In chapters 4,5, and 6 of Citizen: An American Lyric written by Claude Rankin, we can clearly see the character go through hardship in her everyday life. Rankine connects the world to her emotions and what she does, the world responds. The character is struggling with an identity problem, and she is trying to find who she is and discusses this blue light in yourself where she is trying to find ways to cope with the racism that get presented later in the reading.
In the first chapter of the reading, the narrator talks about “the sigh” and how she keeps sighing, but the world keeps telling her to stop. The narrator brought up memories, and painful ones at that and how it produces headaches, and you seem to wonder why is it so important to remember memories? “You like to think memory goes back though remembering was never recommended. Forget all that, the world says; Feelings are what create a person, something unwilling, something wild vandalizing whatever the skull holds” (Rankine 61). Rankine discusses why people try to forget memories because you should focus not on the past but the present and future. But as Rankine discusses, why would you want to forget your memories that make you who you are. Then later in the chapter we see the underlying racism appear when the narrator tells the story of where the tennis player is upset with the official during the match and the player is just told to “Feel better. Move Forward. Let it go” that is formally told to Black people and told to them especially about the past and the painful memories of racism.
In this chapter we see the identity problem come out. Rankine talks about your hands and your eyes and the different ways of expressing yourself but despite that she still talks about disguising and staying in the back not having an outburst. As I read on in the chapter, I thought more and more about this blue light that she talks about. When does it come around and do you take advantage of when it comes and have the outburst that Rankine discusses. Like the early chapter where Rankine talks about the use of “you”, she now talks about “I” and why that is significant. “I has so much power; it’s insane” and “Tried Rhyme, Tried Truth, tried epistolary untruth, tried and tried” (Rankine 71). The narrator talks about how “I” is very important and how it can be a strength but the contradicts it when she says later down how she tried but people know that she suffers, and they see that through the expressions brought up earlier in the chapter. What is the difference between “You” and “I” and why are both so significant in the reading.
In chapter 6, Rankine discusses two very important events in Hurricane Katrina August 29, 2005, and the story of Trayvon Martin February 26, 2012. During Hurricane Katrina we see racism occur when they discuss where the rescuers are. “Where were they? Where was anyone? This is a goddamn emergency” and “It was the classic binary between the rich and the poor. Between the haves and the have-nots, between the whites and the blacks” (Rankine 83) I tend to wonder what and why there is hesitancy when it came to a serious event such as Hurricane Katrina. Rankine discusses how people didn’t want to go there to help and that “FEMA said it wasn’t safe to be there” (Rankine 84) but I believe there is more to that. How were the rich able to be rescued safely, how were the whites able to be rescued safely? There is a lot of underlying racism presented that I was unaware off that Rankine shows us. After she discussed Hurricane Katrina, Rankine decided to tell the story of Trayvon Martin. Rankine starts off saying how “My brothers are notorious” (Rankine 89) and that they didn’t go to jail and were good. Rankine repeats that and I wonder what makes that so important. The tone changes quickly, when they say how “The hearts of my brothers are broken. If I knew another way to be” (Rankine 89). Trayvon Martin was killed on February 26, 2012. He was killed for no reason having no weapon or anything was shot and killed in cold blood by George Zimmerman. At the end of the chapter on page 90 we see a photo that looks disturbing as there is one man looking at the camera and pointing to a tree. The photo was called “Public Lynching” where they hung a black man. There is a connection between this photo and the Trayvon Martin story and that was they were killed for an unjust and racially motivated reason.
Overall, these 3 chapters of Citizen: An American Lyric helps create another viewpoint on microaggressions and underlying racism that forces people like the narrator into an identity conflict. Claudia Rankine continues to give us valuable insight on the problem at hand and will provide more and more details as the Book goes on.
Discussion Questions
- What does the word “I” change about the feeling from when you’re called “you”? What similarities and differences are there?
- Why was the event of Hurricane Katrina and Trayvon Martin’s death so important to the chapters and book about racism and microaggressions?
Citations
Rankine, Claudia. Citizen: An American Lyric. Graywolf Press, 2014.
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