The essay, Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference, was written by an African American feminist, Audre Lorde, in 1984. She discusses the idea of women being substandard due to their age, race, class, and sex. She states the repression that women have encountered and the troubles that women face in society, especially Black women. Lorde’s argument is that Black women are more targeted because they are black and they are women. When I began to read this essay, the first thing that came to mind was the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Although the play and this essay have been written 25 years apart, I can see some similarities between both texts.
One of the main ideas in the essay is that Black women face double oppression. In A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha faces oppression from not only the white society, but from her brother, Walter, who is a Black male. In the play, Beneatha is only focused on her dreams of being a doctor. But Walter doesn’t approve as he says to Beneatha “Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people-then go be a nurse like other women-or just get married and be quiet…” (38). This shows Beneatha’s dreams of being a doctor are frowned upon, even by her own brother. He is implying that women are fit only for supporting roles, such as being a housewife and supporting her husband.
In the essay, Lorde mentions a “mythical norm” which is an ideal image of what an American should look like in society. “This norm is usually defined as white, thin, male, young, heterosexual, Christian, and financially secure” (116). This quote from the essay reminded me of the two themes in A Raisin in the Sun including race and the American Dream. In the play, Walter dreams of having his own business and be able to provide for his family financially. At the time the story was written, it was easier to reach his dream if he was a white male who was financially secure. Walter says “Why? You want to know why? ‘Cause we all tied up in a race of people that don’t know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies!” (87). This shows evidence that Walter is furious at his own race who are to blame for their own hardships and inability to achieve their American Dream.
Another quote that Lorde states in her essay was “As members of such an economy, we have all been programmed to respond to the human differences between us with fear and loathing and to handle that difference in one of three ways: ignore it, and if that is not possible, copy it if we think it is dominant, or destroy it if we think it is subordinate” (115). From the way I understood this quote was that instead of learning about the differences in society and accepting it, people choose to ignore it. If it is something that is influential to them, then they may go along with it. If it’s something that they oppose of, they will abolish it. Relating back to A Raisin in the Sun, I believe this quote from the essay relates to when Mama buys a house in the white neighborhood. Because the Younger family was African American, the white neighbors didn’t want them to move in. The neighborhood didn’t choose to ignore the fact that American Americans were moving into their neighborhood, they decided that they would pay them so they wouldn’t move in to keep them out. This is an example of what Lorde is talking about, as she says “…or destroy it if we think it is subordinate” (115).
Questions:
- In my blog post, I gave examples from A Raisin in the Sun and how these examples go along with Lorde’s Essay. Can you think of more examples from A Raisin in the Sun or The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts?
- Because this essay is written in 1984 (34 years ago), do you think oppression that women encountered in society back then still happens now? Why or why not?
- Off topic question: As you have read Lorde’s essay, why do you think she did not capitalize the word “America”?
Michaela,
I think it was very important for you to mention how Beneatha faced oppression from her own brother who is also an african American, because it perfectly exemplified one of Lorde’s main points; that while african American men face racism and oppression, it’s necessary to acknowledge how an african american woman would have a different experience, because of her gender. A different example of oppression in “A Raisin in the Sun” was when Mama slapped Beneath for not having the same religious views. Lorde said about what is considered normal, that it is “usually defined as white, thin, male, young, heterosexual, Christian, and financially secure.” According to Lorde’s definition, Beneatha is being oppressed based off of a religious norm. Therefore she will have a different experience of oppression in all, because she’s not only african American and a woman, she also does not follow the religious norm.
Michaela,
I enjoyed reading your blog post and you made a lot of great points relating back to “A Raisin in the Sun”. An example I also found from the book relating to Walter’s frustration about his race and Ruth not listening to him is on page 34, he says “No thanks to the colored women” and on page 35, he proceeds to say “We one group of men tied to a race of women with small minds!”. These quotes are demonstrating the anger Walter has because of his race and putting down his own wife, a women of color, and making that statement about what women of color are seen to be in his eyes.
Michaela,
I liked how you picked multiple incidences from “A Raisin in the Sun” to support each idea from Lorde’s essay. One quote that really stood out to me while reading this passage was, “Within black communities where racism is a living reality, differences among us often seem dangerous and suspect (Lorde 119).” The differences between whites and blacks can result in a dangerous situation. We saw this in Hansberry’s book when the Younger family was in the process of moving into their new home in a white neighborhood. The Younger’s neighbor said, “You mean you ain’t read ’bout them colored people that were bombed out their place out there (Clybourne Park)(102)?” A bombing happened to a Colored family who lived in a majority white community. These acts of violence occurred in both passages which were 25 years apart and still occur in society today.
