A Litany for Survival By Audre Lorde (Grades 10+)

Audre Lorde is an African American writer, professor, philosopher, intersectional feminist, poet and civil rights activist. She describes herself as "Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, mother, warrior, poet." With the effective use of anaphora and parallelism, "A Litany for Survival" depicts those who live and struggle on the edge of society. These individuals constantly live under fear and opression. However, the speaker suggests that silence perpetuates the cycle of oppression. Thus, it is important to speak up even one was "never meant to survive," just like how Lorde did in this poem.