Stripped: Exposing the Erotic
Allison Seals
Springfield College SHS Houston
HUSB 138 H1
Professor Tinsley
08/01/2014

Stripped: Exposing the Erotic
“Our deepest wishes are whispers of our authentic selves. We must learn to respect them. We must learn to listen” (Breathnach, 2010). In the essay “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power,” Audre Lorde slowly unscrews the proverbial lid that has kept hidden the naked truth of the erotic for so long. Lorde’s essay, equal parts informative and poetic, is a defiant declaration against oppression, and aims to reveal and convince the reader of the truth in relation to the erotic. Using invitational rhetoric, “Uses of the Erotic” communicates themes of feminine liberation and defiance in the face of oppression. Imparting information by way of defiant declaration, the reader is offered a path to illumination.
Lorde opens her essay with an introduction, or shall I say, reintroduction to a misunderstood “erotic.” Her interpretation of the erotic differs greatly from society’s, which perceives it as a purely physical sexuality lacking in emotional intimacy. Lorde defines the erotic as “a resource within each of us that lies in a deeply female and spiritual plane, firmly rooted in the power of our unexpressed or unrecognized feeling” (Lorde, 1984, p. 53). She conveys the erotic to the reader as a fundamental inner force of connectedness, explaining that it functions not only as a physical experience and expression, but a metaphysical sense of connectedness as well. Lorde aims to reveal and convince the reader of the truth in relation to the erotic. She goes onto explain that women carry within themselves the erotic, a lost source power. When one frees themselves from the choking hold of this male modeled oppression, and embraces the elemental force within, a metamorphosis occurs, and the chaos that has ruled one’s life for so long turns into a soul-satisfying love. The word erotic comes from the Greek word Eros, which is the personification of love in all its aspects. Described as being born of chaos, and personifying creative power and harmony, Eros clearly depicts the true value of the erotic within (Lorde, 1984, p. 55).
After acquainting the reader with the genuine erotic, Lorde goes on to explain the great deception behind its disappearance. Those who wish to oppress have taught women heinous lies, corrupting a once pure understanding of feminine inner strength. Because of their fear of this powerful threat that women inwardly possess, a counterfeit meaning has been forced into our minds. By molding a role of trembling submission and servitude, and making a villain of our feminine senses, they have created for themselves an unquestioned role of dominion. Cutting off the connection between our spirituality, sensuality, and sanity has inevitably led us to the locking of our own cage. During this revelation, Lorde’s conviction is palpable. Her disgust at the misleading ideas, and degradation of the erotic is apparent as she explains how these forces made us fear our sexuality, and confine it into a one-dimensional form of subservience. Lorde explains this degradation further, writing “So women are maintained at a distant/inferior position to be psychically milked, much the same way ants maintain colonies of aphids to provide a life-giving substance for their masters” (Lorde, 1984, p.54). Continuing on, she artfully explains the illegitimacy of society’s understanding of the erotic, and its misinformed perception of a superficial and sexual experience involving no linking of minds, but instead a selfish, unfeeling using of one another. Lorde then disrobes the erotic, shedding the nefarious distortions that have been draped around this divine force, revealing a neglected and untamed power that has been suppressed into an utter state of disregard. Lorde explains that the loss of this innate force is a result of the oppressive nature of others who fear power that is not their own. These oppressors have perpetrated lie after lie, and their duplicity and manipulations have slowly brought the sacred power of a woman to its knees. Lorde argues that women have forgotten the erotic, forsaking it for their new lover’s secure embrace. Upon abandoning this vital force, all that remains is an hollow vassal, meek and resigned to a life of little worth. The question remains; safety in a shadowed existence of defeatism, or a vulnerable freedom of will, passion, and pleasure?
