Introduction: “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
“Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde first appeared in 1978 in her poetry collection The Black Unicorn, a work that foregrounds issues of identity, adolescence, race, and gender. The poem is narrated by a fourteen-year-old girl who voices her insecurities about her changing body—“I am fourteen / and my skin has betrayed me” (Lorde, 1997, p. 255)—while simultaneously fearing death—“what if I die / before morning” (p. 255). Its popularity rests on the raw honesty with which it captures the turbulence of adolescence: the tension between mundane concerns like “my knees are always so ashy” (p. 255) and existential dread such as “suppose I die before graduation” (p. 256). The refrain “and momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed” (pp. 255–257) underscores feelings of parental absence and emotional neglect, amplifying the speaker’s isolation. By combining intimate, confessional tones with universal themes of mortality, alienation, and identity formation, Lorde gave voice to young women’s struggles in a way that resonated widely, making the poem a lasting piece in modern American poetry.
Text: “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
I am fourteen
and my skin has betrayed me
the boy I cannot live without
still sucks his thumb
in secret
how come my knees are
always so ashy
what if I die
before morning
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.
I have to learn how to dance
in time for the next party
my room is too small for me
suppose I die before graduation
they will sing sad melodies
but finally
tell the truth about me
There is nothing I want to do
and too much
that has to be done
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.
Nobody even stops to think
about my side of it
I should have been on Math Team
my marks were better than his
why do I have to be
the one
wearing braces
I have nothing to wear tomorrow
will I live long enough
to grow up
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.
Annotations: “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
| Line | Original Text | Simple English Explanation | Literary Devices |
| 1 | I am fourteen | The speaker is a 14-year-old teenager. | 🟢 First-person point of view: Uses “I” to show personal perspective. |
| 2 | and my skin has betrayed me | The speaker feels their skin (likely acne or appearance) is a source of shame or trouble. | 🔴 Personification: Skin is given human-like action of “betraying.” |
| 3 | the boy I cannot live without | The speaker has a crush they feel is essential to their life. | 🟡 Hyperbole: Exaggerates the importance of the boy. |
| 4 | still sucks his thumb | The boy has a childish habit done privately. | 🔵 Imagery: Creates a vivid picture of the boy’s secret behavior. |
| 5 | in secret | The thumb-sucking is hidden from others. | 🟣 Detail: Adds to the characterization of the boy. |
| 6 | how come my knees are | The speaker questions why their knees look dry or unattractive. | 🟢 Rhetorical question: Asks without expecting an answer to show frustration. |
| 7 | always so ashy | The speaker’s knees are persistently dry, possibly a source of embarrassment. | 🔵 Imagery: Describes the physical appearance vividly. |
| 8 | what if I die | The speaker worries about dying young. | 🟡 Hyperbole: Exaggerates fear of death to show anxiety. |
| 9 | before morning | The fear is immediate, tied to the night. | 🟢 Temporal detail: Adds urgency to the speaker’s worry. |
| 10 | and momma’s in the bedroom | The mother is physically and emotionally distant. | 🔵 Imagery: Shows the mother’s isolation. |
| 11 | with the door closed. | The closed door emphasizes the mother’s unavailability. | 🔴 Symbolism: The door represents emotional separation. 🟣 Repetition: Repeated in each stanza for emphasis. |
| 12 | I have to learn how to dance | The speaker feels pressure to learn dancing for social acceptance. | 🟢 First-person perspective: Continues personal narrative. |
| 13 | in time for the next party | The dancing is needed soon for an upcoming event. | 🟣 Temporal urgency: Highlights pressure of time. |
| 14 | my room is too small for me | The speaker feels confined or trapped in their space. | 🔴 Metaphor: The room represents feelings of restriction. |
| 15 | suppose I die before graduation | The speaker fears dying before a major milestone. | 🟡 Hyperbole: Exaggerates fear of death. 🟢 Rhetorical question: Shows ongoing anxiety. |
| 16 | they will sing sad melodies | Others will mourn the speaker’s death with songs. | 🔵 Imagery: Evokes a funeral scene. |
