A sigh is a sign of disappointment, defeat, frustration, boredom, and longing. In Citizen, the action of sighing appears multiple times through different passages. However, they all seem to connect together through their meaning. The sighs represent an attempt at a release of the feelings listed above.In some of the poems the speaker has become so understandably overcome with with feelings of despair and silence that, "the sigh is the pathway to breath" (60). The speaker's only method to continuing on with life and not letting acts hatred and racism consume them, is to let out a wordless, but not silent sound.
A powerful line about the action of sighing is found in the very beginning of part 4. Rankine writes, "...truth be told, you could no more control those sighs than that which brings the sighs about" (59). This one line packs so much meaning. The speaker is saying that the person who created the reason for the sigh felt the need to say or do it urgently. Just as urgently as they did to release just a bit of the pain and frustration out. That the offenders cannot help themselves due to a lack of self control. Thus coming full circle with sighing.
Sighing is used numerous more times in part four of Citizen. The complex action is woven into the poems to add another dimension to Rankine's, already, complex work. The release, or attempt at release, of built up emotion from people's ignorant and racist actions seems like a sort of coping mechanism for the silence that often follows such actions.
I definitely agree that a sigh indicates a release of feelings. I also find it interesting how Rankine used multidimensional language to describe this concept of releasing the emotions built up as a result of society's criticisms and hateful language.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying about how sighs can indicate a wordless meaning. I think it is very accurate that Rankine does use sighs as a way to get across emotion with out saying anything, showing oppression.
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