Author: Cody Zimmer

Typically, when we graduate high-school and begin our college career we are faced with a plethora of existential questions.Who am I? What do I want to do with my life? What values are important to me? College is a time of experimentation, where kids become adults and develop political opinions, a professional voice, and express and evaluate their own sexual desires. College is a public space as opposed to a private space, where social taboos are less prevalent, and the student is expected to try new things and pursue what they consider to be their individual passion. So how does this process of self-discovery correlate with our passions and desires? In Audre Lorde’s essay, “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power”, she makes the claim that through the pursuit of the erotic, we can discover who we are, and what will be fulfilling to us in our professional, social, and individual lives, Which is why, college students should pursue the erotic as a means of happiness as opposed to the suppression of the erotic in exchange for professionality. 

When we think of the erotic in relation to perverse sensual or sexual pleasure such as pornography, however, Lorde defines the erotic as, “a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings. (Lorde, 94)”This means that the discovery of the erotic is essential in discovering who we are, what we value,  and understanding our emotions. Lorde urges us all to evaluate our emotions as opposed to suppressing them in order to answer the existential question of who am I? the term erotic is derived from the Greek word eros.  Lorde states that the term “eros” is a concept which emerges out of chaos and eventually initiates, “creative power and harmony (Lorde, 96)”. The erotic is interconnected to our sense of intuition.The erotic transcends the physical, sexual boundaries men in power have placed on us and informs us of what stimulates us intellectually and emotionally.It is necessary to understand ourselves intrinsically before we can begin to choose our future pursuits in employment, which is why we should focus on our individual passions as opposed to achieving professionality.  Lorde claims that we should never settle in any aspect of our lives for anything less than extraordinary when she states, “To encourage excellence is to go beyond the encouraged mediocrity of our society, But giving in to the fear of feeling and working to capacity is a luxury only the unintentional can afford, and the unintentional are those who do not wish to guide their own destinies. (Lorde, 94)”

We live in a culture which forces us to choose between an economically fulfilling job and a job which is derived from our individual passions. Yet, is there a way to have both?  Lorde urges college studetns nearing the end of their journey to evaluate ways to achieve both professionality and the fulfillment of the erotic and urges us not to suppress the erotic in exchange for professionality, since it is a vital aspect of ourselves. Professionality and the erotic should  be forces that work together as opposed to the binary oppositionwe commonly see between the two in contemporary society. This is why it is necessary to embrace both professionalism and the erotic as you approach the next steps in the beginning of your career. 

In our society, the erotic and professionality are viewed as oppositional forces. Anyone, particularly black women, who display emotion in a professional setting are perceived as weak and illogical. Yet, Lorde claims, “the erotic offers a well of replenishing and provocative force to the woman who does not fear its revelation, nor succumb to the belief that sensation is enough. (Lorde, 93)” Lorde’s belief is that men in power have distorted the denotation of the erotic in order to have mainstream society believe that it is a source of weakness and delinquency. However, the erotic is useful and necessary in our life and serves to provide power, strength, and passion.

Lorde explores the implications of male privilege on the erotic and urges all of us to dig deeper in deciphering what the purpose of the erotic truly is. The erotic can help us to explore our own passion and career. The pursuit of the erotic can help us to lead aesthetically and morally fulfilling lives. Lorde claims that the emotional and rational aspects of the mind should be used in cooperation, rather than conflict, in order to lead fulfilling and promising lives. Our society sees empowered women as dangerous which results in the encouragement of erotic suppression. Lorde states, “the principal horror of such a system is that it robs our work of its erotic value, its erotic power and life appeal and fulfillment…It is not only next to impossible, it is also profoundly cruel. (Lorde, 95-96)”

In contemporary society, it is becoming increasingly easier to become desensitized to the world around us. Yet, through the pursuit of the erotic, and the fulfillment of professionality,  we will not lose passion nor interest in our careers. Yet, we will strive for change in order to make the world a better and more suitable place for the erotic. Lorde claims that by, “Recognizing the power of the erotic within our lives can give us the energy to pursue genuine change within our world, rather than merely settling for a shift of characters in the same weary drama. (Lorde, 103)”

In her essay, “The Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power”, Lorde urges all of us, men and women, to redefine our denotations and connotations of the erotic. The erotic has been tragically misconstrued due to patriarchal misconceptions towards emotions, passion, and professionality.  The erotic can and must be used as a means towards achieving happiness, as well as,  answering the question of “who am I?”. In choosing a career and making the painstaking decision as to passion or professionality, Lorde urges us to embrace both the erotic and professionality. In doing so, we will achieve power, tranquility, and self-fulfillment.

