Monday, December 7, 2015

You

A particularly poetic line that struck me as I as reading Citizen was, "For Serena, the daily diminishment is a low flame, a constant drip. Every look, every comment, every bad call blossoms out of history, through her, onto you. To understand is to see Serena as hemmed in as any other black body thrown against our American background" (32).

When I read this line, I couldn't help but be reminded of the theme of collective memory that was present in Beloved. In this line and throughout Citizen so far, Rankine has presented individual scenarios and stories that most of us haven't actually experienced, but uses language that makes the reader feel like they are indirectly a part of the history that she is writing about, much like the memories of Sweet Home in Beloved. Rankine's multidimensional language is suggesting that Serena's struggle, though unique, is representative of the larger and farther-reaching problem of institutionalized racism. By choosing simply to use the word "you", she is conveying experience and reminding the reader that every American plays a part in the system of racism, and thus has the power to stop it.

2 comments:

  1. I also really like Rankine's use of the word "you" as a descriptor. I think it successfully puts the reader into situations that we may never actually experience, but are important to know about. Your last line is so powerful and absolutely correct.

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  2. I think that the strategy of using "you" is to forcibly draw the reader into the story. Humans are self-centered. If they think a passage includes them personally, as they would when "you" is presented, they will pay more attention and read more closely. This tactic aids the full effect of the book.

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