2. Because this essay is written in 1984 (34 years ago), do you think oppression that women encountered in society back then still happens now? Why or why not?
This is an intersting question to ask. Throughout our readings of texts throughout our semester thus far, we have seen several examples of sexual and racial oppression. THese are certainly events that, even if not based all on factual events, were surely inspired from events which had occured in the period they were all written. Also, with the news almost always displaying the cases both nationally and internationally of feminine and racial oppression, it makes you wonder if anything has changed. Yes, I do certainly believe these events still occur. Women are thought of by some men as completely inferior, black women have seen worse due to sexist as well as racism. However, I also believe we have made momentus steps in reducing such senseless thoughts of inferiority. The events of the past will alwyas remain as a land mark of where our society has been, just as today’s injustices will be landmarks for us decades from now. However, with more people stepping up against these “wrongs”, we have created a snowball of “rights” over decades. We as a society still have many more steps before we can say the field is level. Our reporters who report on the crimes against women have a duty to show our society our tarnished underside, so that we can aim our societies eyes on the worst of what we have to offer. Through seeing our worst, our best can fight against the tarnish, and continue our uphill climb toward rinsing our society of thoughts that in the end, are worthless. I believe our generation today understand this issue far clearer than many before because we are all connected and can visually and audiablly see what the wrongs are and how wrong they are. One day these injusrices will no longer fog the minds of some of our society, however until then, the battle against the tainted thoughts of the past must be fought against to ensure a society that is not only fair, but free for all.
Hi Michaela,
I thought that your connections between the The essay, “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” and “A Raisin in the Sun” were extremely insightful. Although you believe your third question is off topic, I believe that it is actually extremely vital to Audre Lorde’s main point. I believe that the lack of capitalization is due to a lack of respect for the country as a whole. She is angry that a country that preaches freedom and equality, yet is so blind in seeing the amount of oppression that exists. People have these ideas in their head, preconceived notions, of how society is supposed to be. Women live with the idea that men are to be dominant, and exist primarily to serve men’s needs and procreate. For example, Lorde talks os how ” In certain parts of Africa, small girls are still being sewed shut between their legs to keep them docile for men’s pleasure” (120). She is displaying a disturbing example of how women in the world still are forced to tailor their lives to men. She does not see how America is any better. They are still oppressing Black women, making their motto of freedom a sham. Black women are stuck in a never ending cycle of exclusion and inferiority. As a result, I feel that the non-capitalization of America in her essay is to stress her angry, disgusted, and disrespectful attitude towards America as a whole
Because this essay is written in 1984 (34 years ago), do you think oppression that women encountered in society back then still happens now? Why or why not?
Audre Lorde defines some of the issues faced on the second page of the essay, saying “Racism, the belief in the inherent superiority of one race over all other and thereby the right to dominance. Sexism, the belief in the inherent superiority of one sex over the other and thereby the right to dominance. Ageism. Heterosexism. Elitism. Classism.” (115) These were the definitions she gave in 1984, and the definitions are still exactly the same today. The weight of these words and their meanings are what really stand out however, because the issues of racism, sexism, etc., are still very relevant. News stories are released daily surrounding these topics, women of all colors are constantly fighting for equal rights, riots are being held. Just yesterday, Brett Kavanaugh was voted in to the Supreme Court. This man is a prime example of why women need to keep fighting.
Michaela,
I really liked how you connected, “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” to, “A Raisin in the Sun”. There are many occasions throughout the play that could relate to real life instances and that connect to the essay. For example, in the play Walter says, “That is just what is wrong with the colored woman in this world … Don’t understand about building their men up and making ’em feel like they somebody. Like they can do something” (Hansberry, 34). I think this quote is crucial because it really touches upon the gender roles and societal norms black women encountered during the time the play was written. Black women were supposed to build their men up, encourage them, and support them, while putting their own dreams/passions/lives on the backburner. Even though “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” were both written many years ago, I fully believe the oppression black women faced is still at the forefront of society today. For example, I watched a clip from the t.v. show 60 Minutes that did a story on how black women are not taken seriously by doctors, and thus are seen less / tested less for illness and disease. It is hard to imagine we live in a world where some people think that is okay.