Work Cited

–   Audre Lorde. “Sister Outsider.” iBooks. https://books.apple.com/us/book/sister-outsider/id488573027

In “An Interview: Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich”, Adrienne asks a series of questions which insight intellectual debates in regard to her development as a poet. Lorde informs Rich that her development as a poet was due to her own rebelliousness, courage, and uniqueness. The interview begins by Rich asking Lorde what it is that caused her to begin writing, invoking her to reminisce on her early childhood to adolescence. Lorde responds by stating, “the first reason for my own writing, my need to say things I couldn’t say otherwise when I couldn’t find other poems to serve. (Lorde, 155)” Lorde expands upon this idea by stating that as a kid, her mother had conditioned her to communicate non-verbally. This technique was what she believed conditioned her to favor feelings as opposed to thoughts, and in an effort to convey these feelings, she would often revert to poetry.

Lorde realized from a young age that she was unique in this way, and in an effort to conform to her classmates, she would attempt to condition herself to think in “normal” ways. However, this did not foster the blooming poet inside of her. Lorde stated that she was often punished by her family and school for being different. She states that she was not always interested in school and, “If I read things that were assigned, I didn’t read them the way we were supposed to (Lorde, 158)”. In order to attain good grades it was essential to have instructors she liked and could relate to due to the fact that she would pick up on their inherent feelings through body language and other forms of non-verbal communication. Lorde makes the implication that this non-conformist style of writing, thinking, and communicating is largely attributable to her success as a poet. In this sense, the traditional schooling system Lorde was exposed to hindered her success rather than aiding it.

Lorde states that her, “own feelings…defied thought” and that “I couldn’t analyze or understand them because they didn’t make the kind of sense I had been taught to expect through understanding (Lorde, 165).” Throughout her life Lorde has searched for ways to convey her feelings to words, so that others could understand the insights she was having. According to Lorde, poetry served as the means to do so. Lorde claims that when she began writing her poems underwent intense scrutiny, misunderstanding, and utter hatred. However, Lorde managed to reach out to those who needed her most and could relate to her. Being a white, heterosexual, male I should be the last person who would be able to relate to her, however, after reading this interview it is my belief that we have a lot in common. The schooling system does not praise our distinctions from each other but attempts to erase them. Educational institutions reward those who can best conform to their ideologies of success and entrepreneurship. However, Lorde breaks the preconceived notion of writers by identifying as a black feminist lesbian and daring to write about it.

Lorde claims that her success as an educator is not due to her knowledge of canonized poetry, yet, to her ability to relate to her students and build loving relationships with them. She treats her students as humans and for the most part, they reciprocate. Lorde speaks on behalf of everyone, not just black feminist lesbians, when she breaks the boundaries between what we perceive as “acceptable literature”. By writing about radical, taboo subject matters Lorde encourages other to reach into the “black mother” inherent to all of us.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you believe that education has helped you develop your personal skills or discourage you from using them?
2. In what ways can/ can’t you relate to the developmental experiences of Audre Lorde?
3. Do you value your thoughts above your feelings or vice versa? And how has the helped/hindered you in your pursuit of a career?

Work Cited

Excerpt From: Audre Lorde. “Sister Outsider.” iBooks. https://books.apple.com/us/book/sister-outsider/id488573027

Excerpt From: Audre Lorde. “Sister Outsider.” iBooks. https://books.apple.com/us/book/sister-outsider/id488573027 She claims that she has always had an over-active imagination and that when she began college in New Mexico, it flourished, as did her poetry.

Excerpt From: Audre Lorde. “Sister Outsider.” iBooks. https://books.apple.com/us/book/sister-outsider/id488573027

My name is Cody and I am a senior here at SUNY Cortland. I am an english major and I hope to someday become an english professor. I am currently in the process of applying to graduate programs seeing that this is my last semester here. I am from Watertown, NY and I live on lake Ontario. I am also the proud owner of a one year old Bernese Mountain Dog named Gaia.