Blog 4 - Silence into Action

 Jonathan Sack

Blog 4 -

 

     I'd say that Lorde's main point here is that whether you speak out about your problems or not, they will still exist. An internal struggle doesn't go away because you hide it from everyone. In fact, it will probably fester and get worse the longer you keep that secret. Keeping a secret is not the solution to your problem.

     This resonated with me because I do have, like everyone does, a few things that I keep secret. This text has caused me to re-examine why exactly I keep those secrets. I think I would be more willing to share them with someone now that I have read this.

     I thought that Lorde's point about her potential breast cancer showing her perspective was really powerful. Sometimes you don't tell the whole truth because you fear social consequences, but when you're about to possibly die, that doesn't really matter much. On the other hand, I don't know how much this really applies to the common person who hasn't had a near-death experience. I'm not saying that I want one, but the fact that I could die someday (looking very far off right now) is pretty irrelevant when compared to the societal consequences of sharing all of my secrets. There are good reasons that I don't tell everyone I meet all the stories and details about my personal life. 

     Don't get me wrong, I think Lorde's story of turning her silence into action is very cool. Lorde took some big risks for a cause. Being open about being lesbian back in 1977 was especially brave, even borderline dangerous. 

    Spreading your story and secrets without a plan would actually be a bad thing. In the text, Lorde mentions that she had a lot of friends from all walks of life who helped her through her surgery. I think this is one of the most important things in this situation. A support network is sometimes that only thing standing between someone and disaster, both mentally and (in the worst case scenario) physically.

     Overall, I think this text represents a powerful message of being open about yourself. Everyone has at least one thing that they are afraid to speak up about. Unfortunately, these secrets aren't always accepted. Hopefully as time goes on society will become more accepting of these "fringe" elements of ourselves. These parts of ourselves is what gives us a unique perspective.