Citizen: An American Lyric
Rankine uses economical language to express large ideas about how racism is rife in the US. When she was pulled over by the police, she says that she knew that this would happen (p.105). The phrase, ‘and you are not the guy, and still, you fit the description,’ embodies a profound message in it. Since the blacks are said to resemble each other, they all turn to be suspects whenever a crime occurs. There was even harassment from the police after they instructed her to stand naked after the fingerprinting session (p. 109). This indicates how racism leads to suspicion and prejudice against blacks. when Wozniacki imitated Serena, it showed how people expressed bias on Serena because of her ‘angry nigger exterior.’ Most of the fans only concentrated on her negative aspects instead of celebrating her excellent performances in tennis.
Rankine also perfects the art of using metaphors in her writings. On page 89, the author talks about the prison of her brothers to mean that various issues have caged them. The hearts of her brothers are broken because of poverty, plantation, and migration. Therefore, the word ‘prison’ is used to indicate that the brothers are restrained from progressing in life. The author also uses repetition to create more emphasis. She writes, “They will never forget our way through, these brothers, each brother, my brother, dear brother, my dearest brothers, dear heart, ‘’ (p. 89). This illustrates the affection that existed between the brothers and her. She adored and loved their close association and friendship.
The author also uses imagery and similes, which makes the literary work captivating to the readers. For instance, the author writes that certain moments send adrenaline to the heart, thus drying the tongue and clogging the lungs (P.7). This creates an image of a scary and frightening moment. The act of being called a black housekeeper sends cold chills to the individual. Therefore, the readers can picture the actual situation of the author when black people were confused to be the same. The use of simile in this sentence, ‘The wrong words enter your day like a bad egg,’ also makes the work more captivating. At least the readers can picture how racism affects the victims. They are frustrated with the bad words directed to them.
Reference
Rankine, Claudia. “Citizen: An American Lyric.”