Lorde’s use of imagery and description
Vices such as homophobia, racism, tribalism, sexism, and many more have bedeviled humanity for a long time, threatening to eliminate the social bonds that exist. Such vices are ingrained deeply in the society requiring boldness, courage, dedication and commitment to address and persuade people to stay harmoniously and value each other. Audre Lorde is one such character who stood out as a feminist, mother, writer, poet and advocate of civil rights movement who used creative talents to confront issues such as sexism and advocate virtues such as love, care and fulfillment of the bonds that connect people. In the poem titled “Movement Song,” Lorde draws on poetic devices such as metaphors, imagery and repetitions to capture and espouse the raw emotions experienced people as they are forced to slowly let go of the people that they love and hold dear.
Lorde’s use of imagery and description highlights tight bonds that tend to be broken whenever inseparable people in love let go of each other. When Lorde writes that “the sands have run against us” (25), it creates an image of two lovers who have struggled to clinch on what they hold dear until they can’t do it anymore. In that line, a reader can visualize the way that sand exists in huge piles, and if it so happens that the love has completely outrun the sand, then it has taken a lot for that much love to end. Further, Lorde alludes to imagery by asserting that “before dashing for elevators going” (8). The line in the poem depicts the harsh parting of ways between the two lovers without being accorded the opportunity to bid bye to each other, A readers can relate to the dashing for the elevator, which suggests that the movement was somehow fast
Lorde shows that the lovers are vulnerable and sad at the prospect of ending the bond that ties them by depicting a somber mood. Often, goodbyes are one of the hardest things to do in life, and numerous instances usually allude to the difficulty. Parents letting go of their children to be married or their children to join boarding schools are some of the examples of how hard it is to say goodbye. However, Lorde uses a metaphor in the line “we are rewarded by journeys that are away from each other” (26) to indicate that parting of ways is inevitable. The line shows acceptance and, in a way, wishes the partner good tidings in the new path.
Similes and descriptions are also part of Lorde’s preferred poetic tools in the poem to express the feelings to the partner. She is bold enough to describe herself as a “disaster,” implying that she might have taken a retrospective look at the nature of the relationship that they had and saw her negative impact in the life of her partner. It takes courage as well as great remorsefulness for a partner to acknowledge that they might be the ones causing their loved one’s discomfort in a relationship. Descriptions used in the poem include lines such as “as the keeper of secrets” (34), “as maker of legends” (12). The descriptions help paint a picture in the mind of the readers the issue that is being discussed even though the descriptions used in the poem appear to be exaggerations that are larger than the normal life.
The use of several poetic devices in the poem are useful in the sense that they allow the readers to understand the love story that appears to have hit rock bottom requiring each of the lowers to go separate ways. The poetic devices also help express the feelings of each partner before the current predicament.