Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric describes distinguishing events that many people of color experience throughout their lifetimes that imprint lasting impressions. Derald Wing Sue’s article “Microaggression’s: More Than Just Race” further explains the idea of microaggressions displayed in the chapter with an in-depth synopsis of conscience thought. Here, many situations are posed which are far too similar for many of those that do not fit into the white-male unsaid criteria. In her work, Rankine publishes thought provoking experiences of microaggressions through the eyes of said individuals that leaves all to consider how deep actions plunge into shame and inquisition.
In Rankine’s first untitled chapter, a series of short poetic essays share stories of inherent racism in everyday life as the story narrated can truly be anyone’s story. The portrayal of a racist America does not seem so far out of reach when discussed aloud with microaggressions being the center of it all. Microaggressions are unintentional actions “that communicate hostile messages to marginalized people” (Wing). The introduction of the reading is truly striking as it connotates that all people share similar experiences and from afar we all have the same ending as she tells with the shared experience of falling asleep. This however is just the beginning as the stories begin in an almost shocking way to incite the audience of the bittersweet experiences of people of color.
We observe vast experiences of microaggressions through gratitude, caution and disdain that prove that the attempt for equality has not gone far enough as our conscious thought wraps itself in such a way that humans are not as moral as we think. Although it is not the most extreme example of racism through microaggressions told, Rankine incites a truly disheartening experience as she shares an experience where an unknown man discusses how he must “hire a person of color when there are so many great writers out there” (Rankine 10). Here the microaggression suggests that being a great writer has a direct correlation to race whereas ability has no color. Soon she feels disgust for the person and even questions her sense of humanity herself as a domestic tragedy although this is not the case. Further capitalizing on the words “so” and “great” that Rankine inserts here, it signifies the assumed inability of people of color. As the word “so” promotes a heavy exaggeration of his thought and the idea that opportunity should arrive to white people while “great” here gives the impression that people of color cannot reach the potential to be “great” and are not so due to their race, we understand the impact of the statement. However, another idea is the assumed mutual understanding that this man is white which in turn provokes the audience to understand their own “inherited racial biases that exist outside their conscious awareness” (Wing). Without having to explain, Claudia Rankine has further suggested that we are not as indifferent as we previously may have thought. Although they do not consume us, we do hold these biases within ourselves as many of us have heard or been the perpetrator of this untaxed offense.
I realized that I do hold these biases through her tales as hard as it is to accept. It became most telling for me as I pictured the scene in my head and assumed which group each belonged to as well as how I assumed the man had phrased it incorrectly. However, this is incorrect as he said it exactly how it was meant: with the idea of diminishing a group. The definition of microaggression describes an unintentional manner but the truth is that it carries intention and comes within us. From certain expressions or phrases, microaggression comes in many forms such as phrases, glares or the manner we consider our safety in certain situations.
In conclusion, Claudia Rankine’s poetic tales of microaggressions depict the fault within ourselves where conscious thought has the potential to be hurtful. Here, we must consider how we carry ourselves and observe our inner monologue. The chapter is truly thought provoking as Rankine’s terminology annunciates the impact microaggressions leave and how they may look like.
Discussion Questions:
- Through the chapter, Claudia Rankine highlights stories with the shared concept of microaggression. How do you believe she tried to invoke a reaction from the audience? Did she?
- On page 12, Rankine shares an experience of microaggression through nonverbal action as well. What is the depth of this action? How are nonverbal microaggressions presented? Why did the woman move closer to her?
Rankine, Claudia. Citizen: An American Lyric. Dramatists Play Service Inc., 2018.
Wing Sue, Derald. “Microaggressions: More than Just Race.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 17 Nov. 2010, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/microaggressions-in-everyday-life/201011/microaggressions-more-just-race.
