A Litany for Survival Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices

A Litany for Survival

For those of us who live at the shoreline
standing upon the constant edges of decision
crucial and alone
for those of us who cannot indulge
the passing dreams of choice
who love in doorways coming and going
in the hours between dawns
looking inward and outward
at once before and after
seeking a now that can breed
futures
like bread in our children’s mouths
so their dreams will not reflect
the death of ours;

For those of us
who were imprinted with fear
like a faint line in the center of our foreheads
learning to be afraid with our mother’s milk
for by this weapon
this illusion of some safety to be found
the heavy-footed hoped to silence us
For all of us
this instant and this triumph
We were never meant to survive.

And when the sun rises we are afraid
it might not remain
when the sun sets we are afraid
it might not rise in the morning
when our stomachs are full we are afraid
of indigestion
when our stomachs are empty we are afraid
we may never eat again
when we are loved we are afraid
love will vanish
when we are alone we are afraid
love will never return
and when we speak we are afraid
our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent
we are still afraid

So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.

Meanings of A Litany for Survival

The poem “A Litany of Survival” by Audre Lorde presents a speaker who shows the dreams of marginalization communities such as African Americans and their voices of fear against oppression. The poem highlights the main ideas of prejudicial treatment of marginalized communities and their fear of the unknown future.

Meanings of Lines 1-14

For those of us who live at the shoreline
standing upon the constant edges of decision
crucial and alone
for those of us who cannot indulge
the passing dreams of choice
who love in doorways coming and going
in the hours between dawns
looking inward and outward
at once before and after
seeking a now that can breed
futures
like bread in our children’s mouths
so their dreams will not reflect
the death of ours;

The speaker presents her dilemmatic situation. She states that the people like her standing on the margin of lines between different communities are constantly on the edge. They face crucial situations all alone. She wants to present her situation that whenever they are to make crucial decisions, they face loneliness. These verses contribute to the main idea of marginalization and its problems.

Meanings of Lines 15 -24

For those of us
who were imprinted with fear
like a faint line in the center of our foreheads
learning to be afraid with our mother’s milk
for by this weapon
this illusion of some safety to be found
the heavy-footed hoped to silence us
For all of us
this instant and this triumph
We were never meant to survive.

The speaker further states that they just want to improve their current or present time as they cannot afford the luxury of passing their dreams of having a choice in life. They cannot afford the luxury of love. They can just love in doorways when coming in or going out of their houses between the time that falls between dawns. They cannot look inward or outward simultaneously. They can just pay attention to their present, which breeds their future like the pieces of bread in the mouths of their children which enable them to make their future better. It should be so that the dreams of their children should not reflect the death of the dreams of their forefathers. The speaker wants to state that they just pay attention to pass the current days to bring up their children to fulfill their dreams and not let their dreams be wasted like the dreams of their parents. These verses contribute to the main idea of the difficulties marginalized communities face.

Meanings of Lines 25-32

And when the sun rises we are afraid
it might not remain
when the sun sets we are afraid
it might not rise in the morning
when our stomachs are full we are afraid
of indigestion
when our stomachs are empty we are afraid
we may never eat again

The speaker states that they were born with fear printed on their faces or in their minds. It was like a dim line that appeared on the foreheads of the people. They learn to be afraid when they have sufficient things. It is because this fear is their weapon. It comes with them when they have some illusion of safety. This is the hope that they think silences them and their community. It is a moment of triumph for them that despite living in such fear, they have survived though they “were never meant to survive.” The speaker means that marginalized communities such as African Americans find it difficult to digest comfort as they never hope for such safety, and fear constantly lives with them. If they survive, it is a moment of triumph for them as they do not mean to survive.

Meanings of Lines 33-41

when we are loved we are afraid
love will vanish
when we are alone we are afraid
love will never return
and when we speak we are afraid
our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent
we are still afraid

The speaker presents the situation of fear prevalent in her community. She states that their situation is such that they do not hope that the sun will rise for them or set for them. They are afraid that normalcy may not stay the same for them. Or that the sun may not rise again on the next morning. When their stomachs are full of bread, they are afraid that it might cause indigestion, and when empty, they are afraid that they may not have bread again. The speaker states clearly that they are living in uncertain situations where even having bread is a cause of uncertainty. These verses further contribute to the situation of fear and uncertainty among the marginalized communities, specifically, African American community.

