This post isn't meant to be anything extraordinary, but I just want to provide some quick reactions to specific elements in Zami. Some of this can be open for discussion in class, but I want to field some thoughts from you guys.
One of the more interesting aspects in Audre Lorde's writing is that there are certain "proper" words that she doesn't capitalize, the most prominent being "america" or "american". I don't know if this just stands out to me as being picky. What I could say is that it is deliberate, especially in contrast to her habit of capitalizing "Black" and not "white". To take this further, I think that it could be fair to say that her American home, as it is not "home" for her and her family in Grenada, Lorde could be drawing a distinction, and commenting that the U.S. is a place far removed. And, of course, all of this can point towards the racism and hatred prevalent in this society that Lorde is describing.
Another aspect I found interesting was the characterization of Lorde's mother, who is described as a powerful woman and a strict disciplinarian. Lorde appears to look up to her mother in this light, but, as we can see, there is underlying tension in her mother being overly protective and "zealous" about keeping her children away from these additudes. And at other times, she is downright cruel to Lorde, who is only a child, and really can't know any better that what she wants or needs. In the end, I'm just interested in why there is this dynamic present in an African American family that, while in a place where they are not particularly well-treated, such behavior exists. Is there an underlying sense of self-preservation extant? I would think so, but it would be interesting to explore this topic further.
These are just a few thoughts on the first part of Zani. As I said, I am intrigued by these elements in the story, and, again, I'd like to think that there is some deeper meaning within.
Immanuel and I briefly discussed your first observation in class. He pointed out that "American" doesn't show up in her work with a capitalized A. I think your observation is spot on. We often see Lorde identify herself as "West Indiana", such as "when you live in a West Indian household." I think this could stem from the fact that Blacks at this time were very unwelcome in much of America, so they did not want to identify with a place in which they were not welcome. For Lorde, America was a place that she lived in, but not her home. The closest thing to a home we see is the small apartment she has to herself. She decorates it, maintains it, and seems very content. Up to that point, we never saw Lorde in a true "home". I'm curious as to how she will explore the concept of having a home in the rest of the book.
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