Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "The American Cancer Society or There Is More Than One Way to Skin a Coon," Audre Lorde delivers a scathing critique of the pervasive and insidious nature of American capitalism and its deleterious impact on Black communities. Written in 1969, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement and in the aftermath of the Apollo moon landings, the poem intertwines public and private spaces to unmask the contradictions of the American dream.

Lorde starts with a somewhat sarcastic tone, highlighting that of all the ways America "prints its death" upon her, "selling me cigarettes is one of the most certain." This seemingly casual line becomes a trenchant indictment of the country's tobacco industry, but Lorde takes it a step further, weaving it into a larger fabric of exploitation and harm. She extends the criticism to a more potent form of destruction that goes beyond mere cigarettes, targeting her children and, by extension, future generations. The juxtaposition of ConEdison and GeneralMotors with her son's actions of "digging GarbageDisposal / Out of his nose" manifests the imprint of a consumerist culture even in the youngest members of society.

Lorde expands this argument by contrasting America's technological advancements, represented by moon-walks, with the very real and tragic experiences of "half the boys I knew," who are "doomed by quicker trips in a different capsule." Here, the "different capsule" likely refers to drugs, drawing attention to systemic issues such as poverty and lack of access to education that make these "quicker trips" almost inevitable for many young Black men.

One of the most potent aspects of the poem is its exposition of what Lorde calls "the American cancer," a term that serves as a metaphor for the destructive forces of capitalism and racial prejudice. This cancer "destroys / By seductive and reluctant admission." The poem lists a series of euphemistic excuses and capitalist imperatives targeting Black communities, from "A Monthly Need For Iron" for Black women to dental products promising "Pearly teeth," culminating in an ironic commentary on how "Even though the astronauts are white / Perhaps Black People can develop / Some human attributes." The list is devastating in its irony, exposing a commodified form of systemic racism masked as commercial advertisements.

The closing lines of the poem serve as a final blow, revealing that "the American cancer society is dying," evidenced by the fact that it has started to "dump its symbols onto Black People." Lorde suggests that once these symbols are unloaded onto Black communities, they become "useless" and "far more lethal than emphysema," linking back to the initial reference to cigarettes.

Through a mixture of irony, personal narrative, and societal critique, Lorde's "The American Cancer Society or There Is More Than One Way to Skin a Coon" serves as a powerful indictment of a nation's failures. The poem speaks as much to its time as it does to today, questioning the core values and practices that have long constituted the American experience, particularly for its Black citizens.

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