"In a land drawn from an ocean bed, you can't drive yourself sane - so angry you can't drive yourself sane - so angry you are crying. You can't drive yourself sane" (p. 105).
Initially, this line stood out to me for being extremely involved and ambiguous. I had no idea what it meant. To begin to comprehend this line (and most of the book as a whole) I employed Nabokovian reading techniques, especially the technique of rereading. I read over the passage as a whole three or four times. Through Nabokovian techniques I found that "In a land drawn from an ocean bed" makes reference to the United States and how, for blacks, it often seems to be a foreign, unfair, and intolerable environment. The United States can appear so foreign, unfair, and intolerable that many blacks are driven to un-controllable rage and insanity. This line was powerful to me because it serves as call to action. Reminiscent of the ideas of Malcolm X, the line reflects Rankine's larger message: that black individuals should embrace and accept their blackness and the anger/insanity that results from racist interactions.
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