The Fourth Of July Analysis

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Throughout Unites States history discrimination and racism were a harsh reality for African Americans. The Fourth of July by Audre Lorde describes the author’s first encounter of discrimination. Through her use of diction, repetition, and irony Lorde establishes the frustration she felt during her experience. Lorde’s use of contrasting diction allows the reader to understand her anger during her experience compared to her parents. After being asked to leave Lorde states that her parents “wouldn’t speak of this injustice, not because they had contributed to it, but because they felt they should have anticipated it and avoided it” (242). Lorde’s parents feel that it was their fault. By describing that they felt that they should have avoided the incident, Lorde implies that her parents felt guilty rather than angry. Meanwhile this made Lorde “even angrier” (242). She felt that her “fury was not going to be acknowledged by a like fury” (242). Lorde knew that they experienced an injustice but her parents refused to acknowledge it. By contrasting her parents’s guilt with her anger, Lorde emphasizes her frustration and the need for equality. After describing her experience of discrimination, …show more content…
Lorde and her family took the trip to D.C. to celebrate the Fourth of July. The irony is that when celebrating a day that recognizes independence and freedom, Lorde experienced discrimination that showed her that she didn't have as much freedom as other Americans. In her essay Lorde states that she “always hated the Fourth of July,” even before she “came to realize the travesty such a celebration was for black people in this country” (241). In the nation's capital during a day that celebrates freedom Lorde learned that not all people share the same freedoms and that is what was unfair to the black people in the United States. Therefore establishing her frustration
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