Hanging Fire
by Audre Lorde
i am fourteen
and my skin has betrayed me
the boy I cannot live without
still sucks his thumb
in secret
how come my knees are
always so ashy
what if I die
before morning
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.I have to learn how to dance
in time for the next party
my room is too small for me
suppose I die before graduation
they will sing sad melodies
but finally
tell the truth about me
There is nothing I want to do
and too much
that has to be done
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.Nobody even stops to think
about my side of it
I should have been on Math Team
my marks were better than his
why do I have to be
the one
wearing braces
I have nothing to wear tomorrow
will I live long enough
to grow up
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.
Meanings of “Hanging Fire”
The poem “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde presents a girl who is in a dilemma of having temporary love, skin color, and her mother’s neglect. The main idea of the poem is the thinking of a teenage girl about her coming of age period, her love, her desire for motherly care as well as thoughts of death.
Meanings of Lines 1-11
i am fourteen
and my skin has betrayed me
the boy I cannot live without
still sucks his thumb
in secret
how come my knees are
always so ashy
what if I die
before morning
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.
These eleven verses present a teenager who is speaking about herself. She knows that she is a fourteen years old girl, having no-good-skin color and a boy who does not understand her thoughts. She, then, glances at her knees whose skin color is ashy, and then she thinks of her mother who is preoccupied with her own conjugal life in her bedroom, while she is facing this chagrin of mental dilemma all alone. The verses add to the theme of her sense of inferiority on account of the color of her skin, the immaturity of her lover, and the neglect of her mother.
Meanings of Lines 12-23
I have to learn how to dance
in time for the next party
my room is too small for me
suppose I die before graduation
they will sing sad melodies
but finally
tell the truth about me
There is nothing I want to do
and too much
that has to be done
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.
These verses present the same teenage girl again who is now trying to learn the art of dance to appear at the next party that is going to be held in her room. She states that if we assume that she dies before that party, the people would be mourning her death with eulogies and requiems. Finally, some of them would speak the truth that she is not worth the praise and that there is nothing special about her. Then she states that either there is nothing for her to do or that she has too much to be done. Yet, there is nobody to help her as her mother is busy in her own life in her bedroom. This seems to contribute to the main theme of the neglect of the mother and her fear of death.
Meanings of Lines 24-35
Nobody even stops to think
about my side of it
I should have been on Math Team
my marks were better than his
why do I have to be
the one
wearing braces
I have nothing to wear tomorrow
will I live long enough
to grow up
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.
These verses present the teenager thinking about herself. She thinks that nobody pays attention to her. She muses over her fate saying that her lover has not faired better than her in Maths and that she should have been in the team. Then she questions her braces and states that actually she has not a good dress to wear. Then the fear of death returns and she states whether she has had enough life to live and immediately thinks about some guidance from her mother who is busy in her life in her bedroom. The verses contribute further to the main idea of her fear of death, neglect of her mother, and her own desire to excel in love as compared to her lover.
Summary of Hanging Fire
- Popularity of “Hanging Fire”: “Hanging fire” by Audre Lorde, a bright African American writer, and poet, is a sad poem. The poem centers on a girl who is coming of age and is worried about her life. It shows how her head is full of questions and worries that no one understands, not even her mother. The poem has won accolades for the writer for the factual description of a girl entering into a new phase of her life.
- “Hanging Fire” As a Representative of Fear: This poem is written from a young girl’s perspective. It begins when she worries about her looks, what others think of her, and her relationship with her mother. For example, she feels that her skin has betrayed her, bringing forward the narrative of a self-conscious person. She also thinks about the immature approach of the man of her dream. Moreover, she thinks about her early death and peer pressure. She says that her living place is even unfit for her; it never allows her to practice a dance before the next party. She is in the middle of chaos where everything around her seems mixed up and illogical. As the poem continues, she further highlights some issues that affect adolescents, such as getting more marks and wearing braces to meet the world’s beauty standards. However, after discussing her concerns in every stanza, she sadly states that no one is there to lead her to the right path, not even her mother.
- Major Themes in “Hanging Fire”: The poem’s central themes are coming of age, death, and adolescence. The poem highlights the concerns of a fourteen-year girl who has started a new chapter in her life. Right from the start, the reader feels how disturbed, obsessed, and confused she is about almost everything. Sitting in a room, she jumps up on various ideas that haunt her, such as meeting mundane beauty standards, a good reputation, beautiful looks, and the pressure of studying. But unfortunately, there is no one to console or direct her during the transformational period of life. She feels neglected. Perhaps she thinks her mother would prepare her for the upcoming challenges. But unfortunately, her mother shows no concerns. Therefore, she wrestles with so many things all alone. Even the man of her dream cannot console her. Through this simple poem, the writer beautifully conveys that parents should help and support their children when they leave behind a comforting childhood and enter the most challenging phase of their lives.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Hanging Fire
literary devices such as similes, personification, and irony are very important elements of any literary text. Audre Lorde has also made this poem superb by using figurative language. Here is the analysis of some literary devices used in this poem.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ in “suppose I die before graduation” and the sound of /o/ in “the boy I cannot live without.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession such as the sound of /m/ in “my marks” and the sound of /s/ in “sing sad melodies.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /t/ in “There is nothing I want to do” and the sound of /r/ in “I have nothing to wear tomorrow.”
- 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;
“I have nothing to wear tomorrow
will I live long enough
to grow up
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.”
- Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. The poet has used this device in the end of every stanza to show the casual attitude of the speaker’s mother such as;
“and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Audre Lorde has used imagery in this poem such as; “and my skin has betrayed me”, “and momma’s in the bedroom” and “I should have been on Math Team.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poem has used sorrow and guilt as extended metaphors to show the concerns of a young girl.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem uses symbolism such as fear, confusion, and a sense of rejection, death, and sorrow.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Hanging Fire
Although the poem is very good due to the use of literary devices, it has also some poetic devices such as rhyme, repetition, and stanza types. Some of these are below.
- 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 “and momma’s in the bedroom/with the door closed.” which has created a musical quality in the poem.
- Refrain: The lines that are repeated at some distance in the poems are called refrains. The verse “and momma’s in the bedroom/with the door closed” is repeated with the same words. Therefore, it is a refrain as it occurs in all stanzas of the poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three stanzas in this poem with each comprising a different number of verses.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful for discussion or conversation about the fear of unavoidable death.
“what if I die
before morning
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.”