In Rankine’s “Citizen: An American Lyric” we are introduced to a recount of various memories and experiences that the narrator has had and experience them ourselves. Rankine makes this possible through her usage of pronouns and I argue that she “makes” us into the narrator. The pronouns that Rankine uses offer an interesting take on the narrative. Upon reading the text, the reader may be confused at first, seeing the words, “when you are alone and too tired”(Rankine), I assumed that the book was speaking to me. I was preparing myself to read something that would be relatable but I was not prepared whatsoever. The use of “you” really entails you and places you in a position where you are experiencing these events along with the narrator. The main purpose of using the second person is to tell the readers a story and to allow us to be more engaged in the story but Rankine uses it in a matter where you, the reader, are experiencing these events. Not only are you experiencing the narrators moments in which she experiences racism and discrimination, no it is way more than just that, you are also being told an important message from the perspective of a black narrator. The message of how this discrimination happens in everyday life across multiple points in a day. It is unavoidable and happens in real life or even in our digital lives. This really gets you thinking about the world around you even today. The reader experiences the discrimination firsthand and she does a beautiful job at doing this by offering various descriptions and dialogue throughout the story. We are introduced first to a child’s perspective much like in “The Bluest Eye” and are told about multiple events that transpired to the narrator. These descriptions along with the usage of the second person provide a rich narrative as we “experience” the events being told to us by the narrator. Rankine’s narrator is speaking to the reader and attempts to make us understand how it feels to be looked down upon by a white girl. A feeling that neither the reader nor the narrator enjoys.
The story progresses as we see the narrator’s experiences move beyond childhood and into adulthood. Much like the “Invisible Man” we are introduced to an adult perspective. We are no longer children but have now become adults along with the narrator, we “grew together”. In another memory, the narrator asks a friend to babysit her child while she watches a movie with her partner. Here we are introduced to another microaggression. What makes this memory interesting is the addition of interactions with the “third persons ”. In this memory, the narrator’s neighbor mistakes her friend who is black, for a robber. We see the stereotype of the neighbor and the interaction between the narrator and her neighbor. The readers feel as if they are interacting with the neighbor which is Rankine’s overall goal. This “third person” reassures us that we are now part of the story and are no longer just the reader. At the end of the memory, we speak to the narrator’s friend and tell him to speak in the backyard next time so that he is not mistaken for a burglar. The friend rightfully is upset by this and says he can speak wherever we want. We along with the narrator are left to respond with “yes of course”, and we can see that although the narrator had good intentions, she is in the wrong. What’s magical about this event is that through Rankine’s usage of the pronouns “you” we the readers, feel bad for telling our friend that it’s his fault for being consciences that way. This usage of pronouns allows Rankine to “attach” and embeds the reader to the narrator and turns us into the narrator. She was preparing us for our role in the novel and we have now become a part of Rankine’s story as both the reader and the narrator. This foundation allows us to interpret and understand the narrative in a different way as we continue to read it.
Post Note: I feel as if readings like The Invisible Man and The Bluest Eyes have prepared us for this text. We saw different perspectives in each story and saw the world of each novel through different lenses. These lenses, I feel, are allowing us to be a part of Rankine’s novel and allow us to become the narrator.
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