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Hi Jennifer, I think you did an amazing job of analyzing the first section of Claudia Rankine’s work. I also thought your title did a great job of drawing me in from the start. I loved how you incorporated the article “Microaggressions: More Than Just Race” and provided the definition from this article. It helped me greatly in understanding the first section of Rankine’s work. There were so many examples of microaggressions throughout the first chapter of this work. One example that stood out to me greatly was “a man knocked over her son in the subway” (Rankine 17). Not only did this example affect me because of how you feel for the little boy who was not apologized to or helped up, but also for the mother who was ignored when trying to defend her son. The reason this example also stood out to me was because at the end of the paragraph it says “you want the child pushed to the ground to be seen, to be helped to his feet, to be brushed off by the person who did not see him, has never seen him, perhaps has never seen anyone who is not a reflection of himself (Rankine 17). I loved this sentence because while it started with the immediate task at hand of just helping the child up, it dives deeper into the problem of microaggressions and people of color never being seen. While I could argue that this example is blatant racism and not a microaggression, nevertheless, microaggressions are very hurtful and can deeply impact and leave a lasting impression on the person whom the act is occurring to.
Hi Jennifer, this is an incredible analysis of the beginning of this book! The microaggressions presented within this first chapter are prominent and you can tell that they affect the speaker’s view of humanity as a whole. I do think the various examples of microaggressions shown throughout the chapter are meant to invoke a reaction from the audience. It feels as though Rankine wants them to reflect on themselves, to make these situations feel familiar to the reader and to have them assess their own personal biases and instances where they may perpetuated this behavior. A situation that stood out to me especially was the one where ‘your’ neighbor calls the police on ‘your’ friend who is babysitting for ‘you’ that day. The fact that she wrote this through the eyes of the reader makes us already more immersed than the typical point of view, but Rankine specifically has you say, “…next time he wants to talk on the phone he should just go in the backyard.” (Rankine 15.) Your friend then tells you that, “He can speak on the phone wherever he wants”(15.) The framing of the reader as the person in this situation is meant to make them feel as though they’ve done this exact thing and even possibly remember a time where they have said something like this to someone they know. There should be no question that he can talk on the phone wherever he wants to. He should not have to hide away in order to avoid having the police called on him, especially when it’s a simple everyday task. By having you tell him to go away to do this, you become complaisant and lose sight of the problem at hand.
Hi Jennifer, I think you did a great job going picking out details of the begging of the book. You described the characters and what was happening in the book with specific details that helps the readers get a better understanding of what is going on. When you talked about the impressions being used, it caught my attention and really pulled me in your blog. The way the author used the words “great” and “so” often makes the readers more into the reading and draws them in when describing this. “I could not believe her nerve. She was black mailing me and I had done her a gigantic favor by eating her casserole, whose nationality was a lie.”(10). In this quote, you can see that the impressions of the characters are being extra and dramatic. When reading your blog it made so many of these kinds of matches with each other, which would lead to other predictions in the future of the book. Having that been said, in your blog it makes so much sense on how the impressions of the characters are going to have a big impact in the rest of the book.
Hi Jennifer, I really enjoyed your nuanced interpretation of chapter one of Citizen. To answer your first question, I believe that Rankine tried to evoke a reaction from her audience by making them uncomfortable and forcing them to confront their own internal biases, which is something I feel she was very successful in. Her collection of unrelated vignettes is powerful because it shows the overwhelming amount of discrimination that people of color experience on a daily basis. Many of the aggressors in this story probably meant no harm and did not even realize they were doing anything wrong, but these encounters add up and shape the experience of black people in America. One line in particular that stuck out to me was when Rankine says “You are not sure if you are meant to apologize for this failure of your alma mater’s legacy program” (13) after a woman complains about affirmative action. While it may seem like a meaningless rant, making this statement to a person of color is ignorant and puts them in a position where they feel as if they have to apologize for simply existing. Rankine places the reader in the shoes of a person experiencing these micro aggressions, which is poignant and eye-opening for the audience.