Audre lorde poems a litany for survival

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘A Litany for Survival’ is a 1978 poem by the American poet Audre Lorde (1934-92). Lorde was a self-described ‘Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.’ In the poem, Lorde addresses other people who are voiceless and marginalised in society, observing that fear rules their lives but it is better to speak up and use one’s voice rather than remain silent.

You can read ‘A Litany for Survival’ here before proceeding to our summary and analysis of Lorde’s poem below.

Audre lorde poems a litany for survival

A litany for survival summary

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The poem takes around two minutes to read.

‘A Litany for Survival’: summary

The poem is divided into four stanzas of unequal length. In the first stanza, Lorde’s speaker addresses those people who, like her, live on the edge of a constantly changing society: people who are on their own, not sure how, or whether, to act.

These people do not have the luxury of choosing to follow whatever fleeting dreams they have; they are the sort of people who love in doorways at night, on