“If I cling to circumstances I could feel not responsible. Only she who says she did not choose, is the loser at the end” (Lorde, 151).
In the quote, Lorde addresses the comfort that some women or people in general have in not pursuing and pushing for a better outcome. In order to avoid discomfort, people in society accept the road given to them and blame the world around them for the standards which they live their lives to. There are many barriers in the way for various groups of people and it is always easy to say that the barriers that are systematically placed restricted someone of their full potential but allowing that to occur are more of an atrocity than the failures of society people are engulfed in. People are very cognizant of their worth should make a choice in being better and spreading the option of being better than what society has defined for people as being successful “for a woman” or “for a minority”. Ultimately, there is a choice to do something for the better even if one’s attempts go unnoticed. To allow society to progress a rule out the possible equity feeds into the cycle of people not living their own lives. The predetermined lives of society are mediocre so it is irrational to attempt to conform to them rather than lives beyond their lines. If a failure occurs, even through one’s most firm attempts, that is more fulfilling than to embody the inferior standards of society. One can not blame society for their failures if he or she continues to live an orthodox life of being an American, a woman, a lesbian or etc. No one can ever bash someone for trying and being defeated. There is always a choice to do something and the choice can be in the hands of the ignorant or the hands of a revolutionist.
The statement that Lorde makes in the lines you focused on above certainly emphasizes the notion that change can only happen if we go out and pursue change. However, I think it is important to recognize that Lorde questions the failures of society, she even asks “was the failure ours?” Do you think Lorde blames society or certain individuals (maybe even herself?), for not making change happen. She certainly recognizes the problems within our world but is it possible that her question in the poem suggests that it isn’t just society as a whole but specific groups of people that aren’t doing enough to change this?
Very interesting interpretation of this idea of failure. Whenever I think about failure, I always think about the kind of freedom that can come with failure. If someone attempts something but does not succeed in the ways that society thinks they should, that is considered a failure, but for that specific person just attempting to do something could have been a success by itself. I think that when people begin to construct their lives and aspirations according to their own personal standards, versus societal standards, a sense of power will be able to be gained from that.