Summary Of Uses Of The Erotic As Power By Audre Lorde

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In the article, “Uses of the Erotica: The Erotic as Power,” Audre Lorde examines and further challenges the conventional view of eroticism in a society organized by patriarchy. Many people may perceive Lorde’s interpretation of the term “erotic” as unconventional—the idea that being erotic means having a strong internal sense of satisfaction that ultimately empowers an individual, specifically in women. Lorde begins her article by stating one of the many definitions she believes to describe the term “erotic.” As a whole, “the erotic is a resource within each of us that lies in a deeply female and spiritual plane, firmly rooted in the power of our unexpressed or unrecognized feeling” (Lorde, 53). This definition speaks predominantly to the innate power of women and those who want to feel liberated in every aspect of their lives. However, even though the erotic is not exclusively associated with or connected to sex, they can be mentioned together. …show more content…

Lorde believes that pornography is the “direct denial of the power of the erotic” as it is just a sensation without feeling, while eroticism is meant to focus on feeling (Lorde, 54). Despite this, I believe that Sunlove’s and Winklebleck’s involvement in the pornographic industry and their use of physical bodies as a way of establishing connections with others who experience eroticism, ultimately allowing one another to feel joy on entirely new physical, psychological, and spiritual levels rather than just

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