Claudia Rankine

expressed in Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen: An American Lyric. Ms. Rankine addresses race in a book long poem that she has called an attempt to “pull the lyric back into its realities.” Those realities include the acts of everyday racism; remarks, glances, implied judgments that flourish in an environment where more explicit acts of racism have been outlawed but not always enforced. In her attempt to “pull the lyric back into its reality”, is to bring the “historical self” in…

crowd wants her to stay silent and keep her unpleasant words to herself. Not only has she been picked apart for her words but she has also been picked apart and slandered for doing a celebratory dance at the England Club 2012 Olympics. In “Citizen” Rankine stated that, “The American media reported “and there was Serena… Crip-walking all over the most lily- white place in the world … You couldn’t help but shake your head….. What Serena did was akin to cracking a tasteless, X-rated joke inside a…

In Claudia Rankine’s American Lyric, Citizen, Rankine enhances invisibility emotionally, physically, and socially through daily interactions. Although invisibility is illustrated to not be physically seen is false. The woman in the subway was not harming anyone. Innocently waiting for the train to come with her son when Suddenly, “a man knocked over her son in the subway” (17). Fortunately, the son was okay, however, the audacity to push the innocent boy into the tracks is what matters. Being…

Emeli Sande’s song “Read All About It,” gives me encouragement for the future. Lastly the sample artwork from Claudia Rankine’s book “Citizen” has been added to my mixtape. My literally mixtape is composed of the principles that carried me from my past and the knowledge that is helping me to build my future. The first track of the mixtape is always the most important…

I Remember I remember thinking I wouldn’t do anything in life Some people echoed the same thoughts about me but it is amazing what I have come to in my life A college student at USC and a future engineer I had no model growing up that pushed me from Las Vegas coming from poverty and a broken home Is this really even me? Is this a dream? Being here on this wonderful campus looking at the city of dreams cardinal and gold surrounding me my mind trying to accumulate my body trying to accelerate;…

In class we read three books of poems that couldn 't be more different. They each have different styles of poetry and I got different imagery from each one. The first one by Donald Hall I thought was the easiest to read. It was like a book of short stories about his wife who eventually dies. Reading the poems in the book you can feel his emotions through his words and the imagery was like I was there suffering with him. He gives great detail to make the poem feel more realistic. The second book…

tends to lead to the notion that one’s race is drastically different from that of other people. This results in ideological borders. When one is so separated from another, misconceptions and prejudice begins to occur. For example, in Citizen, Claudia Rankine explains an instance where a white person explained that “watching black people” is like watching a foreign film without any translation or subtitles. This exemplifies the mental and ideological division that race creates. Similar to all of…

I can list all the fact in the world based on why tattoos in the workplace are and are not accepted in the workplace, but that’s not what intrigued me into writing about tattoos. I find tattoos self portraying because not only does oneself reveal based on the art made in our bodies, but the significance it has on us and the image itself. Many people may not care or know but we all have a right to express ourselves which includes showing your tattoos. Although tattoos in the workplace are not…

Imagine Augusta under military occupation, Atlanta being shelled and burned, and Savannah being captured as a Christmas. One might ask what could cause destruction like that. What is powerful enough to make the country turn upon itself? What is the force that could turn Georgia into a war zone and Augusta into ash? The answer, simply put, is nothing more than a book. In 1862, as the United States of America was experiencing the catalyst of social change that would later become known as the Civil…

Maggie Nelson’s book The Argonauts is a memoir that focuses on her relationship with her partner Harry,the changes both of them go through as Harry begins taking testosterone and Nelson becomes pregnant, and ends with her giving birth to their son. The Argonauts can be described as a book that has hit its cultural moment, a book that has come just in time. During her pregnancy, Nelson really begins to question some of the most controversial topics discussed throughout the world today. She…