Question:
Discuss about significance of Lorde’s narrative taking place during Independence Day holiday?
Answer:
The Fourth of July is a day that is well known too all Americans, a day of liberty and freedom. Throughout her essay, Lorde expressed her anger because in Fourth of July she felt the racism while in a ice cream parlor buying ice cream with her family. At that, time racism was all around America. Lorde’s family kept silent about all the things they have faced because they knew nothing going to change the society for anything. Throughout her essay, it was depicted clearly that at that the black people were surrounded by the shackles of society and politics in such a way that it was quite impossible to revolt against them and fight back with everything. As an young girl Lorde went to the capital for a vacation and unfortunately on the fourth of July was her family experiences a glimpse of racism (Lorde and Audre) . Lorde could not see the liberty of freedom on her visit to the capital. The fourth of July she experienced racism and which is quite ironic because Fourth of July is the Independence Day (Lowe and Alexander). Throughout her essay, she expressed her outrage and she also makes the readers realize that people at that time people use to make a big deal about holiday but they do not actually understand what a real holiday stands for. An angry tone was found throughout the essay. She also says that she viewed July with the eyes of agony and rage.The title of the essay itself emphasizes the ironic experience between her experience and her visit to the country’s capital.
References:
Lorde, Audre. “The Fourth of July.” Common Ground: Reading and Writing about America’s Cultures (1994)..
Lowe, Alexander. “Reparations for Racism: Why the Persistence of Institutional Racism in America Demands More Than Equal Opportunity for Black Citizens.” (2015).
