza is extremely important to this poem. "...my power too will run corrupt as poisonous mold..."(1030) It expresses Lorde's own fears that she may fall prey to racially corruption due to this loss of faith in humanity and innocence. She shows the audience what could happen if her own corruption takes hold. In the last seven lines of the last stanza Lorde paints a violent revenge for justice against all the wrongs she has known. The last two lines are extremely interesting. A Greek chorus will sing, like they did during Greek tragedies in response to the play's action, "...Poor thing. She never hurt a soul. What beasts they are...."(1030) At first it could appear that the sympathy is meant for the 85-year-old white women who was raped, beaten senseless, and then set a fire by Audre Lorde. But it may also be for Audre Lorde herself, because she perhaps claims she was driven to such horrible racial revenge by white-male dominated society. Perhaps both
In line one she talks of how she has "...not been able to touch the destruction within me...." (1030) The destruction may represent her own hatred for the corruptness of white politics. That corruption that she has not given in to, yet. In line two and three she talks again of using the difference she finds in poetry versus rhetoric. This difference is meaningfully doing something against these type of injustices. Line four of this stanza is extremely important to this poem. "...my power too will run corrupt as poisonous mold..."(1030) It expresses Lorde's own fears that she may fall prey to racially corruption due to this loss of faith in humanity and innocence. She shows the audience what could happen if her own corruption takes hold. In the last seven lines of the last stanza Lorde paints a violent revenge for justice against all the wrongs she has known. The last two lines are extremely interesting. A Greek chorus will sing, like they did during Greek tragedies in response to the play's action, "...Poor thing. She never hurt a soul. What beasts they are...."(1030) At first it could appear that the sympathy is meant for the 85-year-old white women who was raped, beaten senseless, and then set a fire by Audre Lorde. But it may also be for Audre Lorde herself, because she perhaps claims she was driven to such horrible racial revenge by white-male dominated society. Perhaps both