Hanging Fire Essay

Self-centered Teen or Thought-invoking utterer Hanging exonerate by Audre Lorde The utterer system in Audre Lords poem Hanging Fire is extremely self-centered. Does this limit the poems dexterity to say anything of general survey? A simple subscribe to of Hanging Fire by Audre Lorde might lead one to quit that there is no real value in this self-centered poem. However, upon vital analysis, one can obtain valuable insights from the poem. The 14-year-old verbaliser deals with major issues that infestation the young generation much(prenominal) as look acceptance, race and sex inequality, sexuality, stopping point and communication with parents. In the following paragraphs, I will ground the speakers feelings on each of these matters.One issue that the speaker addresses is the instancy to fit in with her peers. The poem deals with such topics as dance and upcoming parties (I have to learn to dance/ In prison term for the next party), the importance of fashion (I hav e goose egg to wear tomorrow) and physical appearance (Why do I have to be/ The one/ Wearing braces). These are characteristic topics that cause striplings to fear failure in terms of social acceptance. The pressure of not fitting into social norms can oppress these young individuals, both emotionally and socially and the speaker is quite clear in the poem that she is concerned with these issues.Secondly, the issue of racial and gender inequality is evident in the poem. The speaker appears to be an African American girl. The poem begins with I am fourteen/ And my skin has betrayed me. This line could be interpreted in devil ways. First, it could indicate that the speaker is dealing with pimples and blemishes, another example of a teenagers concern about physical appearance. On the other hand, a more interesting interpretation is that the speaker is indicating that she is black. This reference to race indicates the speakers cognizantness that racism has caused and will cause her many frustrations in life. Another line in the poem states that I should have been on the math team/ My marks were better than his. The use of this incident is truly creative because it deals with two issues racial inequality and gender inequality.The speaker feels the inequity of discrimination because she believes the spot on the math team should have been for her besides, instead, was rewarded to the male minor due to her gender and the color of her skin. This line provides the ratifier with an example of the oppression and hardships the speaker is suffering as a black girl in school. The speaker later states in the poem, There is nothing I wishing to do/ And as well much/ That has to be done. She recognizes that it will be hard to step forward and join the fight to have union accept equality. In fact, at times the speaker feels the task is too hard and that she does not want to try at all. Her adolescent proneness to be accepted in society without ridicule further impedes her efforts to outmatch the oppression.The third issue in the poem is sexuality. In the third line, the speaker states The boy I cannot live without /Still sucks his thumb / In obscure. It is here that she tells the reader that she is not comfortable expressing her different views about her sexuality. The boy I cannot live without refers to the boy inside her and the reader sees that the speaker is aware that her feelings, emotions, and preference to the female sex must remain a privy for fear of scrutiny and non-acceptance. The riddle thumb-sucking may refer to her insecurities of being gay. The speaker feels compelled to live a lie to turn away further shunning by her peers and society. The statement in the poem Suppose I die onward graduation/ They will sing sad melodies/ But finally/ grade the truth about me describes the unveiling of the truth of the speakers mysterious life upon her death and so reinforces the fact that she is not ready to publicly acknowledg e her sexuality.Another topic in the poem is the communication fuss between the speaker and her suffer. Each of three stanzas ends with the same two lines And milliamperes in the bedroom/ With the door closed. It is obvious that the speaker feels that her mother is unapproachable. The door between the mother and speaker represents the lack of communication catamenia between parent and child. The speaker, as a teenager, wishes to exercise her independence but still requires guidance in order to deal with adolescent issues such as social acceptance, racism, gender, sexuality and death. However, the conflict between the teenagers growing pains and the mothers reluctance to acknowledge her childs independence has caused their communication to become obstructed. The speaker feels alone in the world and believes that she has nowhere to turn.Lastly, the speaker describes her adolescent fascination with death. The speaker refers to death in each of the three stanzas. As a teenager, the speaker is not only feeling overwhelmed by adolescent problems, but is also turn aware of the future obstacles in life. The speaker sees death as a way of escaping these troubles. Death would allow her communication problems with her mother to disappear, cause her secret about her sexuality to be uncovered and save her from having to fight against societal oppression to accomplish the acceptance of equality. The speaker is seen to contemplate the common, yet unfortunate, adolescent idea of whether death and suicide is a real way to avoid the pressures of life and growing up.Therefore, if the reader of Audre Lordes poem Hanging Fire is able to move past the adolescents self-pity and into the substance of the poem, the reader is likely to gain an understanding of the serious topics being contemplated by a 14-year-old black girl. In this poem the speaker considers issues such as peer acceptance, racism, gender, sexuality, death and the importance of parental communication. Even the ti tle, in association with the poem, provides value as it communicates to the reader that the speaker wishes to hang fire or turn back dealing with the many pressures and obstacles in her life. Thus, even though the speaker in this poem is extremely self-centered, it does not limit the poems ability to say something of general value.