Coal Analysis

Find You’re Inner Diamond Audrey Lorde was an African American feminist. She was the author of the poem, “Coal.” She used “Coal” to portray what she feels and give new emphasis to her thoughts and feelings. The poem is her reflection and pride of her background and deep thoughts. She expresses this poem with how she relates to society and her relationship with them. The title of the poem is an example of imagery, written in first person, a free verse, and she speaks to us in her voice. The poem starts out saying “I is the total black, being spoken from the earth's inside. There are many kinds of open. How a diamond comes into a knot of flame, How a sound comes into a word, colored by who pays what for speaking.” this line is written in first person so it relates clearly to her, so we know it is a direct reference to her. She differentiates herself from the rest of the “Blacks” by saying that her true identity is not what you expect from the typical “Black person.” She’s different and unique. When she says “I” she refers to her dual identity that she faced along with many other African Americans. The term dual consciousness is what best describes what she was trying to explain. This means that she was trying to put together her two different personalities including her African American side and collaborating it with her American upbringing. The poem is written in free verse because there is no meter, no rhythm or pattern instead its quite similar to a speech. The imagery that the poem withholds is the growth from the development that comes from the darkness that the coal is made of into the diamond that is inside and the light it sheds. This is a good example of Lorde’s life because she is struggling with her self-image and tries to figure out what she is capable of and her empowerment within. “Some words are open/Like a diamond on glass windows/ Singing out within the crash of passing sun/ Then there are words like stapled wagers/ In a perforated