The agony and ecstasy of being black and female: A true voice of African American women poets

Abstract

Black women poets have made a significant contribution to African American Literature. They have written, both as Black and women, addressing the inequalities of Race and Gender. For a long time, Black women were mute spectators of discrimination against them. But in the twentieth-century, they began to break their silence and attempt to speak to the readers in a genuine voice. They share the drive to reassess and redefine themselves in the Past, Present and Future. This article deals with the way in which the four Women Poets, Ntozake Shange, June Jordan, Lucille Clifton and Audre Lorde deal with the issues of gender; they unanimously express their anger and indignation on Black female subjectivity and also convey their pleasure, while celebrating their womanhood. © 2011 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.