Meanings of Lines 42-44

So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.

In these verses, the speaker states that when they are loved, even then, they are afraid that it is transitory. She further adds that when they are alone, they fear that love will never return. Even their spoken words may lose their significance of sound or may not elicit welcoming responses. The situation is so uncertain that they are unsure of their silence. Therefore, they speak so that they should remember that they never expected to survive but they are surviving. This hope of surviving amid this uncertainty completes the main idea of prejudice against marginalization and surviving against such odds.

Summary of A Litany for Survival

Popularity of “A Litany for Survival”: Written by Audre Lorde, a bright American poet and civil rights activist, “A Litany for Survival” is a type of descriptive poem. It was first published in 1978 in her collection, The Black Unicorn. The poem describes the condition of people brought up in the heart of fear and uncertainties. The poem explains how they spend their lives like standing on the edge of a sword. Although the poem was composed back in time, its subject is still relevant to some parts of the world where marginalization is still practiced.
“A Litany for Survival” As a Representative of Sadness: This poem is about the survival and experiences of marginalized communities. It begins when the speaker addresses people living on society’s shifting edge. She addresses their problems such as how they make tough decisions alone and cannot afford to entertain their fleeting dreams. These poor people make significant sacrifices in life and try to nourish their children’s dreams rather than their own. She also adds that these people are born with fear, appearing as a pale forehead mark. The dominant members of their society violently take their voices away and make them believe that silence will guarantee their survival. As the poem continues, she describes the discomfort of these people by providing details of how fear overpowers almost every inch of their lives. She wonders how dominant people use fear as a weapon to exercise their will in society. She concludes the poem with a suggestion. She suggests that these oppressed souls should speak against the prejudice they face in the world just for the sake of survival.
Major Themes in “A Litany for Survival”: The poem’s major themes are the exercise of power, unknown fear, and oppression. This poem sheds light on the life of the marginalized community members, surviving in the presence of an unknown fear. The poem shows how power corrupts some people’s minds and gives them the authority to ridicule the life of others. The text indicates that fear is injected into their veins. Despite knowing they are being threatened and abused, people never go against the norms. They continue suppressing their dreams and praying for their children’s bright futures. The writer wonders how their children would break the silly societal norms if they did not dare to say no to the corrupt system. Unlike growing up under the shadow of fear, they inject the same fear into their children. It seems they are caught in a vicious circle. Therefore, to break this circle, they should speak up and shake the world with their voice.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in A Litany for Survival

literary devices are modes that represent the writer’s ideas, feelings, and emotions. It is through these devices the writers make their few words appealing to the readers. Audre Lorde has also used some devices in the poem whose analysis is as follows.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “like a faint line in the center of our foreheads” and the sound of /o/ in “the heavy-footed hoped to silence us.”
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /r/ in “when our stomachs are empty we are afraid” and the sound of /t/ in “this instant and this triumph.”
Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;

“So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.”

Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Audre Lorde has used imagery in this poem such as; “standing upon the constant edges of decision” and “like a faint line in the center of our foreheads.”
Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet has used fear and sadness as extended metaphors to show how fear corrodes the fabric of any society.
Simile: It is a device Used to compare something with something else to make the meanings clear to the readers. The writer has used this device in the second stanza, where she compares fear with a faint line, such as;

“who were imprinted with fear
like a faint line in the center of our foreheads.”

Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem uses symbols such as oppression, sadness, unjust social system.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in A Litany for Survival

Unlike literary devices, poetic devices are also effective tools. These are used to mold simple texts into appropriate structures. The analysis of the devices used in the poem is as follows.

Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
Repetition: There is a repetition of the verse “For those of us” which has created a musical quality in the poem.
Refrain: The lines that are repeated again at some distance in the poems are called a refrain. The verse, “For those of us” is repeated with the same words, it has become a refrain as it has been repeated in all stanzas of the poem.
Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem, with each comprising a different number of verses.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful when consoling the oppressed lot. Their usage may encourage them to speak against the injustices they face on the face of the earth.

“So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.”