Discussion Of The Transformation Of Silence Into Language And Action By Audre Lorde

Whether consciously acknowledged or not, fear controls aspects of everyone’s everyday lives. Though it may keep many people from conducting dangerous acts like driving recklessly, eating raw meat, or cliff jumping, fear prevents many people from reaching their full potential. Author Audre Lorde speaks about her life experiences and how those events correlate with her changed understanding of fear. Audre Lorde’s famous article “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action” connects to my own experiences with overcoming the fear of verbalizing my mental health concerns and becoming comfortable truly expressing myself, which both broadened my mind and perspective on life.

The text begins with Lorde describing herself as a black lesbian

From late 2021 until the present day, I have had numerous mental health battles. The steep downward slope began after my friend passed away and my previous relationship ended. An emotionally draining depressive episode silenced me. I had isolated myself and refused to let anyone help me. After about a year, I found myself reflecting on my life. Lorde, when she discusses her period of uncomfortable clarity explains that “[l]earning to put fear into perspective gave [her] great strength” (Lorde). This realization that regardless of whether I was silent about my wants and needs that I would still be fearful, was incredibly liberating. Understanding that truth gave me the power to verbally announce the person I wanted to be and the things I wanted to protect. I broke my silence because, just as Lorde’s “silence had not protected [her],” it had not protected me (Lorde). I spoke to my loved ones and finally got myself the help I needed. The “I need helps” saved me. The “I love yous” solidified my relationships. Breaking my silence, however, was not enough for me, I wanted to protect other families from the pain that death casts. The American Red Cross and other charities/volunteer organizations gave me a space to transform this yearning into action. My time, efforts, and blood are aiding people and potentially saving others. If I were to let the fear of rejection

Lorde, throughout her text, makes it incredibly clear that she is comfortable with who she is and the labels she identifies with. However, she acknowledges that others may be fearful of her because she is a black lesbian poet or anything else she identifies with. My opening up about my mental health sparked another personal journey for me: discovering my identity. My predetermined identity labels like my age, gender, and race have never been the source of my questioning, but instead things like style, personality, and image. Just as Lorde had put fear into perspective and stole its power, I too had put it behind me. Regardless of other people’s opinions of who I should be, I got a tattoo, dyed my hair, and started dressing the way I wanted to. In her conclusion of the article, Lorde explains that “[i]n the transformation of silence into language and action, it is vitally necessary for each one of us to establish or examine her function in that transformation and to recognize her role as vital within that transformation” (Lorde). Unconsciously, I abided by this idea by actualizing my identity and my life’s purpose from the silence that kept me down, to language and action. I realized that I was the most crucial factor in this transformation and that overcoming my fear of rejection would allow me to develop my identity and confidently display it to the