1982, Zami: A New Spelling of My NameAudre Lorde

THAT SUMMER I LEFT CHILDHOOD WAS WHITE

AudreLorde•Was a Caribbean American novelist, teacher, poet and essayist• Born in Harlem• February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992

That Summer I left Childhood was White

- American Racism- Washington, DC- Audre Lorde describes the

racism she experiences when visiting Washington as a child

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOWkgl9qHlo

What’s the piece about? What’s it for?• Context/genre• Autobiographical • Experience of racism • Growing up into real world• Childlike innocence - transition

Stylistic features• The family has not much money:

‘ I wanted to eat in the dining car because I had read all about them, but my mother reminded me for the umpteenth time that dining car food always cost too much money…’

‘My parents did not approve of sunglasses, nor their expense’

-Racism:

‘they did not rent rooms to negroes’

‘American racism was a new and crushing reality that my parents had to deal with every day of their lives once they came to this country’

‘We were told we must never trust white people’

Go through the text and highlight more stylistic features…

Ideas for recasting tasks- Put yourself in the position of Aurde Lorde when she

first visited Washington. Write a diary entry of the experiences that you encountered.

- Write a personal account from Audre’s mother as she notes down the trip.

- Write a transcript of the conversations that occurred between Aurde’s mother and father