Exploring Ntozake’s Erotic

I have read Audre Lorde’s “Uses of the Erotic” at most three times, this last time being the first my highlighter glided across the page in fervent agreement. Now I understand what she means by the erotic, “the lifeforce of women; of that creative energy empowered” (55). Although I don’t agree with her association of the erotic with a female identity, I understand how necessary it is for women to access the erotic. All humans possess the power to feel deeply, to revel in that feeling, and to harness the creative energy that is imbued in feeling. Lorde’s description of the erotic as being a creative energy brought to mind the Yoruba concept of ashe, which is the power to create. It is the ability within all beings to manifest.

Lorde states that the erotic functions through joy:  it is “that deep and irreplaceable knowledge of my capacity for joy ” which “demand from all of my life that it be lived within the knowledge that such satisfaction is possible” (57). This statement is so powerful and beautiful because it challenges us to aim for maximum sensation/maximum experience. Joy is unfortunately neglected in our society. Little attention is given to seeking joy and fulfillment in our lives. It’s all about survival and getting by. It’s always about security and stability. But what about the joy found in chaos and spontaneity or the chaos found in feeling pure joy? Why don’t we prioritize this feeling above the need to satisfy social expectations of self hate and self neglect?

Lorde connects the erotic to our passions in work saying that often we aren’t fulfilled in our work because we don’t do it out of pleasure. This relates to Shange’s poem “advice” where she writes about her confusion regarding people’s reaction to her being a poet. Poetry isn’t her profession, it’s her passion, her use of the erotic. It’s what gives deep meaning to her life.

Ending on the importance of joy, I’ve included a song by Pharoah Sanders which relate to this need to experience joy.