Medusa Sarton

Use Audre Lorde's "Poetry is Not a Luxury" and T. de Lauretis's "Desire in Narrative" to read May Sarton's poem "The Muse as Medusa." Expand May Sarton's project of remaking/retaking the gaze by examining what Audre Lorde and T. de Lauretis understand about the power of looking.

The power of looking resides in our agency. The supremacy of ‘seeing; being seen' gives a sense of self, which enables us to encompass our power and identity as an individual. As humans, we obsess about how we look; our conventional femininity. All bodies are heavily disciplined and concerned of our individuality by others' gazes. The gaze allows us to be independent and create an image of ourselves, because we ‘have been seen.' Medusa's agency is related
She portrays that her muse is the purpose of her artistic talent. Sarton portrays that through projection she surrenders to Medusa's power. Her poetic creativity is considered to be her image. Sarton uses Medusa as the figurative ‘to be looked at,' allowing her to think in a different perspective: "I saw you once, Medusa; we were along./ I looked you straight in the cold eye, cold./ I was not punished, was not turned to stone--/ How to believe the legends I am told?// I came as naked as any little fish,/ Prepared to be hooked, gutted, caught;/ But I saw you, Medusa, made my wish,/ And when I left you I was clothed in thought…" (Sarton 1-8). Throughout the stanzas, Medusa is portrayed like a hero since she is a motivated force who Sarton is thankful for. The fish in Sarton's poem are images that symbolize her thoughts that Medusa inspired. These images are an element of art which require the capacity ‘to be looked at.' Women who are considered ‘to be looked at,' also known as their femininity, are nothing without this projected image. Gender identities make a difference between seeing and being seen. An image is a representation of something else like an image from a camera. Theresa de Lauretis extends this point of view throughout her excerpt of "Desire in Narrative." De Lauretis explains that we see ourselves reflected in someone else's mirror. Cinema enacts the process of "death
She explains throughout her poem, "Muse as Medusa," that her power resides in Medusa since Sarton's creativity is inspired by her. Sarton's gaze is focused on Medusa in her poetry, which Audre Lorde expands by depicting that the power grounded by Medusa created Sarton's ability to look deeply and put it into words. Theresa de Lauretis explains that the power of Medusa, as a feminist icon, is portrayed through images on screen and is normally eradicated to symbolize the capture of women's control. The power of Medusa is encompassed through the gaze she attains, ‘to be looked at,' which gives power to those who use Medusa's power in poetry, cinema, etc. The power of looking is the significance to individuality. It forces the self to remake the gaze to achieve