| 17 | but finally | The truth about the speaker will come out after death. | 🟣 Transition: Shifts to a new idea about truth. |
| 18 | tell the truth about me | People will reveal honest thoughts about the speaker posthumously. | 🔴 Theme: Suggests hidden truths and authenticity. |
| 19 | There is nothing I want to do | The speaker feels unmotivated or apathetic. | 🟡 Hyperbole: Emphasizes lack of desire. |
| 20 | and too much | There are overwhelming responsibilities. | 🟡 Hyperbole: Exaggerates the burden of tasks. |
| 21 | that has to be done | The speaker feels obligated to complete many tasks. | 🟢 Contrast: Juxtaposes “nothing” with “too much.” |
| 22 | and momma’s in the bedroom | The mother remains distant. | 🔵 Imagery: Reinforces the mother’s isolation. |
| 23 | with the door closed. | The emotional barrier persists. | 🔴 Symbolism: The door as emotional distance. 🟣 Repetition: Reinforces the theme of isolation. |
| 24 | Nobody even stops to think | No one considers the speaker’s perspective. | 🟡 Hyperbole: Exaggerates others’ lack of concern. |
| 25 | about my side of it | The speaker feels ignored or misunderstood. | 🟢 First-person perspective: Emphasizes personal grievance. |
| 26 | I should have been on Math Team | The speaker believes they deserved a spot on the team. | 🟣 Detail: Shows a specific regret or injustice. |
| 27 | my marks were better than his | The speaker’s grades were superior to a boy’s. | 🟢 Comparison: Highlights unfair treatment. |
| 28 | why do I have to be | The speaker questions their burdens. | 🟢 Rhetorical question: Expresses frustration. |
| 29 | the one | The speaker feels singled out unfairly. | 🔴 Metaphor: “The one” implies being uniquely burdened. |
| 30 | wearing braces | The speaker is embarrassed about having braces. | 🔵 Imagery: Describes a physical trait vividly. |
| 31 | I have nothing to wear tomorrow | The speaker worries about their appearance for the next day. | 🟡 Hyperbole: Exaggerates lack of clothing options. |
| 32 | will I live long enough | The speaker fears not surviving to adulthood. | 🟡 Hyperbole: Heightens anxiety about mortality. |
| 33 | to grow up | The speaker questions reaching maturity. | 🟢 Rhetorical question: Continues theme of fear. |
| 34 | and momma’s in the bedroom | The mother’s distance persists. | 🔵 Imagery: Reinforces emotional isolation. |
| 35 | with the door closed. | The closed door remains a barrier. | 🔴 Symbolism: Emotional separation. 🟣 Repetition: Final emphasis on isolation. |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
| Device | Definition | Example from Poem | Explanation |
| Alliteration 🔤 | Repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words. | “my marks” | Creates musical rhythm and emphasizes the speaker’s frustration about being overlooked despite good marks. |
| Anaphora 🔁 | Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of lines or clauses. | “and momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed” | The repeated refrain underscores emotional neglect and distance from her mother. |
| Assonance 🎵 | Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words. | “my knees are always so ashy” | The long “a” sound adds a dragging, weary tone that reflects insecurity. |
| Caesura ⏸️ | A deliberate pause within a line of poetry. | “what if I die / before morning” | The pause after “die” conveys anxiety and the weight of mortality. |
| Colloquial Language 🗣️ | Informal, conversational speech. | “how come my knees are always so ashy” | Gives the poem authenticity, echoing the natural voice of a teenager. |
| Confessional Tone 💭 | Personal, intimate expression of thoughts or feelings. | “I am fourteen / and my skin has betrayed me” | Reveals vulnerability and honesty about adolescence and identity. |
| Enjambment ➡️ | Continuation of a sentence without pause beyond a line break. | “There is nothing I want to do / and too much / that has to be done” | Reflects overwhelming thoughts and ongoing anxiety. |
| Hyperbole 🌋 | Exaggeration for emphasis. | “suppose I die before graduation” | Highlights adolescent fears by magnifying them into life-or-death concerns. |
| Imagery 🌄 | Descriptive language that appeals to the senses. | “my skin has betrayed me” | Creates a vivid image of acne or skin problems as symbols of self-consciousness. |
| Irony 🎭 | A contrast between expectation and reality. | “the boy I cannot live without / still sucks his thumb” | Irony lies in admiring someone immature, exposing contradictions of teenage love. |
