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Dialogues@RU is published
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University of New Jersey

Volume Three
Spring 2004

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In Lorde’s autobiography, the concept of dual consciousness is expanded beyond Friedman’s application, which is aimed specifically towards women. In a case such as Lorde’s, there is not only a cultural prescription for those who fit into the category of “women” to contend with, but also for the categories of “black” and “lesbian,” as well as the other labels that were placed on her as a child. The idea of “dual consciousness” can be applied to Lorde’s experience and be further understood as moving beyond Friedman’s “dual” consciousness to a multi-layered consciousness. When one belongs to more than one oppressed minority group, it is not only the sum of the cultural prescriptions for each group added to the others that must be taken into consideration, but how each minority group relates to the others as well. Lorde exemplifies the idea of a multi-layered consciousness when she writes of encountering racism in the lesbian community, discussing what it is like to be the only black woman among her lesbian group of friends. She writes, “I was acutely conscious. . .that my relationship as a Black woman to our shared lives was different from theirs, and would be, gay or straight. The question of acceptance had a different weight for me” (181). Lorde also found homophobia in the black community as evidenced by her explanation that “My straight Black girlfriends either ignored my love for women. . .or tolerated it as another example of my craziness. It was allowable as long as it wasn’t too obvious and it didn’t reflect on them in any way” (180). These barriers within her social circles kept her from feeling totally known and connected to the others in any one group. She is subjected not only to the mainstream culture’s prejudices towards the minorities of blacks, lesbians, and women, but also to the cultures of black and lesbian and woman as they view and relate to each other. In one way, this adds to the amount of alienation that she feels from being a part of these marginalized groups. However, on the positive side, it also allows her to experience each of these cultures separately, getting to know what being a part of each of these groups means for her as an individual. As Friedman puts it, “cultural representations of woman lead not only to women’s alienation, but also to the potential for a ‘new consciousness’ of self” (81). Lorde’s identification with each of these marginalized groups amplify those various aspects of her identity. Each group reflects back to her a piece of her self, though none of them can completely define her.

In attempting to understand this concept of “dual” or multi-layered consciousness, especially in light of Lorde’s writing, a causal relationship becomes apparent. While Lorde’s sense of self was greatly influenced by the biases of the cultures surrounding her, the reverse is also true, that is, that as an individual she was also able to influence prevalent biased beliefs of society through activism. First, considering how her view of self as an individual is affected by the cultural reflection, it can be seen that she has gained a more whole self-view through experiences with groups of others representing different aspects of her self. For instance, she explains that even in her high school years “Each part of my school life was separate from the other, with no connection except through me. None of the other people would have anything to do with each other” (86). At a young age, she learned that although she could find solidarity with others who were in some way like her, she did not fit into any one category or “type” of people. Margaret Kissam Morris writes of Lorde that, “she refuses absolutely to confine herself, even temporarily, to any one aspect of her heterogeneous identity, whether to support a political program or to make others feel comfortable” (168). It seems that the insight that she gained from being involved with the multiple minority groups that she belonged to and understanding the cultural perceptions of each of these groups provided her with a self image that included various aspects of her person.

On the flip side, her perception of self as an individual also has a causal effect on the cultural perception of those in the minority groups to which she belonged, as evidenced in Lorde’s successes in her attempts to influence the public’s understanding of these groups. As the author of ten books of poetry and seven books of prose, she spent much of her life getting her ideas out to the public. Changing cultural perceptions is her motivation for writing. In an interview with Lorde in the documentary entitled “A Litany for Survival: the Life and Work of Audre Lorde,” she tells the story of being at a convention where a young black lesbian poet stood up and asked if it is possible to be who you need to be and live to tell the story. Her response was that “if that young woman can say that and not know that yes, it’s quite possible to be who you need to be and live to tell the story . . . that must mean that I have not been telling my stories loud enough. And that was, interestingly enough, one of the first times I really thought that I would attempt to write prose” ( Paterson). This experience led her to the realization that expanding her work to include this other genre might increase the efficacy of her writing.

Lorde’s transition from writing only poetry to becoming an author of prose raises the question of the role of both of these genres in feminist writing. Vicki Feaver addresses the power of poetry in her essay, “Body and Soul: The Power of Sharon Olds.” She argues that Olds “offers the poetry of her survival – her courage to speak out, to tell about it, in her refusal to accept powerlessness, her quest to identify good and evil, her celebration of sexuality and love – for the survival of humanity” (qtd. in Kirkpatrick). This argument speaks to the validity of poetry as a feminist genre that empowers the reader. Claire Wills distinguishes between the two genres in her essay, “Marking Time: Fanny Howe’s Poetics of Translucence,” stating that “the poetic self isn’t simply autobiographical,” but instead a self “fractured and opaque, traversed by all kinds of unconscious forces, and reverberating with cultural and historical echoes and memories which are beyond its control” (qtd. in Kirkpatrick). This interpretation suggests that poetry is written out of, and evokes in the reader, deep feeling as opposed to narrative autobiography that stems from, and results in, more conscious thinking. This is not to marginalize the power of autobiography, which claims the discovery of self and works in feminist writing toward instilling empowerment through solidarity and in many cases, promotes appreciation of diversity. Audre Lorde is an accomplished writer in both genres of poetry and prose.

Her autobiographical narrative, Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, can be considered a mixed genre because of her insertion of poems intermixed in the chapters of prose. For example, while relaying memories of time spent with her best friend Gennie, who died while they were young, Lorde inserts a poem to further express the impact of the death.

And you did not come back to April though spring was a powerful lure

but bided your time in silence knowing the dead must endure

And you came not again to summer nor till the green oaks were leaving

traces of blood in the autumn and there were hours for grieving. (124)

Her poetry is vague about the specific event, but focuses on the deeper feelings associated with it. This allows the reader to relate to the emotions expressed, which gives poetry a universal quality. Her prose establishes a different connection with the reader. The telling of the story of her life offers a concrete look at the circumstances that shaped her into the strong individual that she became in a way that she could not accomplish with poetry alone. Lorde’s endeavors in both genres allow her to be a more effective activist and provide for wider readership.

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