Women have lost their connection with the erotic, a powerful resource deep within us, made up of creative energies and passions, due to the centuries of manipulation and suppression inflicted upon them by men in their efforts to control and dominate (Lorde, 1984, p. 54). Women have stopped trusting the innate and raw power that dwells within themselves. The erotic is not something that can be folded up and placed in a neatly defined box. It is beyond words, and represents a life force of harmony and creation, knowledge and power; in simplest terms the erotic is a woman’s potentiality. Men have stolen the most precious and powerful piece of a woman, mutilating it into a crawling mass of sex and shame. Deceiving us into believing true feminine power comes as a result of the suppression of our erotic energy is a male created farce, intentioned with control and suppression. How quickly these men who subjugated and suppressed our inner passions became husbands and leaders. The misconception of the true meaning of the erotic is the conduit to the suppression of any such feelings. Rarely do we try and find the erotic in ourselves, usually because we have bound and chained it, casting it so deep inside ourselves that it turns grey with dust, and our memory fades. Lorde reveals that those ready to unveil their eyes and shed their garments of servitude, sex, and shame will find glimmering prospects of liberation. Oppressed women fear their desires, but in denying them they become empty vassals, unintentionally empowering their captors. What keeps us from breaking free and letting ourselves fall gently backwards into a blissful reverie of communing with the erotic? Complacency, brought upon by our inability to overcome these “man”-ufactured laws slowly leads to acceptance of our injustice and oppression. Utilization of this intrinsic power can only be accomplished through recognizing it. Women have been manipulated into captivity for so long that they have become blinded to the blatant sexism robbing them of their autonomy and purpose. Letting the outside world control and define you is, in essence, just as limiting as a bird throwing itself into a dog pen and allowing its wings to be savagely ripped off.
When we find the erotic within ourselves, and begin to feel all aspects of our lives more deeply, we demand more from our pursuits. This is not to say that the erotic motivates us towards unreachable goals and perfection, but instead can be described as a motivating force, that when allowed, let’s loose the passions, desires, and emotions dwelling within, and allows us to share these with another liberated soul. Lorde explains this as a “basic human longing or passion that brings us to a condition of fully authentic commitment to our life activity” (Lorde, 1984, p. 54). The result of a liberated erotic is authentic connections with the world around us, and the blossoming of all our inner capabilities. Lorde, a self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” draws from her talents, passions, and life experiences, connecting these vital influences into a soulful composition intended to awaken, inspire, and connect her readers (Audre Lorde, n.d.). Falling into every category of the blatantly oppressed (gender, sex, and race), she rediscovered her once lost erotic through her sexual awakening, her love of poetry, and her unwavering protest against a social structure based on oppression. Using her talents of writing to connect through authentic communication, Lorde found the freedom of creation uninhibited. Influenced by her own struggles and joys, Lorde's words pave the way to self-discovery. Plainly put, “Uses of the Erotic” illustrates an open invitation to those who are oppressed, and summons them onto a path of self-awareness and liberation. The beauty of this, so simple, yet so fundamental, is that the very action of communicating this message of freedom to her readers is the personification of Lorde's erotic laid bare. Not only does her essay inform the reader of the erotic's true nature and purpose, but it also illustrates the erotic in motion. What we can accomplish through accessing our inner power is a discovery of our true passions and goals enhanced by intimate human connections. The sharing of these experiences with each other without “looking away” (as Lorde puts it), and being aware and open to all incoming feelings deepens our experience, and enlightens our mind. Once we have embraced these “real” connections with others, and have disavowed the lies taught to us by our oppressors, our self-fulfillment and peaceful balance is within reach. "The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference” (Lorde, 1984, p. 56).
“Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” is literally the theme song to my life. My opinion falls usually on the opposite side of whatever side yours is on. That said, Lorde’s uncanny ability to so quickly make a believer out of me is no small feat. Her message truly struck a chord within me, and was filled with a fervor and intensity that persuaded my intellect while liberating my spirit. To me the erotic represents the vital spark, and when uninhibited it has the potential to become a raging fire. Man’s (male modeled force of oppression) impotence and insecurity lead to the erotic’s captivity, and subjugation diminished a once dancing fire into a tiny flame. Lorde reminds us that we have the right, and ability to reignite the dying flames from within, reviving ourselves to our full potential, forging deeper connections with one another, and experiencing the fullness life has to offer. Audre Lorde “returns to owner” the erotic, and gratefully, I accept.

References
Audre Lorde. (n.d.). Poetry Foundation. Retrieved August 1, 2014, from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/audre-lorde
Blasch, L. (n.d.). Notes on Audre Lorde, "Uses of the Erotic". Lorde.doc. Retrieved August 1, 2014, from http://pages.uoregon.edu/munno/OregonCourses/REL199W03/Lorde.htm
Breathnach, S. B. (2010, October 19). Living Empowered. Living Empowered. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from http://livingempowered.areavoices.com/2010/10/top-25-empowerment-quotations-for-women/
Lorde, A. (1984). Sister outsider: essays and speeches. Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power.* (pp. 53-59). Trumansburg, NY: Crossing Press.