| Metaphor 🔥 | Comparison without using “like” or “as.” | “my skin has betrayed me” | Skin problems are metaphorically described as a “betrayal,” showing inner conflict. |
| Monologue 🎤 | A speech by a single speaker expressing inner thoughts. | Entire poem | The poem is a teenage girl’s internal monologue revealing insecurities and fears. |
| Mood 🌙 | The emotional atmosphere of the poem. | Overall tone of isolation and anxiety. | Creates a mood of loneliness and vulnerability, heightened by the absent mother. |
| Personification 👤 | Attributing human qualities to non-human things. | “my skin has betrayed me” | Skin is personified as a betrayer, symbolizing adolescent struggles. |
| Refrain 🔂 | A recurring phrase or line. | “and momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed” | Acts as a haunting refrain emphasizing emotional distance and neglect. |
| Repetition 🔄 | Reuse of words or phrases for emphasis. | “what if I die” … “suppose I die” | Reinforces obsessive thoughts about mortality. |
| Rhetorical Question ❓ | A question asked for effect, not an answer. | “what if I die before morning” | Reveals existential dread and engages the reader with her fears. |
| Symbolism 🕊️ | Use of objects, actions, or phrases to represent larger ideas. | “momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed” | Symbolizes parental absence, emotional neglect, and lack of guidance. |
| Theme 🎯 | Central idea explored in a text. | Themes of adolescence, mortality, and isolation. | Highlights universal struggles of growing up, making the poem relatable. |
| Tone 🎶 | The poet’s or speaker’s attitude. | Tone: anxious, confessional, vulnerable. | Expresses teenage insecurity, desire for attention, and fear of death. |
Themes: “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
🌱 Theme 1: Adolescence and Insecurity: In “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde, the fragile and turbulent stage of adolescence is captured with striking honesty, where insecurity about one’s body and social identity dominates daily life. The speaker confesses, “I am fourteen / and my skin has betrayed me,” where the metaphor of betrayal reflects the humiliation of acne and physical changes, while the simple detail “my knees are always so ashy” points to the magnified significance of small imperfections in the eyes of a self-conscious teenager. Such images reflect how adolescence becomes a constant battle between self-image and acceptance, particularly when combined with the anxieties of school life, as seen when she laments, “I should have been on Math Team / my marks were better than his.” By voicing these concerns with a conversational yet anxious tone, Lorde emphasizes that the struggles of youth are both deeply personal and universally relatable.
💔 Theme 2: Isolation and Parental Absence: In “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde, one of the most striking refrains—“and momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed”—symbolizes both physical and emotional absence, intensifying the speaker’s feelings of neglect. This repeated line is more than a literal description; it represents the lack of parental involvement and guidance during a critical stage of emotional growth. While the girl struggles with overwhelming anxieties about her appearance, her relationships, and her mortality, her mother’s absence suggests a lack of nurturing presence to ease these fears. This detachment constructs a powerful image of a household where silence replaces dialogue, leaving the adolescent to navigate life’s uncertainties alone. Thus, Lorde highlights the emotional gap between generations, suggesting that teenage fears often remain unheard or dismissed.
⚖️ Theme 3: Mortality and the Fear of Death: In “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde, the adolescent speaker repeatedly contemplates death, a striking contrast to the common assumption that youth is defined by vitality and hope. The recurring questions—“what if I die / before morning” and “suppose I die before graduation”—reflect a morbid preoccupation that stems not only from existential awareness but also from the loneliness of unshared fears. Her concerns about mortality intertwine with mundane worries like braces and clothing, creating an unsettling juxtaposition between trivial adolescent problems and the profound fear of ceasing to exist. This theme emphasizes the universality of death as a concept that invades even the youngest minds when support systems fail, making the poem both startling and poignant in its honesty.
