Hope

In these last two weeks of English, class has been less of reading novels that I cannot relate to (Jane Eyre among the many that come to mind) and more like watching artists paint pictures with their words, twisting hidden messages into poetry-like pose that leaves me wanting to hear more.

I thoroughly enjoyed Claudia Rankine's novel because she was not trying to shove anything down my throat. She wrote to convey her feelings, and although some lines left me bewildered, there was definitely a sense of beauty that kept me turning the pages.

Reading The Citizen showed me that I cannot relate to what African Americans go through on the daily. But that is okay. Sometimes it is most important to take a step back and bear witness to the fact that just because it is not happening to you, does not mean it is not important.

Lastly, one line particularly gave me hope. It challenged me to push harder, to realize there is always a way to create change, and to better evils that create desperate situations. Rankine teaches us that, "...then the voice in your head silently tells you to take your foot off your throat, because just getting along shouldn't be an ambition." So let's find our voices, and realize it is up to ourselves to see difference in the world.