Perspective

Almost all of the essays in this book are written in the first person from the point of view of the author, Audre Lorde. The only exception is An Interview: Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich, which is written as a third-person record of a dialogue between the two women. Audre Lorde uses the first person to describe things that she has seen, heard, and experienced and connects these events to her personal feelings and convictions on a wide range of topics. Lorde considers the topics she deals with so personal that the only way to deal with them properly is from a first-person perspective. She also uses this personal perspective to draw the reader/listener in and persuade.

Tone

Most of these essays were intended to be read or heard by Lorde's feminist contemporaries and other members of the academic world. This would normally call for a rather...