Teenagers do not always long to grow up. The term "hanging fire" refers to a firearm with its trigger pulled but is delayed in igniting. In this case, of the poem “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde, it represents the girl being hesitant and insecure about her future, therefore is neglected in going on, as in the bullet that is supposed to fire. Lorde’s focus is on several issues that confront the teenager within the poem and affect teenagers in the extended world: the preoccupation with death, the problem of living in a sexist society, and the fear of isolation within the home that will be the recurring problem which ultimately causes the young girl to be traumatized. Lorde uses short sentences to present the complex idea that resonates with women all over the world – the stereotype of nagging is used as an excuse for problems to be ignored.
In “Hanging Fire,” the speaker talks about that time in a girl’s life when she is not yet a woman, but she is not just a girl either. The feeling of growing into one’s own skin is not comfortable for anyone, but this speaker puts this agonizing process into clear concise words. This speaker explores both the physical and the emotional aspects of puberty. The speaker, who is fourteen, speaks of her skin, her room, her braces, her boyfriend, her grades, and her clothes in a tone of despair. She talks about these things in such a desperate manner that the audience can picture their own experience vividly. She talks about how she feels ignored by her mother. Though tragic, many women can relate to this experience of self-wallowing and uncomfortable changes. That desperation and frustration cause her to think about her fear of death. Throughout the entire poem, the teenager is preoccupied with death and dying. In the first stanza, she frets, “what if I die/ before morning” (8-9). In the second stanza, she worries, “suppose I die before graduation” (15). In the final stanza she is trou...