What is the meaning of the poem Hanging Fire by Audre Lorde?
Audre Lorde’s use of the phrase “hanging fire” in the poem’s title is metaphorical. The poem’s not about guns, or gun malfunctions, but about adolescence. Think about the teenage years as a time of “hanging fire”—a dangerous time between childhood and adulthood, a long and risky pause.
How does Audre Lorde use repetition to develop the theme in Hanging Fire?
There is only one phrase in “Hanging Fire” that repeats, and it’s “and momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed.” The repetition of this line emphasizes our speaker’s loneliness and isolation from her mother. The first time Lorde writes it, it’s sad; by the third time, it’s downright heartbreaking.
What is the tone of the poem Hanging Fire?
The attitude in this poem is one of self-pity. The speaker seems to be in a bad mood and is feeling sorry for herself. She rambles on and on about what’s going on in her life and how no one seems to care for or give a second thought about her. The tone may come off to some as whining.
What is the structure of the poem Hanging Fire?
“Hanging Fire” is written in free verse. It doesn’t have a regular rhyme scheme or meter; it’s not written in a tight form such as a sestina or villanelle. But that doesn’t mean that Lorde’s poem is totally formless. It is made up of three stanzas, each with 11 or 12 lines.
Why is the title Hanging Fire?
The title “Hanging Fire,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary, refers to the “delay in the explosion of the charge of a gun.” The title justifies the character of the speaker as she is uncertain and lingers on about what to pay attention to and what not to.
When was Hanging Fire written?
1978
“Hanging Fire” was published in Lorde’s volume of poetry called The Black Unicorn (1978).
Who is the speaker in the poem Hanging Fire?
In “Hanging Fire,” Lorde does just that. The speaker of the poem is a 14-year-old girl, who is most definitely in an adolescent funk. She’s worried about how she looks, she’s worried about the boy she likes, she’s worried about the upcoming dance, she’s worried about death.
Why does the speaker say her skin has betrayed her?
What can we infer about the speaker by the way she says her skin “has betrayed” her? She feels like she is fighting her own body. Read the following stanza from Audre Lorde’s poem “Hanging Fire” and answer the question.
Who is the speaker in Hanging Fire poem?
The speaker of “Hanging Fire” is a 14-year-old girl. Her main personality trait is that she’s worried. She’s worried about typical teenager stuff: braces, pimples, and middle school dances.
Who is the author of Hanging Fire?
Audre Lorde
Hanging Fire by Audre Lorde | Poetry Foundation.
What does the example of personification in the first stanza of Hanging Fire reveal about the speaker?
What does the example of personification in the first stanza of Hanging Fire reveal about the speaker? In line 2 Lorde writes, “My skin has betrayed me.” The use of personification helps the reader to infer that the speaker has acne. For her this skin betraying her was a personal attack.
Who wrote Hanging Fire poem?