The Theme Of Freedom In The Fourth Of July By Audre Lorde

Does the nation's capital really represent freedom?Well Audre Lorde in The Fourth Of July went to D.C the capital of America and really starts to question if it does. This is the first time she went to D.C and she just found it to be challenging to face racism in the capital that was supposed to represent freedom. When Audre’s family tries to sit down and eat ice cream they get kicked out because they are colored. During a childhood trip to Washington, D.C., Audre Lorde encounters the obstacle of racism changing her perception of what the nation’s capital represented, which means that freedom may not apply equally to all races.

Racism is a thing that you do not really control, and sometimes it is like a smack to the face because it is so

disrespectful; well Audre has many obstacles that involve racism.

Audre’s parents have a good technique to cope with racism and that is to just ignore it and do not give it a name. “ My mother and father believed that they could best protect their children from the realities of race in America and the fact of American racism by never giving them name, much less decisioning there nature” (Lorde 240). Audre Lorde uses personification because she wants to express how some people give racism human characteristics that it does not have. People give it a name or a nature which will just make it worst and her parents find it better not to. Although sometimes it hard to hide it because it right up in your face like when they try to eat their ice cream in the store and can not because they are colored, which is a huge obstacle for her and her family.“ straight-backed and indignant, one by one, my family and I got down from the counter stools and turned around and marched out of the store, quite and outraged, as if we had never been black before” (Lorde 242). Audre Lorde uses Imagery because she really wants you to see the way the family marching quietly and angrily out of the store. She uses it by using the words like “Marched” and “Quiet and outraged”. The reason they are so mad is because they are in the U.S the country of freedom and in it capital! and they

are getting kicked out of a store! It is worst for the parents because they try and not give racism a nature and then it happened right in there face. Audre thinks that the Fourth of July is not meant for black but more for white people.“ I viewed Julys through an agonizing corolla of dazzling whiteness and I always hated the Fourth of July, even before I came to realize the travesty such a celebration was for black people in this country” (Lorde 241). Audre Lorde uses metaphor by comparing Fourth Of July to dazzling whiteness because she felt that the fourth of july is really to celebrate white people freedom not for colored people. Colored people didn't get their freedom when the whites did so why would she be celebrating a holiday that is not for them?
When Audre Lorde and her family went to D.C for a vacation for Fourth of July her and her family were greatly influenced by the obstacles of racism, which changed Audre’s opinion of the nations capital. In D.C Audre is in many situations in which she sees racism or people are being racist to her. There is still racism happening today but it isn't as bad as it is in Audre’s story.It is even worst becuase is it hard to igore rasism when it is happening to you and that sometimes you do not expect it .Which really make me think how ironic it is that it happened in the capital of the country of freedom on the holiday that celebrates America’s freedom. Would you do outraged like Audre and her family were if this stuff happened to you.