🎭 Theme 4: Identity and the Struggle for Recognition: In “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde, the speaker’s lament, “Nobody even stops to think / about my side of it,” reveals her frustration with being overlooked, which resonates as a broader theme of identity and recognition. She questions why she must “be the one / wearing braces” or why her achievements in academics go unnoticed compared to a boy who is celebrated despite lower marks. These complaints highlight the injustice of being invisible in a world that privileges others, pointing toward both gendered and generational inequalities. Lorde thereby crafts a narrative that underscores the adolescent’s longing to be seen, validated, and understood in her uniqueness. Through this, the poem critiques not only parental neglect but also broader social structures that fail to acknowledge young women’s voices and struggles.
Literary Theories and “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
| Literary Theory | Explanation | Application to “Hanging Fire” | References from Poem |
| Feminist Theory | Examines gender roles, power dynamics, and female experiences in literature, focusing on how women are portrayed and marginalized. | The poem highlights the speaker’s struggles as a young Black girl, including societal pressures on appearance and emotional neglect by her mother, reflecting gendered expectations and isolation. | – “and my skin has betrayed me” (line 2): Pressure to meet beauty standards. – “and momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed” (lines 10-11, 22-23, 34-35): Emotional distance from the mother, a key female figure. – “why do I have to be / the one / wearing braces” (lines 28-30): Frustration with gendered appearance issues. |
| Psychoanalytic Theory | Explores the unconscious mind, inner conflicts, and psychological struggles, often tied to fears, desires, or repressed emotions. | The speaker’s repeated fears of death and feelings of neglect reveal deep anxieties and a sense of abandonment, possibly tied to an absent maternal bond and adolescent identity struggles. | – “what if I die / before morning” (lines 8-9), “suppose I die before graduation” (line 15), “will I live long enough / to grow up” (lines 32-33): Obsessive fear of death reflects existential anxiety. – “and momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed” (lines 10-11, 22-23, 34-35): Suggests emotional abandonment, impacting the speaker’s psyche. |
| Critical Race Theory | Analyzes how race and racism shape experiences, focusing on systemic inequalities and marginalized voices. | As a Black teenager, the speaker’s struggles with appearance (ashy knees, braces) and exclusion from opportunities (Math Team) reflect racialized societal pressures and systemic unfairness. | – “how come my knees are / always so ashy” (lines 6-7): Ashy skin, a racialized trait, causes insecurity. – “I should have been on Math Team / my marks were better than his” (lines 26-27): Suggests racial or gendered bias in opportunities. |
| New Criticism | Focuses on the text itself, analyzing literary devices, structure, and language to uncover meaning without external context. | The poem’s repetitive structure, vivid imagery, and rhetorical questions create a tone of anxiety and isolation, emphasizing the speaker’s internal conflict and emotional turmoil. | – “and momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed” (lines 10-11, 22-23, 34-35): Repetition reinforces isolation. – “what if I die / before morning” (lines 8-9), “suppose I die before graduation” (line 15): Rhetorical questions highlight anxiety. – “my room is too small for me” (line 14): Metaphor for feeling confined. |
Critical Questions about “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
🟢 How does the speaker’s age influence the themes of anxiety and identity in “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde?
The speaker’s age of fourteen in “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde is pivotal to the poem’s exploration of anxiety and identity, capturing the liminal space of adolescence where self-consciousness and fear of the future collide. The speaker explicitly states, “I am fourteen” (line 1), grounding the poem in the perspective of a teenager grappling with physical and emotional changes. This age amplifies the speaker’s insecurities about appearance, as seen in “and my skin has betrayed me” (line 2) and “how come my knees are / always so ashy” (lines 6-7), which reflect a heightened awareness of societal beauty standards. The repeated fear of death—“what if I die / before morning” (lines 8-9), “suppose I die before graduation” (line 15), and “will I live long enough / to grow up” (lines 32-33)—reveals an adolescent’s exaggerated existential dread, a hallmark of the transition from childhood to adulthood. Additionally, the speaker’s struggle with identity is evident in their desire for social acceptance, such as learning “how to dance / in time for the next party” (lines 12-13), contrasted with feelings of confinement, as in “my room is too small for me” (line 14). These references highlight how the speaker’s youth intensifies their anxiety about fitting in and forming a coherent sense of self amidst external pressures and internal fears.
