The question is : Racism, its impacts on society, and ways to eliminate them?

based on the Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Importance of the use of the “second/third person” in the novel and how it impacts the overall story. How does it affect the reader and if the novel would be as impactful if it was done in the first person compared to that like the Invisible Man?

“is there a ‘self self’ at all in Rankine’s work, or does this prove to be a fantasy?”

In the novel the Citizen an American lyric,  written by Claudia Rankine .  She targets the issues of racism on a smaller and a larger scale . Bringing forth  the  issue of   micro aggression  in the United States . Her novel is related to both the poetic and critical minds . Tackling the hypocrisy that exist in white America towards people of color. Her novel brings forth a very unique perspective. Creating a personal interaction between her readers  with the use of pronouns such as you , we, he and she etc. An example of Claudia’s use of pronouns can be seen as she narrates “what did he say?, did she really say that?, did I hear what I think I hear?(pg9).” In this text it focuses on the victim and the perpetrator. Allowing one to question themselves , their reality and what they think they know. In this society  our knowledge is often perspective passed down from one person to the next. We hold biases based on ideas that we deem as satisfactory to our beliefs. Barely making room for questions and logics. Thus creating an illusion of the truth and a lie. In order to see one’s point of view one has to experience it. People are quick to judge and dismiss what they are not familiar with. Which often is the instigator behind most discriminatory acts of racism.

This is why people are most likely offended by what is said or done at times. Placing judgment on what they think a person did or said.  Rather than just asking to gain more clarity. Moreover, judging a person based on their outward appearance, rather than their inward qualities. Forming personalities , and characters that only exist in their minds.

It is unexpected that she  targeted both the first, second and third person in this situation. By placing all individuals to questioning. Which brings forth the idea that it takes more than one person to cause a conflict. This reflects society in the sense  that it takes the law , the citizens and yourself to decipher what is acceptable or not.  Along with the fact that there is always two sides to a story. In addition , each individual Is responsible for their own actions .

Claudia’s use of pronouns creates a familiarity between the readers world and the narrative she’s projecting. Allowing them to be critically involved and appealing to their emotions. People are always more receptive when they can relate to a situation. They understand the feeling of victimization and being miss understood or mistreated. So Claudia plays on these personalizations which creates the novels strength and individuality.

As people we tend to compare ourselves to what ifs, creating a life scenario in our minds. What if the roles were reversed, what if I could just be free like the falling rain, what if we lived like trees? Different types living among each other but serving the same purpose. In a world where the narrative seems to be against them, you or me. The first thing that comes to one’s mind is why?…. why the separation and disunity Among our own.

     We create our own narrative and we don’t even realize. Our actions determines that of the next person. What happens today and tomorrow . Along with who’s accepted and who is not. Claudia’s use of pronouns points to us . We the people, the law , the government and ourselves. We and we alone can change the narrative of the stories. We can create a different mindset by moving beyond  the monopolized way of thinking. It is then and only then the you the he and she can be removed . Thus creating the we and the us.

The first image we see in the text pictures a suburban neighborhood, highlighting the boisterous street sign named after the Jim Crowe laws that allowed for segregation.

Images are a powerful medium especially in context with human struggles. Rankine employs the use of images throughout her novel, which helps enrich the plot of her lyric story. One image that Rankine brings up is the “Jim Crow Road”. This image can invoke a bunch of emotions from anger to sadness. The image leaves us wild to our own thoughts, but with the use of Rankine’s writing, it becomes something else. Rankine writes, “ You and your friend decided that “yes, and” attested to a life with no turn-off, no alternative routes: you pull yourself to standing, soon enough the blouse is rinsed, it’s another week, the blouse is beneath your sweater, against your skin, and you smell good”(15).  This seems almost like a caption to the image. To further explain, some people live on this road and they don’t see a problem with it. The people living there might not be racists, but they simply do not care enough to change the problem. Which correlates with what Rankine is talking about with her figurative speech about the dirty sweater. We still live in a racist society that exploits people of color and we are silent about it. This is the emphasis that Rankine is trying to portray with her use of photos. We can not simply watch anymore because it only promotes racist behavior. 

Another example would be the use of Wozniacki’s photography meant to humiliate Serena Williams. Honestly, I was half expecting Wozniacki to be in black face too, but it seems our society has improved a little bit. Anyways this picture should immediately decry outrage from our society but it doesn’t. I believe Rankine is not only blaming Wozniacki’s inappropriate humor but the news reporters and the tennis community as the problem. How is Wozniacki not punished for this blatant attack on Serena? We all know at this point in time Serena gets penalized for the slightest of taunts, yet Wozniacki gets off scot-free? As Rankine writes herself, “ in this real, and unreal, moment, we have Wozniacki’s image of smiling blond goodness posing as the best female tennis player of all time” (44). I believe the image, in this case, helps capture the unreal moment. It showcases the reader of these moments, so there is no doubt left in their mind. The images strongly support Rankine’s argument here and denying it is near impossible. In my opinion, the use of photos in Rankine’s lyric book reminds me of a music video. We all know that the words/sound in the music video are the most important elements, but the video helps capture our attention as human beings. We are visual creatures and we are affected by what we see. Seeing images of racism still in our modern society should hurt us. It brings compassion out of us as human beings, it lets the reading take a hold of us. Rankine is brilliant for the use of images because at times it can be more powerful than the words themselves.