Claudia Rankine's Essay: An Analysis

Annette Lemieux’s Left Right Left Right, consists of thirty black and white photographs nailed to wooden pine poles, depicting raised fists. Some of the images include the fists of important societal figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Richard Nixon and Jane Fonda. The other images include anonymous fists of a sailor, a preacher and a concertgoer at Woodstock. Together, the fists raised in unison suggest the idea of a protest, while the use of the poles convey the idea that the photographs are indeed picket signs to be used by the protesters. In relation to Claudia Rankine’s “The Meaning of Serena Williams”, the two are similar in the sense that they provoke a natural attraction of the black community. Rankine’s essay is centered around the idea of Serena’s black excellence, corresponding to the …show more content…
While the essay is specifically centered around Serena, the representation prevalent in the essay extends far beyond the realms of Serena Williams and her career. This idea of black excellence, is one that resounds strongly throughout the entire Rankine essay. Black excellence, can be defined as the celebration and glorification of the beauty and successes of black culture. Rankine touches heavily on the fact that black excellence is always plagued by the “constant onslaught of racism” (Rankine), and how that is becoming a global issue. The black community, no matter how successful, will always be viewed inferior by its racist counterparts. In response to this, the author makes it a point to show the strength and endurance displayed by Serena, in order to acknowledge that black excellence is something that cannot be destroyed. Further analysis of this idea begs the question of whether Rankine chose to use Serena as a lens to an even greater issue. Upon this analysis, the conclusion can be made that Rankine’s essay is a representation of black excellence in relation to