Discuss a moment Lordes biomythography Zami that struck you as the most mythical. Did it compromise the intent of the memoir, or add to it?
write 200 words
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REFER TO YOUTUBE VIDEO:
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ALSO TO:
Zami (pp. 3-124)
Genre: Lorde chooses to call Zami a biomythography. Not a recognized literary genre, the biomythography blends characteristics of the memoir with myth-making. It gives the writer a certain artistic license in framing facts with imaginative details.
Style: Given her choiceindeed, her creationof the genre of biomythography, Lordes style in Zami is a pastiche of facts, anecdotes, family history, cultural commentary, myth-making and poetic effusion. It is often hard to separate one kind of writing in Zami from another. Not that this should be the readers intent: the artistic pastiche enables our understanding of Lordes journey as a poet, an artist, a Black queer woman and a daughter of immigrants.
Opening(s): Zami has an informal introduction that acknowledges Lordes debts to foremothers, feminist influences, erotic encounters and racialized experience in becoming who she is. Lorde regards her being as a palimpsest, a parchment that has been written and rewritten on and still retains those markings. In a shorter, more poetic Prologue, Lorde traces the origins to both her father and mother, and comments on male and female influences and traits. The unmistakably queer element in this passage is dominated by Lordes insistent affiliation to womenas creators, influencers, mentors and lovers.
Themes
Family: Lordes biological family features predominantly in the opening chapters of Zami. However, what quickly takes over is her depiction of her mother Linda and the mother-daughter relationship. The relationship is a fraught one: what begins with Audres idealization of her mother ends with discord and bitterness, largely due to Lindas inflexibility. What stands out is Lordes memory of her mother as a Black dyke (a strong woman who knows her mind and thrives on her network of women) and her physical closeness with her mother that lingers as sensual memories of childhood.
Diaspora: Lordes family hailed from the Caribbean: she narrates the struggles of her parents as newly-arrived immigrants struggling to find their feet in Depression-era New York. As a second-generation immigrant, Lorde can only relive the country of origin through family history and anecdotes. The island of Carriacou becomes a magical place to her poetic imaginationan imagined alternative to America which symbolizes patriarchal and racial oppression. What is particularly compelling to Lorde is the bond between Carriacou womena blend of friendship and love, support and erotic connectionfrom which she borrows the title of this work.
Race: Race informs most experiences that Lorde recounts in her memoir. As first-generation immigrants of color, her parents experiences virulent racismwhich the young Audre felt but did not always understand. The racism that Audre encountered growing upin school, in daily lifewas perhaps a little more subtle, but tangible enough to leave a searing impression on her mind. Going forward, Lordes erotic journey is also complicated and ruptured by the worlds perception of her as a Black woman. Lordes resistance to racist marginalization and oppression begin at an early age
Sexuality: Lordes sexuality is yet unexplored in the opening chapters. However, we see her expand the concept of sexuality to include a sensual, deeply enriching experience of the world and ones own self. In that sense, Lorde looks back to profound, life-altering moments (the encounter with the little doll-like girl, Audres handling of the mortar and pestle) as well the first among her transformative relationships. The Audre-Jennie relationship is defined by deep emotion, shared artistic aspirations and unarticulated passion.
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