A Litany for Survival

Liminal spaces—thresholds and boundaries—make up a motif that develops the theme of Living Without Security and Safety. Lorde uses liminality to explore the existence of marginalized people. They exist “at the shoreline” (Line 1), which can be read as both a literal location that alludes to immigration and a figurative location related to the “edges of decision” (Line 2). This imagery conveys how marginalized people are often forced to make impossible decisions. One standing “at the shoreline” (Line 1) cannot choose the ocean or the land; the shoreline is made up of both. Another liminal space is highlighted as “love in doorways” (Line 6). People who are poor and Black are often forced to live more public lives than their rich and white counterparts. Privacy, living mostly behind closed doors, is a privilege. Having to work generally means having to go through the doorways of residences, offices, stores, and other locations, and dealing with the general public. Not having to work (a perk of generational wealth) means a person can often have their basic needs met without entering public spaces.