🔴 What role does the mother’s absence play in the speaker’s emotional landscape in “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde?
In “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde, the mother’s absence, symbolized by the repeated refrain “and momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed” (lines 10-11, 22-23, 34-35), profoundly shapes the speaker’s emotional isolation and vulnerability. This refrain, appearing at the end of each stanza, acts as a haunting reminder of the emotional barrier between the speaker and their mother, suggesting neglect or unavailability during a critical period of adolescence. The closed door is a powerful metaphor for the lack of parental guidance, leaving the speaker to navigate their fears and insecurities alone, such as their worries about death (“what if I die / before morning,” lines 8-9) and social pressures (“I have nothing to wear tomorrow,” line 31). The absence of maternal support exacerbates the speaker’s sense of being misunderstood, as seen in “Nobody even stops to think / about my side of it” (lines 24-25), highlighting a yearning for connection and validation. This emotional distance underscores the speaker’s feelings of abandonment, amplifying their anxiety and contributing to the poem’s overarching tone of loneliness and unresolved tension.
🟡 How does “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde address societal pressures on the speaker as a young Black girl?
“Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde vividly portrays the societal pressures faced by the speaker, a young Black girl, through references to appearance, achievement, and exclusion that reflect racial and gendered expectations. The speaker’s insecurities about her physical appearance, such as “and my skin has betrayed me” (line 2) and “how come my knees are / always so ashy” (lines 6-7), point to the burden of beauty standards that are often racialized, as ashy skin is a concern tied to Black identity. The mention of braces—“why do I have to be / the one / wearing braces” (lines 28-30)—further highlights the speaker’s frustration with conforming to idealized images of femininity. Additionally, the speaker’s exclusion from the Math Team despite superior grades (“I should have been on Math Team / my marks were better than his,” lines 26-27) suggests systemic biases, possibly racial or gendered, that deny her opportunities. These societal pressures compound the speaker’s anxiety, as she grapples with the expectation to “learn how to dance / in time for the next party” (lines 12-13) to fit in socially, while feeling overwhelmed by “too much / that has to be done” (lines 20-21). Lorde uses these details to critique the intersecting oppressions that shape the speaker’s experience as a young Black girl.
🔵 How does the structure of “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde enhance its emotional impact?
The structure of “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde, with its three stanzas and repetitive refrain, intensifies the poem’s emotional impact by mirroring the speaker’s cyclical anxiety and sense of stagnation. Each stanza ends with “and momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed” (lines 10-11, 22-23, 34-35), a refrain that reinforces the speaker’s emotional isolation and the unchanging nature of her mother’s absence, creating a rhythm of despair. The free-verse form, with its conversational tone and abrupt line breaks, reflects the chaotic, fragmented thoughts of a teenager, as seen in the rapid shifts from trivial concerns like “I have nothing to wear tomorrow” (line 31) to profound fears like “will I live long enough / to grow up” (lines 32-33). The repetition of rhetorical questions—“what if I die / before morning” (lines 8-9), “suppose I die before graduation” (line 15), “why do I have to be / the one” (lines 28-29)—builds a cumulative sense of urgency and unresolved tension, emphasizing the speaker’s inability to escape her anxieties. This structure, devoid of resolution, mirrors the title “Hanging Fire,” evoking a state of being suspended, unable to move forward, thus amplifying the poem’s emotional weight.
Literary Works Similar to “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
- 🌱 “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks – Similar in its exploration of youth and vulnerability, this poem captures the fleeting, precarious existence of young people confronting mortality and societal neglect.
- 💔 “Nikki-Rosa” by Nikki Giovanni – Like “Hanging Fire,” it uses a confessional voice to highlight childhood struggles, family absence, and the shaping of identity through pain and neglect.
- ⚖️ “The Bean Eaters” by Gwendolyn Brooks – Though focused on old age rather than adolescence, it parallels Lorde’s poem in its depiction of marginalized voices, poverty, and the quiet struggles of unnoticed lives.
- 🎭 “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks – Resonates with “Hanging Fire” in its raw, emotional honesty and its intimate portrayal of female experience and unspoken fears.
