Comparison/Contrast Essay
The poems “Forgotten” and “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde create many ideas of the differences and resemblances they have. The poem “Forgotten” tells the story of a thirteen-year-old girl who had just lost their dad. It talks about the characteristics the dad had that made him more important from everyone else’s dad. Yet, the poem “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde, mentions the troubles of having insecurities and an uncaring mother while she is going through hard times. The poems “Forgotten” and “Hanging Fire” demonstrate the possibilities of the similarities and differences that two different topics can represent.
The two poems ‘Forgotten” and the poem “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde, share a similarity of a parent's absence. In “Forgotten” the text states, “...nobody else’s dad had gone away nine years ago./ Nobody else’s dad had been so loved by a four-year-old./ And so forgotten by one/ now/ thirteen.” (Forgotten 15) These lines
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The difference that they have is that “Forgotten” is talking about positive memories but “Hanging Fire” it talks about the negative thoughts the girl has about herself. The text says in “Forgotten”, “nobody else’s dad had worn/ red-striped pajamas/ and nobody else’s dad had made/ stuffed animals talk” (Forgotten 11) This section of the text illustrates the effect the dad had left in the daughter's memories of himself and what he did to make his child happy. In “Hanging Fire” the text reads, “I am fourteen/ and my skin has betrayed me/…why do I have to be the one/ wearing braces” (Lorde 1) This shows that she is insecure about the way her skin and teeth look and does not feel confident or happy about it. She states that her skin “betrayed her” so now she has acne and blemishes that make her feel down about herself and how crooked her teeth are. Therefore, the two poems have a difference in the positive and negative thoughts both narrators