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A Litany for Survival- Audre Lorde- S2- MA English syllabus- Gender Studies- University of Kerala

To delve into the profound message of "A Litany for Survival", we must examine its title, through which the author hints at the poem's main purpose. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines a litany as a traditional prayer of supplication, often involving a main speaker engaging in dialogue with a congregation of petitioners. In this composition, it is clear that the unknown narrator assumes the role of the preacher, summoning people to embrace survival by speaking up. Given that this style of poetic expression often features repetitive formulas and rhythmic patterns, the multiple appearances of the phrase "for those of us" underscores the religious nature of the moment while also situating the narrator within the community of marginalized individuals being addressed. The narrating voice commences the litany by empathizing with the loss and uncertainty experienced by the people “who live at the shoreline”, in other words, those marginalized due to systemic oppression and discrimination. The narrator intimately comprehends the struggles faced by those individuals, who are inhumanly discarded by a system that fails to provide security for neither their present nor their future, and thus, share the same profound desire to ensure that their children’s dreams, to cite the poem, “will not reflect the death of theirs”. This paints a stark picture of the United States, the land of the American Dream, where equal opportunities are purportedly available to all. At the same time, the reality reveals exclusionary systems and oppressive forces rooted in racism, classism, and patriarchy at the expense of Black and Brown communities who are, as a result, prevented from accessing a particular set of privileges compared to their white counterparts. This is illustrated in the third stanza, where the narrator exposes the psychological effects of marginalization by writing that even with their stomachs full, with love in their lives, and with the pseudo certainty of the present, the fear of the future keeps Black and Brown communities in a constant state of mental, physical and, oftentimes, financial instability. By the second stanza, the author boldly exposes the oppressive "heavy-footed" system as the suppressor of these marginalized voices, revealing its lack of interest in these people’s survival. Despite reaching the darkest point in the poem, where the realization dawns that the system never desired for Black and Brown to survive in the first place, Audre Lorde skillfully transforms this annihilating truth into a moment of triumph. The phrase "we were never meant to survive" is the very catalyst for expressing their voices and embracing self-pride. In this context, Audre argues that if her community is standing on the very edge of the world, they need not fear and should instead choose to speak out, for silence holds far more significant disadvantages. The fear that once prevented Audre from finding her voice is now defied, as the power of words becomes the ultimate tool for her liberation and empowerment, probably hinting at what Audre wishes for her people, particularly her Black sisters, to achieve. The third and final stanza, although the shortest, is by far the most powerful of the entire poem because, as Igwedibia (2018) explains in her essay “Audre Lorde’s Poems 'A Woman Speaks' and 'A Litany for Survival' towards a Gricean Theoretical Reading”: “[it allows] the readers discover and the petitioners remember that the power being summoned lies within themselves in their own communal voice” (6). In this final moment of prayer, people from different marginalized communities find solace in this sacred moment of gathering while the preacher speaks out the final statement: “It is better to speak Remembering / we were never meant to survive”. The poem "A Litany for Survival" as an exemplification of Lorde's message of empowerment through words. The poem conveys the struggles faced by marginalized individuals who live at the shoreline of society, constantly subjected to uncertainty and fear, and exposes the oppressive system that never intended for their survival. Nevertheless, Lorde masterfully transforms this realization into a moment of triumph, urging individuals to speak up and refuse to be silenced. She emphasizes that remaining silent only perpetuates fear while speaking up becomes an act of resistance and a catalyst for change. The poem's concluding stanza holds immense power as it emphasizes the communal voice and agency of Black and Brown folks. It calls upon individuals to remember that –according to dominant ideology– they were never meant to survive, but by speaking up, they are actively reclaiming their power and defying the oppressive forces that seek to silence them. Overall, "A Litany for Survival" continues to resonate as a testament to the enduring spirit and strength of marginalized communities in their struggle for self-affirmation.