- 🌙 “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou – While more celebratory in tone, it complements Lorde’s poem through its direct, personal voice and focus on female identity and self-perception.
Representative Quotations of “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
| Quotation | Context and Explanation |
| “I am fourteen” (line 1) | Feminist Theory: The speaker’s age establishes her as a young girl in adolescence, a critical period for identity formation under gendered societal pressures. Explanation: This opening line frames the poem’s exploration of feminist themes, such as beauty standards and social expectations, highlighting the speaker’s vulnerability as she navigates her identity as a teenager. 🟢 Symbol: Youth and gendered identity. |
| “and my skin has betrayed me” (line 2) | Critical Race Theory: The speaker expresses distress over her skin, likely referencing racialized traits like ashiness or acne. Explanation: This reflects the pressure of Eurocentric beauty standards on a Black teenager, with the personification of “betrayed” emphasizing internalized racial conflict and societal judgment. 🟡 Symbol: Racialized appearance struggles. |
| “what if I die / before morning” (lines 8-9) | Psychoanalytic Theory: The speaker voices an exaggerated fear of sudden death. Explanation: This hyperbolic concern reveals adolescent anxiety and existential dread, a psychoanalytic focus on the unconscious fears heightened by emotional isolation, such as the mother’s absence. 🔴 Symbol: Existential dread. |
| “and momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed” (lines 10-11) | Feminist Theory: This refrain, repeated in each stanza, shows the mother’s emotional unavailability. Explanation: The closed door symbolizes a lack of female guidance, a feminist concern, leaving the speaker to face gendered pressures like appearance and social roles alone, intensifying her sense of isolation. 🟢 Symbol: Emotional gendered barriers. |
| “my room is too small for me” (line 14) | New Criticism: The speaker feels confined in her physical space, reflecting a broader sense of restriction. Explanation: Analyzed through New Criticism, this metaphor conveys emotional entrapment, with the poem’s repetitive structure mirroring the speaker’s confined state, enhancing the textual emotional impact. 🔵 Symbol: Structural confinement. |
| “suppose I die before graduation” (line 15) | Psychoanalytic Theory: The speaker fears dying before achieving a major milestone. Explanation: This reflects a psychoanalytic focus on adolescent anxiety about unfulfilled potential, with the repeated death imagery underscoring psychological turmoil and lack of emotional support. 🔴 Symbol: Psychological fear of loss. |
| “I should have been on Math Team / my marks were better than his” (lines 26-27) | Critical Race Theory: The speaker feels unfairly excluded from the Math Team despite superior grades. Explanation: This suggests systemic racial or gendered bias, a key concern of Critical Race Theory, highlighting how such exclusions marginalize Black youth and foster feelings of injustice. 🟡 Symbol: Systemic inequity. |
| “why do I have to be / the one / wearing braces” (lines 28-30) | Feminist Theory: The speaker questions the burden of wearing braces, tied to appearance. Explanation: This reflects feminist critiques of societal pressure on women to meet beauty standards, with the rhetorical question emphasizing frustration at being judged for physical traits. 🟢 Symbol: Gendered appearance pressure. |
| “I have nothing to wear tomorrow” (line 31) | Feminist Theory: The speaker worries about her appearance for the next day. Explanation: This highlights feminist concerns about societal expectations for women to prioritize external presentation, amplifying the speaker’s adolescent anxiety about social acceptance. 🟢 Symbol: Social conformity pressure. |
| “Nobody even stops to think / about my side of it” (lines 24-25) | New Criticism: The speaker feels ignored and misunderstood. Explanation: Through New Criticism, this line’s directness and placement within the poem’s cyclical structure emphasize isolation, with the lack of resolution in the form mirroring the speaker’s unanswered need for validation. 🔵 Symbol: Textual emotional isolation. |
Suggested Readings: “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
- Lorde, Audre. “Hanging Fire.” The Black Unicorn: Poems (1978).
- Clair, Maxine. “Introduction to Creative Writing.” Women’s Studies Quarterly, vol. 21, no. 3/4, 1993, pp. 208–11. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40022026. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.